By Tabitha Evans Moore | EDITOR & PUBLISHER
LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — After closing a six-point first quarter gap to tie the game at halftime, the Moore County Raiders couldn’t keep the offense going in the fourth quarter and fell to the Richland Raiders 50-42 on Friday in Lynchburg.
Richland jumped out to a six-point first quarter lead thanks in part to ace three-point shooting by Jack Jackson and Will Shirey and inside shooting from Kade McCormack. The three Richland players combined for all 15 first quarter Richland points. Moore County managed just nine points in the first — a trey by Cooper Dickey, a basket by Braylynn Hill, and two each from the line by Dickey and Deacon Liles. They trailed 15-9 at the end of the first.
Colton Morey led the comeback charge to tie the game with a perimeter shot and two baskets in the second. Dickey and Anderson Sharpe added two more treys and Tristyn Gray managed a basket to send Moore County into the locker room tied at 24 with Richland.
Raiders and Richland tied in the third
The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle. Morey led in third with seven of Moore County’s nine points. Gray added the other two from the line. The Columbia blue Raiders and Richland Raiders sat tied at 33 at the end of the third.
But Richland saved their best efforts for the final stanza – outscoring Moore County 17-9. Jamerson Andrews led that charge with two treys. Moore County sent Richland to the line six times for two shots each. They made seven of those to help close the gap while holding Moore County to just two baskets — shots from Liles and Dickey. Gray added three from the line and Morey another two.
At the final buzzer, Richland left Moore County with an eight-point victory, 50-42, in the first of the two game series. They will rematch on February 3.
Moore County scored 14 points from the floor, 15 from the perimeter, and 13 from the line. Free throw shooting did some of the heavy lifting on Friday for Moore County. They were a near-perfect 13 of 14.
For comparison, Richland earned 22 from the floor, 18 from the perimeter, and shot 10 of 16 from the line for 63 percent.
Colton Morey led for Moore County once again with 16 followed by Cooper Dickey with 10. Tristyn Gray added seven. Deacon Liles scored four and an uncharacteristically quiet Anderson Sharpe shot three. Braylynn Hill managed two in the first.
Moore County will travel to Cornersville on Tuesday for another district matchup. Tip off will take place after the Raiderettes’ game. •
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