By Jeff Neal | Lynchburg Times Contributing Writer
EAGLEVILLE — The Moore County Raiderettes found life on the road tough as they dropped a 43-30 decision to Eagleville in the district tourney semifinals Tuesday night.
“The more aggressive team that gets to the free throw line usually wins the game. They are a good team. We were frustrated because we did not shoot well,” Moore County Head Coach Herb Horton said.
The Eagleville’s 2-3 zone defense affected Moore County early. They went over six minutes before finally getting on the board. The difference maker was Eagleville freshman post player Cadence Chapman. She rebounded the ball, altered and blocked shots, and scored four points as well as managing several rebounds against Chloe Brazier down low.
Eagleville built up a 20-11 halftime lead as foul problems became an issue for the Raiderettes. Charlotte Ray and Maecy Fletcher each picked up a pair of fouls in the first quarter. In the ball game, refs called 37 total fouls and 23 were whistled against Moore County. Eagleville had 32 free throw attempts to the Raiderettes 10. Eagleville only outscored Moore County by 10, 15-5 at the stripe.
In the second half, Eagleville went over six minutes without a point and the Raiderettes responded by cutting the lead to 26-21. It was the closest they would come. The Eagles scored nine straight points going up by 14 at 35-21. Late in the game, Ray eventually fouled out and several players continued to play with three or four fouls.
Robin Smedley led the Raiderettes with 7 points. Charlotte Ray and Olivia Richards followed with 6 each. Erica Clifton managed 4 points. Madison Floyd scored 3 points. Chloe Brazier and Jayden Lee swished a basket each. Haylee Ferguson led the Eagles with 11 points.
The Raiderettes play Fayetteville City at home on Wednesday, February 24 in an attempt to earn the three seed for the upcoming region tournament. Tip off is at 7 p.m. •
{The Lynchburg Times is an independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg, Tennessee. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}
Tournament officials named three MCHS Raiders to the All District Team following Tuesday night’s game: Brayden Cashion, Riley Holman, and Andrew Copeland. (Photo Credit:Jeff Reed Photography)
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS | It was a basketball game that felt a bit like a tennis match with lots of second half lead changes and swinging momentum.
The Raiders battled back from a 14 point third period deficit to get not one but two shots at a tie ballgame with less than a minute to play in Lynchburg. At the final buzzer, they fell to Eagleville 50-54 in the second round of the TSSAA District 8 Tournament. Brayden Cashion was the high scoring Raider with 18 points followed by Will Harder with 12.
The 12-10 Raiders and the 10-13 Eagles split their regular season match ups. The Raiders got the 59-54 win in Rutherford County on January 8 and the Eagles got pay back on January 26 — besting the Raiders in front of the home crowd in Lynchburg 61-50. In tournament action, Cascade and Moore County earned a bye week by coming in first and second in District 8. Eagleville beat Cornersville on February 22 to move on to second round play.
Fast first period and sluggish second
The Raider seemed relaxed and ready to go in warm ups and brought that same energy into the first period. They outscored the Eagles 13-6 in the first stanza thanks in part to the hot hands of Riley Holman who snagged seven points. Moore County gained the advantage by also playing aggressive defense — keeping the Eagle shooters safely on the perimeter.
The Eagles battled back in the second period. After getting on the board first in the second stanza with an Andrew Copeland jumper, the two District 8 teams traded baskets until the Eagles finally got hot at the three point line swishing one from the outside at 2:59 mark to pull them ahead by one: Raiders 19 – Eagles 20. Thirty second later the Eagles rebounded and threw another three point shot to give them a 19-23 advantage. They roared into half time with the momentum. At the end of the first two periods the score was Raiders 19, Eagles 25.
Riley Holman led the first half Raider scoring with 7 followed by Andrew Copeland with 4. Brayden Cashion and Dylan Scruggs added 3 point each and Colton Bateman scored 2.
Two shots at a time ballgame
The Eagles brought their second period momentum into the second half. They put together a 16 point run while holding Moore County to a single basket. Finally at around the 2:41 mark, Andrew Copeland broke the spell with a jumper in the paint. At the time out, Moore County trailed 23-36. Following the time out, Colton Bateman snagged another two points to get the Raiders back within 10.
The Eagles then found a Raider weakness that they exploited down the stretch as they used the screen to create a wide open lane for easy layups. At the end of the third period, Eagleville managed a 14 point lead and the Raiders trailed 26-40.
As if sensing time and opportunities were running out, the Raiders came back to life in the final stanza. Will Harder swished an impressive four from the three point line including three in a row to get the Raiders back within four. On his third, the Raider home crowd erupted and Moore County called for a quick timeout.
Following the break Brayden Cashion scored a quick two points to pull the Raiders within two, 45-47, with 2:53 left to play.
In the bonus, the Eagles then made four consecutive foul shots to build their cushion to 47-51 before Brayden Cashion drained a three to make it 48-51 with 1:03 left to play. On the next Eagle possession, the Raiders sent them back to the foul line but the Eagle shooter missed both. Cashion then muscled for another two points to get the Raiders within a single point, 50-51.
The hot hands that got them back in the game cooled for the Raiders as the seconds ticked down. With 1.2 seconds remaining, the Eagles went back to the line and made the bucket that put the game out of reach, 50-54.
The Raiders put together 50 points: Cashion, 18; Harder,12; Holman,7; Copeland,6; Bateman,4; and Dylan Scruggs,3. Kaden Snitzer was the top Eagleville scorer with 16 followed by Watson and Shingley with 13 each.
The Raiders will move onto a consolation game with Cascade in Bedford County on Thursday, February 25 to determine who they will play first in the Region 4 Tournament. District 8 leader Cascade lost to Fayetteville 53-61 on Tuesday. Tickets will be available at the Go Fans app or you can watch the Moore County Sports Network’s student broadcasting team on the NFHS Network. Click here for that link. •
{The Lynchburg Times is an independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg, Tennessee. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}
The Moore County Raiders moved up two spots to tie with Greenfield as the number five Division 1, Class 1A team in the state, according to this week’s AP Tennessee Football Prep Poll. {File Image}
SPORTS | According to the Associated Press’s (AP) Tennessee Football Prep Polls, released on Monday, Moore County earned their way back into the top five Division 1, Class 1A teams in the state after a 21-0 victory over Eagleville last Friday. To view the complete, AP poll click here.
The Raiders (5-1) were tied with Greenfield (5-0) for the number five spot. Perennial powerhouse South Pittsburg (5-0) continues to reign in the number one spot followed by: 2. Copper Basin (6-0), 3. Fayettville City (5-1), and 4. Coalfield (4.-1).
Lake County (2-2), who previously ranked number two in Class 1A, dropped to number seven after their second loss of the season on September 25 to Westview. Huntingdon (4-2), Cornersville (5-1), and Monterey (4-0) round out the top ten.
Eagleville game statistics
Against Eagleville, QB Kyler Parker connected on 11 of 17 passes for 142 yards.
Parker also led in rushing yards with 110. Dawson White contributed 28. Tyler Smith added another 26 and Kaden White hustled for 25 yards. Brayden Cashion managed 12 yards on four carries. In total, the Raiders rushed for 201 yards on 39 carries for a 5.2 yards per carry average.
Kaden White led the Raider receiving corp with six catches for 60 yards through the air. Cashion followed with 50 and Dawson White added 32 more. In total, the Raiders managed 142 yards through the air on 11 receptions for a 12.9 per catch average.
Parker, Dawson White, and Tyler Smith all contributed a touchdown each and Raider kicker Chase Bradford was three of three on extra points.
The Raider offense managed 343 yards against Eagleville.
Defensively, Kaden White and Donavin Pearson did the heavy lifting with 10 tackles each. Tyler Smith followed with nine tackles, caused a fumble, and got a quarterback sack. Hayden Carter added another eight tackles. Both Zac Carawan and Joseph Trice got a huge second quarter sack on Eagleville QB Collins that forced a punt on fourth and five.
The Raiders gets a bye week this Friday during Moore County Schools fall break. They will return to Raider Stadium on Friday, October 9 to take on Jo Byrn for homecoming.
The game will kick off in Lynchburg at 7 p.m. If you can’t attend, it will be broadcast live on Raider Country 105.1 and 95.5 FM with Joe Abraham and the Moore County Sports Network team, on the NFHS Network, or The Lynchburg Times will post live score updates on our Facebook page. •
{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg, Tennessee. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}
LOCAL NEWS | Sports — The Moore County High School Raiders (2-3 overall, 0-2 district) will take on the Eagleville Eagles (4-1 overall, 1-1 district) on Friday night at a Homecoming game at Doug Price Field in Lynchburg. Kickoff takes place at 7 p.m.
Homecoming activities including crowning this year’s queen will take place at 6 p.m. This years attendants are: seniors Katie Charlton, Alexis Archibald, and Molly Raby; juniors Regan Corder and Caitlyn Wolaver; sophomore Ava Womble; freshman Raby McNatt; 8th grader Lauren Scruggs, and 7th grader Katy Fletcher.
There will also be a Homecoming Parade in Lynchburg that begins at 2 p.m. on Friday
The MCHS varsity cheerleaders choose a game theme each home game and this week’s theme is Rock and Roll All Night. Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite band tee.
For those who can’t attend the game there are several ways to watch and listen. Joe Abraham, Al Clark, and Kelli Ray will broadcast live on Raider Country channels 95.9 and 105.1 on the FM dial. It will also be live streamed on the NFHS Network. There’a a small fee to watch the live stream but those fees support the student broadcasting team at MCHS. To learn more, click here. •
{The Lynchburg Times is an independently owned and operated newspaper that publishes new stories every morning. Covering Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}
