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Coffee County Elementary Basketball Tournament Semifinals are TONIGHT
2018 CYBL Tournament(Revised January 22nd)
Due to numerous schedule conflicts, the Coffee County Youth Basketball League has moved up the dates for their post season tournament. The tournament semifinals will now be held on tonight beginning at 5 PM at the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym at Central High School. Saturday will be the finals and consolation games along with the cheer exhibition by each of the elementary school cheer squads. Saturday begins with the girls’ consolation game at 9 AM, followed by the boys’ consolation. The cheer exhibition will be held at 11 AM with the tournament championship for the girls taking place at noon and the boys’ finals to follow beginning at 1 PM.
Lady Bucks Step Outside Conference for Rare Thursday Night Home Contest
The Motlow State Lady Bucks will try to get back into the win column when they step outside TCCAA conference play to host Wallace State-Hanceville at Copperweld Arena on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Motlow will then host TCCAA rival Volunteer State on Saturday, with the women tipping off at 4 p.m.
The Lady Bucks (3-11, 0-7) came very close to pulling out two conference wins over the weekend but came up short in both efforts. Friday night, Motlow came from 18 points down and tied the game with 24 seconds remaining before falling 73-72 to Dyersburg State. Saturday the Lady Bucks dropped a 75-67 decision to visiting Southwest Tennessee at Copperweld Arena.
The visiting Lady Eagles from Dyersburg started strong Friday night, jumping out to an 18-12 lead after one quarter and a 38-22 lead at the half. Motlow freshman Janna Lewis led the comeback effort in the third quarter though, pulling the Lady Bucks within four points before Dyersburg surged back ahead 51-42 after three.
Still the Lady Bucks refused to fold. Miranda Boutwell hit one of her three 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 54-45 with nine minutes to play. Tajah Clark nailed a three with seven minutes remaining and Motlow trailed 56-53. The visitors then surged back ahead, leading 64-57 with five minutes showing on the clock.
Back came the Lady Bucks on a 10-5 run, led by another three pointer from Boutwell, to trail 69-67 with 48 seconds remaining. Lewis then went to the line and tied the game with two free throws at the 24 second mark, but the Lady Bucks couldn’t get the stop they needed on the defensive end and Dyersburg State escaped with the victory.
Lewis led four double-digit scorers with 16 points and added 10 rebounds. Boutwell scored 14 points, while Brianna Jones and Jewel Ledbetter each had 13 points. Ledbetter added seven rebounds and three steals, while Jones pulled down six boards. Clark scored eight points and dished out five assists with two steals.
Saturday was another close contest that saw the Lady Bucks fall behind early, then fight their way back to challenge the opposition before falling just short at the end. Southwest jumped out front 21-20 after one quarter and 40-32 at the half before the Lady Bucks staged their comeback attempt.
Boutwell, who had a career-high 25 points, nailed a three pointer and Joy Porter hit back-to-back baskets to cut the Southwest Tennessee lead to 49-44. Ledbetter then nailed a jumper and the third quarter ended with Motlow down only 53-50.
After Boutwell drove for a layup to cut the lead to three, Lewis grabbed a steal and scored, putting Motlow within a point at 62-61 with four minutes to play. However, that would be as close as the Lady Bucks would get as the Lady Saluqis pulled away in the final two minutes.
Boutwell connected on 9-16 shots from the field and hit 4-10 three pointers. Lewis had another double-double, scoring 18 points and hauling in 13 rebounds along with three steals. Clark scored eight and had six rebounds, four steals and three assists, while Ledbetter and Porter each scored six points, with Porter adding six rebounds and two steals.
‘Fab Four’ leads No. 9 Bucks past No. 25 Southwest Tennessee
Motlow State sophomores Kevonte Corley, Dillon Smith, Rashawn Fredericks and Isaiah Hart combined for 68 points, 37 rebounds and eight steals to lead the No. 9-ranked Bucks to an 83-67 win over No. 25 Southwest Tennessee at Copperweld Arena Saturday.
The Bucks (13-2, 7-0) continue to sit alone at the top of the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) standings following a pair of conference wins over the weekend. The night before they beat the Saluqis, Motlow steamrolled visiting TCCAA rival Dyersburg State 110-59.
Motlow will finish off its home stand by hosting rival Volunteer State on Saturday, with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m. The following weekend the Bucks will travel to Chattanooga State and Cleveland State.
Saturday’s win against Southwest, coached by former Motlow head coach and athletic director Jerry Nichols, was typical of recent contests between the two powerhouses; physical, close and competitive.
Motlow trailed 22-15 halfway through the first half before Fredericks hit a three pointer and three free throws to close the gap to 22-21. Hart was fouled on a three-point attempt and also hit all three free throws as the half ended with the Bucks leading 40-35.
Motlow never trailed in the second half, and the closest Southwest could get was within two, 60-58, with six minutes left to play. Leo Castillo got an offensive rebound put-back and Hart hit a long three pointer to put Motlow back up by nine. The Saluqis closed the gap to five with 2:18 remaining before Corley drove to the bucket, made the layup, got fouled, and sank the free throw. The Bucks then pulled away in the final two minutes.
Fredericks had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Corley scored 19 with 13 boards and two blocks, Hart had 19 points with four assists, four steals and five rebounds, and Smith scored 10 with eight rebounds and three steals. Castillo added eight points and nine rebounds, while Anthony Yarbrough scored five with six boards.
The Bucks enjoyed one of their most productive games at the free throw line, sinking 21-24 opportunities while Southwest only hit 15-23. The Saluqis won the rebounding battle 55-40, but Motlow dished out 15 assists and collected 11 steals, while Southwest only had six assists and forced only two steals.
Friday night’s win over Dyersburg State was a completely different story as the Bucks dominated the action from start to finish, leading at halftime 52-16. Six players scored in double figures for Motlow and every available player put points into the scorebook.
Hart led the way with a double-double, scoring 24 points and dishing out a season-high 10 assists along with four steals. Hayden Edmondson had his best game as a Buck, scoring 16 points, including hitting 3-4 from three-point range, while also adding four steals. Smith had 16 points and four steals and dished out five assists.
Castillo added 12 points, while Zaire Swaby and Corley each had 11. Both Swaby and Corley logged double-doubles though, with Corley snatching 13 rebounds and Swaby 10. Fredericks scored nine points and had 11 rebounds, Justin Hill added six points with four boards, Kin Webster scored three with four rebounds, and Chad Emmons had two points and four boards.
1/24/18 — Birthdays
Birthdays:
Jodi Booth — Pizza Winner!
Margie Gipson
Ruby Shelton
Coffee County School Bus Involved in Crash
Photos by Barry West
A three-vehicle accident occurred around 7:30am Wednesday morning at the intersection of Spring and Coffee Streets in Manchester. The crash involved a Coffee County school bus. Manchester Police was in charge of the scene. Manchester Fire & Rescue and Coffee County EMS also arrived at the location. Coffee County school personnel made their way to wreck quickly to attend to the children and parents that arrived at the crash site.
Coffee County Schools Director Dr Ladonna McFall told WMSR News that 8 students were taken to Unity Medical Center to be checked out as a precaution for minor injuries. The remaining middle students were moved to another bus for transport to the school.
Manchester Police Assistant Chief Adam Floied said the driver of the first car involved in the accident stated that his brakes went out. Floied added that the man allegedly ran a red light at the intersection.
The bus driver was not injured.
Grundy County Delays Hiring New Head Coach
The Grundy County Board of Education decided Tuesday night to delay hiring a new football coach.
In the Fall, five students were charged with attempted aggravated rape when they allegedly assaulted another student.
Casey Tate who was head coach at the time of the incident was relieved from his coaching duties.
Tuesday night, the school board was set to decide how much they are willing to spend on a new coach. Instead, the board pushed that topic to the February meeting.
WMSR News has learned there are two finalists to become the new head coach of the Yellow Jackets.
Also, a records request by Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum concerning “any and all information regarding the investigation of incidents of hazing, assault, and/or sexual assault related to Grundy County students in the last five years” have not been turned over to the sheriff by the school system. The subpoena for the records was issued on October 25, 2017.
The case against the five students accused of attempted aggravated rape has been sealed by Judge Tim Brock, of Coffee County. He put a non-disclosure order on the case on November 15, when the boys were last known to have been in court.
Winchester Police Asking for Help with Homicide Investigation
The Winchester Police Department is actively investigating the homicide of Harvey Dwayne Harper, 41, of Shoma Drive Shelbyille that occurred January 8, 2018 at Oak Street Park in Winchester.
Winchester Police Chief Ritchie Lewis said that the man had been shot several times.
Winchester Police is requesting if any person(s) that have any information regarding Harper’s death please contact Detective Jamie Cox with the Winchester Police Department at 931-967-3840 or Crimestoppers at 931-962-INFO (4636). All information regarding this case will remain anonymous.
Tennessee Promise FASFA Deadline is Friday
The deadline for Tennessee Promise scholarship recipients (high school class of 2018) to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) has been extended until Jan. 26, 2018, due to the recent bout of wintry weather and illness-related school closings in the state.
Jonathan Graham, Tennessee Promise specialist at Motlow State Community College, offers the following advice to interested students, “It is extremely important that the FAFSA be completed by Jan. 26 to be eligible for the Tennessee Promise scholarship. Motlow State Tennessee Promise students needing help with their FASFA application can contact Jessica Dodge, financial aid counselor, at jdodge@mscc.edu.”
Additionally, mandatory TN Achieves team meetings will be held at the students’ high school this spring. High school guidance counselors will be advising students of the dates and times of the mandatory meetings. For information regarding TN Achieves team meetings, students can go to tnachieves.org and click on “Team Meeting Schedule.” For information regarding the Tennessee Promise go to tnpromise.mscc.edu.
1/26/18 — Altha Blanche Burks
ALTHA BLANCHE SHELTON BURKS, age 88, departed this life on Tuesday, January 23, 2018, at Life Care Center in Tullahoma following an extended illness to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ms. Burks was born in Coffee County on November 6, 1929, to the late Willis Clinton Shelton and Irene Bell Roberts Shelton. She was the last charter member of the Concord Baptist Church in Tullahoma. She taught Sunday School at Concord at different times and everyone that knew her knew she loved her Lord and her Church. She was employed for approximately 45 years as a bookkeeper at different businesses in Tullahoma. She was employed at Coca-Cola, The Manchester Times and was last employed for 26 years at PCA. Ms. Burks’ favorite hobbies were gardening and working on her families genealogy.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Foster Burks, and a sister Louise Jones. She is survived by her daughters; Melissa Neel and husband, Tom of Petersburg, Tenn., Shelley Luttrell and husband, Leon of Manchester. Grandchildren; Clint Neel and wife, Leeann of Nashville, Heather Hamilton and husband Will of Fayetteville, Luke Dotson of Tullahoma, Debbie Yates of Winchester, Cody Dotson and wife, Jackie of Manchester, Kevin Luttrell of Manchester, Valerie Prosser and husband, Chris of Tullahoma, Holly Bradford and husband, Joey of Normandy, 11-great-grandchildren.
Visitation for Ms. Burks is scheduled for 4:00 – 8:00 P.M. Thursday evening, January 25, in the Chapel of Grant Funeral Services. Services will be held at 1:00 P.M. Friday, January 26, at Concord Baptist Church in Tullahoma, with Bro. Doyle Sherrill, officiating. Interment will follow in the Concord Cemetery where Ms. Blanche will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband, Foster.
In Lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Tennessee Kidney Foundation, 2120 Crestmoor Road, Nashville, TN 37215-2613.
GRANT FUNERAL SERVICES IN CHARGE OF THE ARRANGEMENTS
Coffee County Claims District Split at Columbia
Ashley Starks of CHS basketball
In a pair of games decided by 3rd quarter rallies, the Coffee County CHS basketball teams split a doubleheader with Columbia on Tuesday night. The Lady Raiders got a huge 3rd quarter to power to the district win 63 to 25. The Red Raiders went ice cold in the 3rd quarter as they fell 54 to 45 to the Lions.
After roaring out to an early 16 to 2 lead, the Lady Raiders saw Columbia play them even for the rest of the first half as Coffee County led 30 to 18 at the half. Coming out with a renewed defensive focus in the 3rd quarter, the Lady Raiders opened the 3rd quarter on an 18 to 2 run and breezed to their 18th win on the season.
Jacey Vaughn led Coffee County in scoring with 16 points. Bella Vinson and Abby Morgan each added 11 points while Ashley Starks chipped in 10. Starks and Morgan were named the Crazy Daisies co-players of the game.
After leading at the half 28 to 25, Coffee County saw Columbia close out the 3rd quarter on a 17 to 0 run. The Red Raiders were held to 2 points in the penultimate period which came 90 seconds into the second half. Coffee County was held scoreless for 7 and a half minutes in the loss which dropped them out of a first place tie with the Lions. Coffee County is now 12 and 6 overall and 5 and 2 in district play.
Darius Rozier led Coffee County in scoring with 26 points as he was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game. Grey Riddle played well on both ends of the floor and finished with 11 points. De’Aaron Rozier added 4 points for the Red Raiders.
Coffee County will hit the road on Saturday when they travel to Coalmont to take on Grundy County. The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM. Lucky Knott will bring you all the action as Thunder Radio begins live coverage at 5:50 PM with the Powers Storage Pregame Show.
Download the game broadcasts at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/