LYNCHBURG — It’s extremely hard to beat a team three times in one season but that’s exactly what district rivals the Huntland Lady Hornets will attempt to do in Lynchburg tonight in the District 9A Championship game. But they’ll need to go through a Moore County Raiderettes teams who is playing their best basketball of the season and peaking at just the right time.

This will be the fourth meeting of the two teams this season. Moore County edged Huntland early at the Whitwell Thanksgiving Tournament. Huntland led for much of that game but the Raiderettes battled back – handing Huntland at 45-41 loss.

Moore County dropped both regular season games to the Lady Hornets. On January 11, the Raiderettes travelled to Huntland and lost 51-38 in the District 9A opener. Mounting turnovers, settling for the outside, and a lopsided foul count all led to the loss. Two weeks later, the Lady Hornets traveled to Lynchburg and put together a narrow four point win. In that game, 24 points from the free throw line helped lift Huntland to a 52-48 victory.

The Raiderettes will need to do a couple of things to earn a W tonight.

Stay out of foul trouble. In both regular season games, Huntland points from the charity stripe helped earn them the win. Moore County’s been playing smart, aggressive defense as of late. That press style comes with more fouls but the Raiderettes need to play smart in what’s bound to be a rowdy home atmosphere.

Keep the defensive pressure up. Against Eagleville, Moore County played aggressive on defense. They harassed dribblers, stole passes, and blocked shots. It wears on a team and it showed in the second half against Eagleville. The Lady Eagles scored just 14 second half points. The Raiderettes need that same intensity tonight.

Crash the boards. Huntland’s game plan that last two games seemed to be to make the Raiderettes settle for the outside. Sure, Olivia Richards, Katy Fletcher, Charlotte Ray, Erica Clifton, and Paisley Logan have all proven they can be money from the three-point line this season but they need to mix those opportunities with shots inside by Chloe Brazier, Ellie Graham, and Maecy Fletcher. If Moore County can get a bit of high-low going tonight, the Raiderettes can win big.

Tip off of tonight’s District 9A Championship game happens at 7:30 p.m. If you can’t attend in person, the Moore County Sports Network will live stream the game over the NFHS Network. The Lynchburg Times will also give live score updates throughout the game of our Facebook page. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only locally owned newspaper in Lynchburg and also the only woman-owned newspaper in 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.}