Local sports teams get cranked up on Thursday in the first day of competition for 2019.

The Coffee County CHS wrestling team will hit the mat on Thursday night as they welcome Columbia and Whitwell to their home “Dojo” at the Raider Academy for a tri-match.  Weigh-ins begin at 5 PM with the first match scheduled to get underway at 6 PM.

The Coffee County Middle School basketball team begins the stretch run as they return to the court on Thursday night hosting Warren County at the CCMS gym.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.

And the Coffee County CHS basketball team travels to McMinnville on Thursday night for a pair of games with Warren County.  On Friday, the Raiders and Lady Raiders travel to Fayetteville as they return to district play against Lincoln County.  The girls’ game each night will tip off at 6 PM.  Thunder Radio will be on hand for both contests as we begin live coverage with the Powers’ Storage Pregame Show at 5:50.

As 2018 draws to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the more than 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at the year for the girls’ basketball squads at Coffee County CHS and Coffee County Middle and Westwood Middle.

The Westwood Lady Rockets got a thrilling overtime win over Forrest in November in a game we brought to you on Thunder Radio.  Maddie Sullivan hit a pair of free throws with no time on the clock to send the game to overtime.  Thunder Radio brought you a recap of the win in a story we published on November 6^th.

Maddie Sullivan of Westwood basketball

The Westwood basketball teams welcomed Forrest to the Joel Vinson Gym on Monday night.  In a pair of games that you heard here on our Thunder Radio app, the Rocket teams fought to a split on the night.  The Lady Rockets won 32 to 27 in overtime while the Rockets lost 44 to 24.

In the girls’ game, Maddie Sullivan hit 2 free throws with no time on the clock to send the game to overtime.  Anna Johnson finished the game with 18 points, including 9 in the 4th quarter and overtime.  Allie Sullivan added 5 points while Leonor Moreno and Maddie Sullivan each had 4 points.  Johnson and Maddie Sullivan were named the Crazy Daisies co-players of the game.

Turnovers doomed the Rockets as Forrest rolled to the conference win over Westwood.  After playing Forrest tight in the 1st quarter, Forrest pulled away in the final 3 quarters.  Westwood trailed by 1 point entering the 2nd quarter only to be outscored 24 to 7 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.  Brayden Dixon led Westwood in scoring with 5 points.   Caiden Warren added 4 points off the bench to be named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.

Westwood hits the road on Thursday night when they travel to Murfreesboro to tangle with the Cougars of Middle Tennessee Christian.  Lucky Knott will be on hand to bring you the broadcast as part of the 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM, the pregame show will begin at 5:50 here on Thunder.

Download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

The Lady Raiders of Coffee County Middle School captured their 3^rd conference title in 4 years in January as they beat North Franklin in the finals.  Thunder Radio brought you the championship recap in a story we published on January 29^th.

CTC champion Lady Raiders of Coffee County Middle School. [Photo by Demarco Moore – Manchester Times]

The Lady Raiders jumped out to a 16 to 4 lead in the 1st quarter to effectively take North out of contention early.  The Lady Raider defense was able to force the Lady Gators into turnovers as they built the lead to 13 at the half and 16 entering the 4th quarter.  The Lady Raiders were 13 of 16 at the free throw line to hold off a late charge by North to run their record to 19 and 3 on the year.

Marley Perry poured in 33 points on the night in perhaps the most incredible performance of her career.  Kiya Ferrell added 9 points while Aly Harris finished with 5 points and Alyssa McClanahan and Alivia Reel each chipped in 4 points.  Following the tournament, Perry, Ferrell, Harris and McClanahan were named to the All-Conference team.  For the Red Raiders, Connor Shemwell and Aiden Abellana also were selected for the All-Conference team.

Both Raider teams will now advance to the sub-sectional on Monday night.  The Lady Raiders will host Whitworth-Buchanan at 5 PM.  The Red Raiders travel to LaVergne Middle for a 5 PM game.  Monday night’s winners will advance to the TMSAA state sectional tournament to be held in Shelbyville later this week.

The Coffee County Lady Raiders captured the regular season District 8 title last February on Senior Night.  This was the first district title for Lady Raider basketball since 1996.  Thunder Radio brought you the broadcast and gave you a recap in a story we published on February 9^th.

The Coffee County Lady Raiders celebrate with Coach Joe Pat Cope following the win as they sewed up the 1st regular season district title since 1996. [Photo provided by Amy Morgan]

The Lady Raiders played another close, nail-biter with the Eaglettes.  After a series of scoring runs by each team in the first half, Coffee County took a 4 point lead into the dressing room at halftime.  The Lady Raiders built the lead to 8 points with 2 minutes left in the 3rd period only to see Shelbyville rally to take a 2 point lead with 3 minutes left in the game.   The Lady Raiders cranked up the defense and captured the 2 point lead with 20 seconds left on a basket from Alliyah Williams.  Williams also got a steal with 3 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Williams, a senior, finished with 14 points leading the Lady Raiders as she earned the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  The Lady Raiders improved to 23 and 2 overall and 10 and 1 in district play.

The Red Raiders got off to another lightning fast start as they opened up a 16 to 3 lead in the first quarter.  Coffee County pushed that lead to 23 at the half and 30 in the 4th quarter before substituting out the seniors to a thunderous ovation.

Garrett Booth led the Raiders in scoring with 21 points including four 3 pointers to earn the Crazy Daisies player of the game honor.   De’Aaron Rozier had 14 points and Grey Riddle had 9 points as 9 different Red Raiders scored on the night.

Coffee County will hit the road on Saturday night as they travel to Winchester to take on Franklin County in the regular season finale.  The Red Raiders will need a win to sew up 3rd place in the district and an automatic region berth.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM.  Thunder Radio begins live coverage with the Char-El Apartments and Home Rental Pregame Show at 5:50.

Download the broadcast of the games at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

As 2018 draws to a close, Thunder Radio Sports looks back at some of the highlights of the calendar year for each of the more than 40 prep teams we follow and report on.  Today we look back at the year for the boys’ basketball squads at Coffee County CHS, Temple Baptist Christian School, Coffee County Middle and Westwood Middle.

The Westwood Rockets got a huge 4^th quarter in November to capture a win over Liberty in a game we brought to you on Thunder Radio.  Thunder Radio brought you a recap of the win in a story we published on November 2^nd.

Jayden Carter of Westwood basketball

The Westwood basketball teams welcomed Liberty to the Joel Vinson Gym on Thursday night. In a pair of games you heard here on Thunder Radio, the Westwood cagers captured a conference sweep.  The Lady Rockets pulled away in the 2nd half to claim a 47 to 19 win and the Rockets used a strong 4th quarter to capture a 24 to 18 win.

In the girls’ game, Westwood built an 11 to 4 lead in the first quarter thanks to a 5 point scoring explosion in the final 30 seconds of the period.  Liberty tied the game at 14 headed to the half and hit a 3 pointer to start the 2nd half to take their only lead of the game.  The Lady Rocket pressure defense gave the Lady Patriots fits in the 2nd half as they outscored Liberty 31 to 2 in the final 11 and a half minutes of the game to get the win.  Bryleigh Gray and Leonor Moreno led Westwood in scoring with 10 points apiece.  Anna Johnson finished with 9 points and Allie Sullivan had 8 points off the bench.  Moreno captured the Crazy Daisies player of the game award.

The Rockets and Patriots squared off in a hard fought, physical contest.  Neither team could get more than a 2 point lead in the back and forth affair until the 4th quarter.  In the final frame, Jayden Carter exploded for 8 points as the Rockets pulled away for their first win of the year.  Carter finished with a team high 15 points to be named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Brayden Dixon added 3 points in the conference win.

Westwood is back at home on Monday when they play host to Forrest.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you the streaming broadcast of that game as part of the 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  Tipoff is set for 6 PM and you can hear Lucky Knott on the call on the Thunder Radio app or streaming at WMSRradio.com.

Download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

The Red Raiders of Coffee County Middle School opened the 2018-2019 season with a pair of wins including a stunning victory over White County in Sparta.  Thunder Radio brought you a recap of the White County win in a story we published on November 6^th.

Dayne Crosslin of CCMS basketball[file photo]

In the girls’ game, Coffee County trailed at the half 11 to 10.  Unfortunately, White County outscored the Lady Raiders 15 to 0 in the 3rd quarter to race to the conference win.  Coffee Middle was led in scoring by Chloe Gannon who had 6 points.  Olivia Vinson added 4 points in the conference loss.

In the boys’ game, the Red Raiders rallied from a 9 point halftime deficit to get the win.  Coffee County outscored the Warriors 33 to 17 in the 2nd half to capture their 2nd straight conference win to start the season.  Coffee County was led in scoring by Dayne Crosslin who had 19 points, all of them in the 2nd half.  Crosslin hit 5 three pointers on the night to spark the comeback.  Jacob Holder added 13 points and Ethan Hargrove chipped in 9 points.

Both Raider teams will travel to Rutherford County on Tuesday night to compete in the Rockvale tournament.  The Lady Raiders will square off against Oakland at 4 PM.  The Red Raiders will also take on Oakland immediately following the girls’ game.  Second round action will take place on Thursday and the finals are scheduled for Saturday.  All the games will be held at Rockvale Middle School.

The Temple Baptist Christian School broke an 8 year losing streak to their closest rival, Victory Baptist Academy on November 13^th in Shelbyville.  Thunder Radio brought you the news of that victory in a story we published on November 14^th.

Cody Swayze of Temple Baptist Christian School basketball

The Temple Baptist Christian School basketball team made the short trip to Shelbyville on Tuesday night to take on their closest rival Victory Baptist Academy.  Breaking an 8 year losing streak to the Patriots, Temple got a 51 point performance from Cody Swayze in a 79 to 70 win.   The JV team lost by a score of 68 to 20.

In the varsity game, Victory stormed out to an early lead before Temple charged back to tie the game at the half at 36.  Trailing by 4 entering the 4th quarter, the Eagle outscored the Patriots 26 to 13 in the final frame to capture the win.  Swayze poured in 20 of his game high 51 points in the 4th to power the Eagle comeback.  Sam Floyd added 8 points while Mich Gloden and Trace Woodard each scored 7 for Temple.

In the JV game, Victory outscored Temple 21 to 2 in the 2nd quarter to seize control of the game.  Alex Gloden was the leading scorer for Temple as he had 13 points.  Sam Floyd added 5 points and Nathan Baker chipped in 2 points.

Temple will return home on Thursday night for a special Senior Night event.  The Lady Eagle volleyball team and the Eagle basketball team will both be in action on Thursday night at the E.C. Bailey Gym.  Landmark Christian Academy of Louisville will be the opponent for each team.  The Lady Eagle volleyball team will take on Landmark at 4:30 PM followed by the Senior Night ceremony.  Following the Senior Night program, the Eagles will square off against Landmark in a varsity basketball contest.

The Coffee County Red Raiders opened the2018-2019 season winning their first 5 games, including a huge road win at Lawrence County and a come from behind overtime win over Warren County.   Thunder Radio brought you the broadcast and gave you a recap of the Warren County win in a story we published on December 5^th.

Harley Hinshaw of Coffee County CHS basketball

Coffee County welcomed Highway 55 rival Warren County to the packed Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Tuesday.  In a pair of tough, physical games, the Raiders and Lady Raiders battled their way to a sweep of their closest non-district rival.  The Lady Raiders had their hands full with the Lady Pioneers before grabbing a 65 to 44 win.  The Red Raiders rallied from a 4th quarter deficit to gut out a 61 to 55 win in overtime.

After a sluggish start, the Lady Raiders outscored the Lady Pioneers 20 to 7 in an 8 minute stretch of the first half to open up some breathing room.  After Warren County cut the lead to 12 entering the 4th quarter, the Lady Raiders pulled away late to get the 21 point win.  Nine different Lady Raiders scored on the night as Abby Morgan led Coffee County in scoring with 20 points to be named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Bella Vinson added 12 points and Jacey Vaughn chipped in 9.  The Lady Raiders ran their record to 9 and 0 with the win.

Sluggish starts in both halves put the Red Raiders in holes but after getting outscored 17 to 2 in the 3rd quarter, it appeared Coffee County would suffer its first loss of the year.  The Red Raiders erased a 7 point 4th quarter deficit to force overtime and then dominated in the overtime period.  Coffee County hit 31 free throws in the physical contest but maintained their composure down the stretch to improve to 5 and 0 on the year.  Darius Rozier led the Raiders in scoring with 17 points, including 9 free throws, as he earned the Crazy Daisies player of the game award.  Harley Hinshaw netted 13 points and Andrew Mahaffey chipped in 11.

Coffee County returns to district action on Friday when they travel to Columbia to take on the Lions.  Tip-off for the girls’ game is set for 6 PM and Thunder Radio will bring you live coverage from Columbia Central High School.  We begin our live coverage with the Char-El Apartments and Home Rental pregame show at 5:50.

Download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/