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Lady Bucks Look to Build on Strong Start as Basketball Season Begins Second Half
![Freshman Ajaycia Cotton has exceled in her role as 'sixth man' for the Lady Bucks, averaging 11 points per game and leading the team in assists. [Jeff Reed Photography.]](http://www.thunder1320.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Jaycie-Cotton-Motlow.jpg)
Freshman Ajaycia Cotton has exceled in her role as ‘sixth man’ for the Lady Bucks, averaging 11 points per game and leading the team in assists. [Jeff Reed Photography.]
The Lady Bucks (7-6, 3-4) under second-year head coach Dominic Tharpe have brought a renewed excitement to the program with an influx of new talent and a more dynamic, exciting style of play. After rebuilding his roster from scratch, Tharpe has guided the program to the point where it can compete for the upper half of the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) standings.
Motlow will have an early opportunity to open the second half of conference play with a strong statement when Southwest Tennessee comes to Copperweld Arena on Friday, Jan. 15. The Lady Bucks and Lady Saluqis are tied, along with Chattanooga State, for fourth place in the TCCAA standings. Motlow will turn around and host Dyersburg State, who sits just one game behind the Lady Bucks, on Saturday.
The Lady Bucks have been led in scoring by a pair of talented freshmen. Sydney Floyd has perhaps been the team’s most consistent player, averaging 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, one assist and almost three steals per game. Ajaycia Cotton has taken on the role of ‘sixth man’ very well, averaging 11 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 steals per contest.
Shakala Griffin joins Floyd in averaging 5.5 rebounds per game, but four other players average over four boards per outing. The team’s balance is further evidenced by the fact that three other players besides Floyd and Cotton average over six points per game, including Taylor Hayes, Aja Robertson and Griffin.
Monday’s game against Martin Methodist begins a six-game home stand for the Lady Bucks that will end when Volunteer State comes to Copperweld Arena on Jan. 23. Homecoming is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6, with Roane State as the opposition. The final home game of the regular season is Saturday, Feb. 20, when Jackson State comes to Moore County.
One important note for Lady Bucks’ fans during the second half of the season is the new starting time for conference games. Traditionally, the women have always played first; but that will change beginning with the Martin Methodist visit, although it is not a TCCAA tilt. For the remainder of the season the men will play first during conference dates. For example, on Jan. 15, the men play at 5:30 p.m. and the women follow at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Jan. 16, the men will play Dyersburg at 2 p.m. with the women following at 4 p.m.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics at <Facebook/MotlowSports> and <Twitter@MotlowSports>.
1/04/16 — James Henry Anderson
James Henry “Jim – Q BALL” Anderson, age 68 of Hillsboro,
Tennessee, passed away on December 31, 2015 at the Erlanger Medical
Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was a self-employed insulation
installer. Mr. Anderson was preceded in death by his parents, the
late James Robert Anderson and Juanita Dyer Anderson. He loved his
girls and all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren
unconditionally and enjoyed hunting and fishing and CB radios . He
is survived by his children, Regina Fults of Estill Springs, Tenn.,
Melissa Majors (Steve) of Hillboro, Tenn. and Rebecca Stovall
(Shannon) of Decherd, Tenn.; step-daughter, Wendy Lynch; sisters,
Nellie Middleton (Jay) of Manchester, Tenn., Shirley Mooney (Paul)
of Sewanee, Tenn. and Patricia Duke of Manchester, Tenn.; brother,
Roy Anderson of Manchester, Tenn.; grandchildren, Robbie Shockley,
Chris Majors (Ashley), Tiffany Alford (Kyle), CJ Majors, Victoria
Majors, Faith Stovall and Michael Stovall;
great-grandchildren,Madelyn Shockley, Preston Alford, Connor
Alford, Atticus Majors and Crixus Majors; step grandchild, Erika
Prater; and a host of other relatives and friends.
VISITATION
Sunday, January 3, 2016 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Central Funeral
Home in Manchester, Tennessee
FUNERAL
Monday, January 4, 2016 at 12 p.m. at Central Funeral Home
BURIAL
Plainview Cemetery in Tracy City, Tennessee with U.S. Army Military
Honors
MEMORIAL DONATIONS
In lieu of lowers , the family suggests that Memorial Donations be
mailed to Central Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1005, Manchester, TN 37349
in his memory (Please make checks payable to Central Funeral Home.)
ARRANGEMENTS BY CENTRAL FUNERAL HOME
1/05/16 — John Billy Brothers
John Billy Brothers, age 76 of Manchester, Tennessee, passed away
on January 2, 2016 at the Manchester Health Care Center. Mr.
Brothers was a retired Electrician with Sverdrup at the Arnold
Engineering Development Center (AEDC); a member of the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; and a member of
the Manchester Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He enjoyed
woodworking, gardening and fishing and was a loving provider for
his family. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved
him. He was a man of strong and quiet faith. He was preceded in
death by his father, the late Leonard Harley Brothers. Mr. Brothers
is survived by his loving wife, Deanna E. Darnell Brothers of
Manchester, Tenn.; mother, Pearl Ephemia Williams Brothers of Beech
Grove, Tenn.; children, Billy D. Brothers (Regina) of Huntsville,
Alabama and Lisa C. Porter (Ernest) of Springfield, Tenn.; three
sisters, Patsy D. Rogers (Jerry) of Manchester, Tenn., Alice N.
Tarpley (Carter) of Murfreesboro, Tenn. and Rachel C. Fults (Doyle)
of Pulaski, Tenn.; two brothers, Jack H. Brothers (Carole) of
Bowling Green, Kentucky and Mark T. Brothers (Jenny) of Manchester,
Tenn.; and a host of other relatives and friends.
VISITATION
Monday, January 4, 2016 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
FUNERAL
Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 12 p.m. at Central Funeral Home in
Manchester, Tennessee
BURIAL
Wheel Cemetery in Lewisburg ,Tennessee
OFFICIANT
Reverend Mark Barron
ARRANGEMENTS BY CENTRAL FUNERAL HOME
CHS Basketball Opens 2016 with a Split at Grundy
File Photo – CHS junior Holli Smithson
Trailing by as many as 12 points in the 2nd half, a late Coffee County rally came up short at Grundy County on Saturday as the Lady Raider basketball team dropped a 62 to 56 decision to open the 2016 portion of their schedule. Playing their first game since December 21st, the Lady Raiders seemed to struggle to find their rhythm on both ends of the floor as they committed 23 fouls and suffered at least 10 second half turnovers. The loss spoiled a splendid 2nd half performance by junior Holli Smithson as she has 16 of her team high 18 points after the halftime break. For her play, Smithson was named the Coffee Coaches Show Player of the Game. Alliyah Wiliams finished the game with 15 points and Abby Morgan added 11 points as the Lady Raiders saw their record fall to 6 and 6 on the year.
Kohl Young of CHS Basketball
The Red Raiders got off to a fast start as they dispatched the Yellow Jackets 57 to 38. Coffee County held Grundy County to 4 points in the 2nd quarter which boosted them to a 17 point lead at intermission. Coach Micah Williams was able to get plenty of minutes for his reserves as 10 different Red Raiders got in the scoring column to improve Coffee County’s record to 7 and 6 on the season. Sophomore DeAaron Rozier came off the bench to earn the Coffee Coaches Show Player of the Game.award as he finished with 10 to tie himself for team high honors. Kohl Young also finished with 10 points as the senior continues to play the best basketball of his career. Stephen Sullivan finished with 9 points and Grant Sadler added 7 points in the non district win.
You can download the broadcast of the game by visiting HERE
Coffee County returns to district play on Tuesday night as they visit Fayetteville to take on Lincoln County. The girls’ game is set to tip off at 6 PM. As always, Thunder Radio will be there to bring you call. We begin our broadcast with the Powers Storage Pregame Show at 5:50 on Tuesday night and you can hear the game, at home OR away at 107.9 FM.
Ekholm scores in OT, Predators beat Hurricanes 2-1
Pete Weber’s Postgame Report
Mattias Ekholm #42 of the Nashville Predators (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
Mattias Ekholm finally ended the Nashville Predators’ overtime jinx on Saturday night.
The Swedish defenseman scored with 1:51 left in the extra period, lifting the Predators to a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes and their first overtime victory in seven tries this season.
Ekholm corralled a deflected pass from Filip Forsberg, skated in on Eddie Lack and beat the goalie top shelf.
”Obviously overtimes haven’t been our best so far,” Ekholm said. ”We just tried to wait them out and go to offense as soon as we could. As it is, 3-on-3 is a break somewhere and you’ve got to make something happen. Fortunately I got that one past Lack tonight.”
Paul Gaustad tied the game for Nashville with a short-handed goal in the second period. Ekholm assisted and Gaustad got his first goal of the season.
Victor Rask put Carolina ahead 8:58 into the first with his 11th goal.
Nashville’s Pekka Rinne had 27 saves and Lack stopped 19.
Predators coach Peter Laviolette praised Carolina’s defensive pressure.
”We were a little bit slow catching up to that in the first 10 minutes of the first period,” said Laviolette, who coached the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup title in 2006. ”But in the second I thought we turned it up really well.”
Nashville captain and defenseman Shea Weber played in his 724th game for the franchise, passing Martin Erat for second on the club’s career list. David Legwand played in 956 games.
Nashville hosts Winnipeg on Tuesday night before heading on a four-game road trip.Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast of that game following our Red Raider basketball broadcast.
UPDATE–Two More People have Died from Injuries in Winchester Crash
Two more people have died from injuries received in the accident that first took the life of a 7-year-old Coffee County boy. The three-vehicle crash occurred on the Dinah Shore Boulevard in Winchester New Year’s Eve morning around 11:30 a.m.
Authorities now say that Mary Jane Parks, 83, of Winchester died from her injuries on Friday afternoon. Representatives at Vanderbilt University Medical Center confirmed 7-year-old John Hill died at the hospital Sunday.
According to Winchester Police Chief Dennis Young, a minivan operated by Aaron Hill, of Hillsboro, was heading south and had stopped at a traffic light when a 2008 Kia operated by Parks slammed into the rear of the van, forcing it into an oncoming pickup truck operated by Robert Evans, 67, of Winchester.
“The Kia was traveling at about 90 miles per hour,” Young said Thursday afternoon.
Twins James and John Hill, were traveling with father, Aaron Hill, and their mother Lynette. All of those involved in the accident were injured except for the pickup truck driver.
James Hill, 7, was pronounced dead at Southern Tennessee Medical Center in Winchester on Thursday.
Aaron and Lynette Hill were also transferred to Vanderbilt for treatment.
A passenger with Parks, Jimmie Ruth Northcutt, 75, of Winchester, was transported to Southern Tennessee Medical Center for treatment.
New Law Says You only have to Renew Your Drivers License every 8 Years
Tennessee drivers who renew their licenses this year won’t have to go through the process again for eight years.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security says the change from five years includes all classifications of driver licenses and identification licenses, including commercial driver licenses and motorcycle licenses.
The change is the result of legislation proposed last year to improve customer traffic flow at driver services centers and takes effect today. (Jan. 4, 2016)
19 Tornados Hit Tennessee in 2015
Weather officials say 19 touched down in Tennessee last year, marking the state’s lowest total since 2007.
The National Weather Service said Saturday that one tornado struck the state in April and two touched down in May of 2015.
A record-setting nine tornados hit the state in July. According to the weather service, the highest number of tornados to strike Tennessee in July was four in 1980.
An outbreak in December produced seven tornados, the most ever in that month. There were two deaths from tornados in 2015, both in Perry County in December.
The number of twisters to hit the state was the lowest since 10 tornados touched down in 2007. The record for the most tornados in one year is in Tennessee is 103 in 2010. The most in one year in Coffee County is nine, 2011 and 1974. Official record keeping of tornado statistics by the weather bureau began in 1916.
Tennessee averages 18 tornados per year, resulting in an average of 6 fatalities.
Enrollment for Tullahoma Citizen’s Police Academy Open until January 31
Tullahoma Police Chief Paul Blackwell
Interested citizens may go to www.tullahomatn.gov and select the “Citizens Police Academy” link for the application and additional information. Applications can also be picked up at the Police Department, 201 W. Grundy St, Tullahoma anytime. Any questions about this program, contact Chief Paul Blackwell at (931) 455-0530 or pblackwell@tullahomatn.gov. Once a class is filled, a waiting list will be established.
1/03/16 — Ernest Eugene Medley
Ernest “Ernie” Eugene Medley, 49, of Nashville passed away on Dec. 29, 2015 at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.
Mr. Medley was employed in the car detailing business and loved to fish and hunt.
Born to the late Sandra Faye Davis and Lawton James Medley, Mr. Medley was also preceded in death by one brother, Tony Medley.
He is survived by daughters Cecila (Dustin) Alford of Hillsboro and Patricia Medley of Manchester. Also surviving are three sons, Mitchell and Billy Medley of Manchester and Matthew Medley of Hillsboro. Six grandchildren are also surviving.
Visitation with family members will begin at noon Sunday, Jan. 3 followed by a funeral service at 2 p.m. from the chapel of Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Huntland.
Daves-Culbertson Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements