Bella Vinson of CHS basketball

Playing their 7th straight road game, the Raider and Lady Raider basketball teams traveled to Tullahoma on Friday night for a district doubleheader.  Both teams held 6 game winning streaks in the rivalry with the Wildcats.  The Lady Raiders improved that streak to 7 games with a 53 to 44 win.  The Red Raiders saw their streak come to an end in a 35 to 31 defeat.

The Lady Raiders jumped out to a 9 to 0 lead on Tullahoma in the first quarter to set the tone for the game.  Coffee County was able to build a 13 point lead at the 4 minute mark of the 4th quarter but could not put the Lady Cats away until the closing seconds.  Bella Vinson led Coffee County in scoring with 23 points including 8 free throws in the final period.  Abby Morgan notched 14 points on the night, all coming in the 2nd half, including three First National Bank 3 pointers.  Jacey Vaughn had 7 points and Jenna Garretson added 6 points as the Lady Raiders improved to 21 and 2 on the year and 8 and 1 in district play.  Vinson and Morgan were named the Crazy Daisies co-players of the game.

The Red Raiders struggled again at the free throw line as they were 3 of 16 at the line for the game.  But it was 3 turnovers in the final minute that sealed the Red Raiders fate against the Cats.  It was a back and forth boys’ contest that saw the lead change hands 4 times in the last 68 seconds.  De’Aaron Rozier led Coffee County in scoring with 12 points as he earned the Crazy Daisies player of the game honor.  Grey Riddle finished with 9 points and Darius Rozier chipped in 8 points as Coffee County falls to 13 and 8 on the year and 5 and 4 in the district.

Coffee County returns home on Tuesday night when they welcome Franklin County to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym.  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/

Kevin Fiala

Kevin Fiala scored twice and the Nashville Predators defeated the New York Rangers by a 5-2 final on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. It’s Nashville’s second consecutive victory, giving them points in 10 of their last 11 outings and putting them just two points out of the Central Division lead with three games in hand.

Much like Thursday’s blasting of the Los Angeles Kings, the Preds put up five goals again and fed off the energy of the sold-out Bridgestone Arena crowd – with a record-setting 17,543 fans in attendance. And almost all of them went out into the night pleased with the result.

“I thought for 120 minutes it was pretty good, pretty consistent,” Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of his club’s last two games. “The guys were playing hard. We rolled the lines and rolled the D and had good goaltending.”

“I felt like we were ready to play tonight,” Nashville forward Colton Sissons said. “We played fast and we played with energy and played a pretty smart game.”

After a scoreless opening period, it took P.K. Subban 19 seconds into the middle frame to blast home his 13th tally of the season for a 1-0 Predators lead. Then, after Nashville elected to challenge a Rangers goal for offside – and succeeded yet again – Kevin Fiala beat Henrik Lundqvist before the stanza was out for his 14th of the campaign and a two-goal advantage after 40 minutes.

The second period also brought a bit of animosity – big hits and a scrap between Ryan Johansen and Brady Skjei – events that gave even more life to the Nashville bench.

“It gets the bad blood going a little bit… and you want it a little bit more when it gets like that,” Sissons said of the physicality. “It only made it a better hockey game tonight.”

“Yeah, there was a couple hits in there,” Predators forward Filip Forsberg smiled. “It was fun. As I said, they came out and wanted to be physical and I think we matched that, and points are important.”

The Rangers tallied twice on the power play in the third period, but the Predators struck back almost instantly on both occasions, refusing to let the Rangers even the score. Sissons and Viktor Arvidsson played the role of dream-crushers before Fiala added an empty-net marker to seal it.

Pekka Rinne continued to shine in net, making 20 saves for his 26th win of the season to give him a perfect 7-0-0 mark in his last seven decisions – as well as set the second longest shutout streak in franchise history at 171:47.

And with that, the Predators keep on finding ways to win, good news before embarking on a four-game trip out east that is sure to provide plenty of challenges.

Anything You Can Do…:

It took the Rangers just 21 seconds into the third period to cut Nashville’s lead to 2-1. That goal could’ve easily given New York all the energy necessary to mount a comeback. But Colton Sissons answered.

The Rangers did it again with less than six minutes to play – a power-play goal to cut the lead to one. But 16 seconds later, Viktor Arvidsson struck.

Sissons admitted it wasn’t the best third period for the home club, but the responses deflated the New York bench, and each time they thought they had something going, the team in Gold, and the crowd behind them, squashed all hope of the visitors salvaging a point.

“Really big to answer like that,” Laviolette said. “I don’t like the fact that we took three penalties in the third period. Right away, we had to play in the defensive zone and were taking shots. We had done a pretty good job staying out of the box. To go there three times is not good. That could cost us, but it didn’t. We were able to answer and come back with big goals right after they scored.”

It’s been a theme this season across Nashville’s 31 victories – just find a way to be on the right side of the ledger at the final horn. And much like the previous 30 occasions, they did just that.

“Oh it’s huge,” Forsberg said of the third-period goals. “We obviously know how it feels when they score a goal. You’re about to come back and the other team gets one right away, it kind of sucks the life out of you and we did that twice… I think that was the key for sure.”

Notes:

With his goal on Saturday, P.K. Subban continues to average over a point per game over his last 21 contests, tallying nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points since Dec. 13. Subban is one of three NHL defensemen to lead his team in points.

Nashville has scored five goals in two-straight games; tonight is also the 10th time this season they’ve scored at least five.

The Predators will now head out for a four-game trip, beginning on Monday night in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders. Nashville will then jet off to Canada for contests in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal to round out the excursion.

Members of the 2018 Motlow Lady Bucks softball team, front row from left: Ace Hanson, Nikita McCreary, Kendall Durard, Sarah Wilson and Breanna Owens. Second row from left: Ariel McAtee, Kylie Thackerson, Miranda Cooksey, Caroline Sarris, Madison Hopkins and Madison Woodruff. Back row from left: Emily Parks, Haley Hinshaw, Chelbie Gannon, Samantha King, Ciera Dobbins, Annsley Kalamon and Jennifer Corbitt. [Photo by Jeff Reed Photography]

The Lady Bucks will open the season Tuesday, Feb. 6, with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Northeast Mississippi in Booneville, Miss. Following a trip to Meridian, Miss., and a conference-opening road trip to defending champion Chattanooga State, Motlow will play its first home game on Tuesday, Mar. 6, against visiting non-conference opponent Calhoun from Decatur, Ala.

Morey will lean on her returning sophomores heavily to provide leadership and production, especially in the early going as the freshmen get accustomed to the college game.

“Breanna Owens, Sarah Wilson and Ciera Dobbins return to the infield, while Chelbie Gannon and Miranda Cooksey return in the outfield,” said Morey. “The addition of a local familiar face to the sophomore list, Mattie Woodruff, is expected to contribute to our team in big ways both offensively and defensively.”

The Lady Bucks’ leading returning hitter is Fayetteville’s Owens, who garnered 141 at bats last season and hit .298 with 11 doubles, 16 runs batted in and six stolen bases. Owens also went 6-16 in the circle in 2017 with a 5.51 earned run average and 57 strikeouts in 128 innings pitched.

Lewisburg native Cooksey returns after getting 107 plate appearances and hitting .252 with nine doubles, two home runs and 15 RBI. Shelbyville’s Gannon hit .240 with seven doubles and 14 RBI, and LaVergne’s Dobbins hit .220 in 132 at-bats with five doubles and nine RBI. Sparta’s Wilson returns in the circle, where she went 5-16 with a 6.23 earned run average in 139 innings.

Rutherford County native Woodruff has joined the Lady Bucks as a sophomore after a stellar prep career at Riverdale High School, where she was named Region 7-AAA Most Valuable Player following her senior season.

There remains a lot of playing time available and a significant amount of expectation on the incoming freshmen. Coach Morey is excited to add to her pitching staff and to add more speed to this year’s squad.

“A pair of freshman pitchers, Samantha King and Kendall Durard, should definitely contribute to the existing pitching staff in a positive way for us,” added Morey. “Having speed on the bases will be new for us as Kylie Thackerson, Ariel McAtee and Ace Hanson all bring that element to our team.”

Madison Hopkins is from Lewisburg and played at Cornersville, Haley Hinshaw was a member of the standout program at Coffee County, and McAtee played at Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna.

Thackerson was a standout at Scottsboro High School just across the state line, Jennifer Corbitt comes west after playing at Bradley Central, and Morey picked up a pair of players from Hendersonville in Hanson and Annsley Kalamon.

Caroline Sarris came the farthest to wear the green gold after attending Kell High School in Acworth, Ga. Morey continues to sign some of the area’s best players, including Durard from Shelbyville and Emily Parks, who played her prep ball at Moore County.

Perhaps the most heralded freshman is standout pitcher King, who played at Forrest High School in Chapel Hill. She pitched the Lady Rockets to the Class A state championship game and was named all-state after her senior season.

The Lady Bucks were barraged with injuries and attrition in 2017 and finished the season with a 13-35 record and an early exit from the TCCAA tournament. In Morey’s first season, her Lady Bucks sported a 28-24 mark and played into the third round of the conference tournament. This year’s TCCAA tournament will be held at Chattanooga State beginning May 6.

Cody Swayze of the Temple Baptist Christian School basketball team

The Temple Baptist Christian School welcomed Faith Christian Academy to the E.C. Bailey Gym on Thursday.  The home standing Eagles played host to the Crusaders from Jamestown.  A record breaking performance from Cody Swayze helped lift the Eagles to the 73 to 51 win.

Trailing by 5 at the half, Temple opened the 2^nd half on a 14 to 2 run in the first 6 minutes of the 3^rd quarter.  In the fourth quarter, Temple outscored Faith 21 to 12 led by Swayze who had 13 points in the final frame.

Swayze finished with 54 points on the night to break the single game record for Temple for the 3^rd time this season.  Alex Gloden added 12 points and Trace Woodard chipped in 4 points.

Temple is back in action on Friday, February 9^th at home when they welcome Philadelphia Christian School of Calhoun, GA.  The Eagles will host the varsity/JV doubleheader beginning at 5:00 PM.