Category: Sports

Darwin Barney has been named the manager of the Nashville Sounds as announced today by the Texas Rangers. Barney is set to become the 30th manager in franchise history.

Barney, 34, will be making his professional coaching and managerial debut. The Oregon native played parts of eight seasons in the big leagues. He spent time with the Chicago Cubs (2010-14), Los Angeles Dodgers (2014-15) and the Toronto Blue Jays (2015-17).

In 2011, Barney finished seventh in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. He then went on to win the National League’s Rawlings Gold Glove Award for second basemen in 2012. Barney was a career .246 hitter and played in over 800 Major League games.

Barney was a standout shortstop at Oregon State University from 2005-07 where he helped the Beavers win back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007. Barney was named to several collegiate award lists, including the 2007 All-College World Series Team.

Joining Barney’s staff in Nashville for the 2020 season will be pitching coach Greg Hibbard, hitting coach Chase Lambin, coach Tyler Graham, athletic trainer Carlos Olivas and strength and conditioning coach Al Sandoval.

Hibbard, 55, will serve as Nashville’s pitching coach. The former hurler pitched in parts of six seasons in the big leagues and compiled a 57-50 career mark. Hibbard won 10-or-more games in four straight seasons from 1990-93, including a career-high 15 wins with the Cubs in 1993. He spent time with the Chicago White Sox (1989-92), Chicago Cubs (1993) and Seattle Mariners (1994).

The Tennessee resident joins the Nashville staff after spending two years in the same capacity with Double-A Frisco. He joined the Texas organization in 2016 and was the pitching coach with Triple-A Round Rock in 2017 and 2016. Prior to joining the Rangers, he spent 13 seasons as a pitching coach in the Cleveland Indians farm system.

Lambin, 40, will be the Sounds hitting coach in 2020. The Texas native played 13 seasons at the minor league level. He was drafted by the New York Mets in 2002 and spent time in the Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals organizations.

The 2020 season is Lambin’s sixth in the Texas organization. He spent the 2019 campaign as the hitting coach for Advanced-A Down East. He previously served as the hitting coach for Single-A Hickory in 2018, Short-Season Spokane in 2017 and the Arizona League Rangers in 2016. He first joined the Rangers as a member of the Spokane coaching staff in 2015.

Graham, 35, will serve as a Nashville coach in 2020. He reached the big leagues in 2012 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and played parts of eight seasons in the minor leagues.

The 2020 season is Graham’s first with the Rangers. He spent the last three years as the Director of Player Development with the Oregon State Beavers, his alma mater.

Olivas, 42, enters his second consecutive season as athletic trainer for the Sounds. The New Mexico native spent three seasons in the same role for Triple-A Round Rock from 2016-18.

Prior to his time in Round Rock, Olivas spent the previous five seasons with Double-A Frisco, where he was named Texas League Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) in 2012 and 2013. Olivas spent eight seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization prior to joining the Texas organization in 2009.

Olivas graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2000 with a B.S. in athletic training.

Sandoval, 34, enters his second consecutive season as strength and conditioning coach for the Sounds. He was named the 2019 Pacific Coast League Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.

The Colorado native spent the 2018 season in the same role with Triple-A Round Rock. Prior to his one season in Round Rock, Sandoval spent the 2017 season with Advanced-A Down East. Before joining the Texas organization in December 2016, Sandoval spent five seasons in the Los Angeles Angels organization, including three seasons (2014-16) as the Club’s minor league strength and conditioning coordinator. Sandoval began his baseball career in the Colorado Rockies organization, working as a strength coach from 2008-11.

Sandoval is a 2008 graduate of Colorado State University-Pueblo, where he was a three-year varsity letter winner for the Thunderwolves baseball team.

The 2020 season begins on Thursday, April 9 when the Sounds host the Iowa Cubs. 2020 season ticket memberships are on sale through the Nashville Sounds ticket office. For more information on membership packages, call 615-690-4487, or e-mail tickets@nashvillesounds.com.

The Coffee County CHS basketball teams opened up the 2020 portion of their schedule at home on Friday night welcoming Warren County to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym.   The Lady Raiders dominated the Lady Pioneers as they rolled to a 60 to 27 win.  An injury depleted Red Raider team battled to an impressive 57 to 46 win.

In the girls’ game, each team finished with double digits in turnovers trying to shake off the rust of the year end break.  Coffee County held Warren County to 3 free throws in the 3^rd quarter to build a 26 point lead entering the 4^th quarter on their way to their 14^th win of the season.  Bella Vinson was the leading scorer for the Lady Raiders as she had 16 points.  Chloe Gannon came off the bench to pour in 14 points to earn the Stone Fort Mortgage player of the game honors.

In the boys’ game, Coffee County got inspired play as they controlled the pace of play and committed only 7 turnovers each half.  The Red Raiders took a 2 point lead with 45 seconds left in the 1^st half and maintained that lead for the remainder of the game.  Coffee County built a double digit lead in the 4^th quarter and for most of the final 8 minutes.  Jaylon Wooten led the Raiders in scoring with 21 points as he was named the Stone Fort Mortgage player of the game.  C.J. Anthony scored 13 points while Hayden Hullett had 8 points and Tyler Taylor added 7. 

The Red Raiders traveled to Lewisburg on Saturday night for a boys’ only game with Marshall County.  The Red Raiders fell in a heart-breaker 52 to 51. Wooten again led Coffee County in scoring as he netted 20 points, C.J. Anthony and Hayden Hullett chipped in 10 points each.

Both Raider teams are back at home on Tuesday as welcome Shelbyville to “The Patch.”  Tip-off for the girls’ game is set for 6 PM; Thunder Radio will begin live coverage with the Powers Storage Pregame Show at 5:50.

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

The Coffee County CHS Red Raider wrestling team hit the mat on Saturday in Smyrna taking part in the Stewarts Creek Redhawk Rampage.   The Lady Raiders were in Clarksville taking part in the Rossview Invitational.   The Lady Raiders, which fielded only 4 wrestlers, finished in 12^th place out of 27 teams.  The Red Raiders finished in 10^th place out of 20 teams from Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky.   Between the 2 meets, Coffee County came home with 4 individual medals. 

Jeremiah Wardell was the top medalist for the Red Raiders as he finished in 2^nd place in the 106 pound weight class.  Wardell had wins via a pinfall, decision and bye before losing in the title match via a pin to a wrestler from Munford.  Gavin Prater grabbed a 3^rd place medal in the 145 pound weight class.  Prater got 2 pinfall wins and a forfeit win heading into the 3^rd place match.  Prater captured the medal with a decision win over a wrestler from Hartselle, AL.  Chris Speegle also grabbed a 3^rd place medal at 220 pounds.  Speegle won 3 matches by pins heading into the 3^rd place match before gaining a forfeit win over a wrestler from Christian County, KY. 

All 4 of the Lady Raider wrestlers finished in the Top 10 in their respective weight divisions.  Fighting in the 132 division, Mary Anne Walker was the top finisher for the Lady Raiders.  Walker finished the tournament with 3 pinfall wins and a first round bye.  Walker’s final pin came in the 1^st round of the 3^rd place match.  Alanna Coker grabbed 9^th place in the 112 division.  Coker finished the day with a record of 4 and 1 with 4 pins.  Mary Wolfrum also grabbed 9^th place in the 119 division.  Wolfrum was 4 and 1 on the day with 3 pins and a bye.  Lyra Leftwich placed 10^th in the 140 division.  Leftwich was 3 and 2 on the day with a pair of pins and a bye. 

The Raider wrestlers are back on the road on Tuesday as they travel to Cookeville for a tri-match with Cookeville and Siegel.  Weigh-in is at 5 PM with wrestling starting at 6 PM. 

Story by Jim Wyatt, TitansOnline.com

On his birthday, Titans running back Derrick Henry took the cake.

And the Titans blew out the candles on New England’s season.

The Titans pulled out a mammoth win over the Patriots on Saturday night, winning 20-13 on a night when Henry led the way.

Henry, who turned 26 on Saturday, ran for 182 yards on 34 carries.

Cornerback Logan Ryan intercepted Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and returned it for a touchdown with nine seconds for Tennessee.

The Titans will travel to face the Ravens next Saturday night at 7:15 CT in Baltimore.

It’s already been a memorable season for the Titans, who finished with their fourth consecutive winning season (9-7), marking their first time to do so in the “Titans era.”

With a 2-4 mark after Week 6, the Titans made a quarterback change, as Ryan Tannehill stepped in for Marcus Mariota. The Titans ended up going 7-3 in their final 10 games to reach the postseason, clinching a playoff spot for the second time in three seasons with a win at Houston last weekend.

Tannehill led the NFL with a 117.5 passer rating during a season when running back Derrick Henry captured the NFL’s rushing title with 1,540 yards, racking up 16 rushing touchdowns and six 100-yard games along the way, including a 211-yard performance last Sunday in Houston.

On Saturday night, the Titans came to town and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions.

With fog swirling above Gillette Stadium, it was tight from the get-go.

The Titans took an early 7-3 lead on a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill to tight end Anthony Firkser, which capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive. Running back Derrick Henry ran for 49 yards on seven carries on the team’s opening drive, providing a sign of things to come in the process.

The Patriots, who took an early 3-0 lead on a 36-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk, regained the lead 10-7 on a five-yard rushing touchdown by receiver Julian Edelman.

The Titans were in danger of going into a double-digit deficit before halftime, but the defense got a big stop, holding the Patriots to another field goal after they had a first and goal at the Tennessee 1. Titans linebacker Rashaan Evans made a pair of stops near the goal-line, including one on a Sony Michel run on third down, and the Patriots led 13-7 with 2:16 left in the first half after another Folk field goal.

The Titans then reclaimed the lead at 14-13 with 35 seconds left in the first half on a one-yard touchdown run by Henry, which capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive.

The Titans led 14-13 at halftime, and Henry had 106 yards on 14 carries.

The Titans held the Patriots without a score in the second half, as the Titans rode Henry to run out the clock.

The Predators salvaged a point with a two-goal rally in the third, but a shootout victory for the Ducks forced Nashville to exit Honda Center unsatisfied on Sunday night in Anaheim.

A sluggish first period, and later three goals allowed in the second, established an uphill battle for the Predators to fight. Goals from Craig Smith and Rocco Grimaldi tied the game in the third frame, but after Ryan Getzlaf netted the winner in the shootout, Nashville went back to thinking about what could have been. After a back-to-back set in Southern California, the Predators will return to Music City with three out of a possible four points.

“In the first, we came up flat,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “Thanks to [goaltender Juuse Saros] it was only 1-1 [after the first period]… in the second, we actually played better, but we took too many penalties, and that kind of cost us. It was great for us to come back, and we had some chances in OT too, but I wish we would’ve got two points in the shootout.”

The Ducks had the Preds under siege from the start of the game, and it was Adam Henrique, who put the home team on the board first with a backhander 12 minutes into the first. If it weren’t for the stellar play of Saros in the Nashville net, the Predators could have found themselves down by more than one.

With less than a minute to play in the opening frame, Austin Watson tipped home a Colin Blackwell shot to even the score after 20 minutes. Saros ended up with a total of 20 saves in the first period.

“We were flat in the first period,” Watson said. “No excuse for it. But I thought for a group that, we’ve gotten down in some games and haven’t been able to claw our way back and let them get out of hand a little bit, but for our group, I thought it was a real big gut check to be able to come out and… get a point.”

Early in the second, Smith gave the visitors their only lead of the night when he redirected a pass from Kyle Turris past John Gibson and into the cage. The Ducks came back with three unanswered goals from Cam Fowler, Daniel Sprong and Henrique before the middle stanza was out.

The Predators weren’t ready to surrender, however, especially the line of Smith, Nick Bonino and Grimaldi. After Smith put home his second of the night, Josi extended his point streak to 10 games with a beautiful assist to Grimaldi, who evened the score at 4-4 to force overtime.

“The whole line was really good tonight,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “Rocco was terrific. He got going in the second and third period, and I thought that line started to take over the game for us there. They were really dominant out there every time they were on the ice. Good things were happening, and they scored some big goals for us.”

“With our line, I think we just want to just go and attack,” Smith said. “Create turnovers, maybe we let them off the hook, but we’re sick of doing that. We’ll be all right.”

After Grimaldi came inches away from winning the game on a breakaway in OT, a five-round shootout saw Getzlaf score the winner to send the Preds home with a single point.

There wasn’t any satisfaction in the loss on Sunday night, but the Predators did take three out of four points over the two-day span. For a team that needs points wherever possible right now, the weekend wasn’t all bad.

“It was a good comeback tonight,” Josi said. “We weren’t happy with the way we’re playing in the first, and then I thought we battled back and stayed with it. You always want the four points, but it was good character coming back. We just have to find a way to win it.”

Notes:

Josi set a franchise record for a defenseman with points in 10 consecutive games. He became the eighth defenseman in the last 20 years in the NHL to register a point streak of at least 10 games.

As was the case on Saturday, the Predators were without Ryan Ellis (upper-body injury, Injured Reserve), Matt Duchene (illness) Colton Sissons (lower-body injury, Injured Reserve) and Dante Fabbro (upper-body injury, day-to-day).

Alexandre Carrier dressed for the Preds on Sunday night in Anaheim for his third career NHL game and his first since January of 2017.

Their three-game road trip now complete, the Predators will return home for a single contest against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night (at 7 p.m. CT) at Bridgestone Arena before heading back out on the road, starting Thursday in Chicago.

An injury-depleted Predators lineup earned a victory in Los Angeles on Saturday night, as Nashville played simple, focused hockey and emerged 4-1 winners. The road win snaps a three-game losing skid for the Preds and gives them their first victory of 2020.

The Predators were without some big pieces on Saturday night – Ryan Ellis (upper-body injury, Injured Reserve), Matt Duchene (illness) Colton Sissons (lower-body injury, Injured Reserve) and Dante Fabbro (upper-body injury, day-to-day) – but they found a way to win the first and third periods and claim two points.

“It was really good,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said of the effort. “We played a really strong first period. The second period, we worked hard, we made some decisions with the puck that gave them some opportunities, but I thought in the third period we went back to that mindset of just playing a smart, simple game. Guys worked hard and competed hard for 60 minutes, and we got a big road road win with some guys missing out of the lineup.”

Just as they did on New Year’s Day at the Cotton Bowl, the Preds had a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes, and the first tally of the night came courtesy of Rocco Grimaldi, who collected his own rebound to beat Jack Campbell midway through the first.

“It’s a huge win for us,” Grimaldi said. “It’s our first one since the Christmas break, so especially the way we lost last game… it was a tough pill for us to swallow being up 2-0 and losing. We were hungry to come in and get two points tonight.”

With less than a minute to play in the opening frame, Preds Captain Roman Josi went to work. Already with an assist on Grimaldi’s goal to extend his career-high point streak to nine games – a mark that tied former Nashville Captain Shea Weber for the longest streak by a defenseman in franchise history – Josi went full spin-o-rama at the L.A. blue line, before driving to the net and laying a beautiful backhand pass right on Ryan Johansen’s tape. The Nashville centerman did the rest to give his club a two-goal lead and a huge boost going into the intermission.

The effort from Josi left his teammates in awe.

“Ridiculous,” Grimaldi laughed. “I don’t know, ridiculous That’s crazy.”

“It was awesome,” Laviolette said. “He’s been doing that for the whole year, and it wasn’t just that play. He was attacking the offensive zone whenever he saw a seam or saw a crack and just pushing the pace offensively. But it was a beautiful, beautiful play all the way from the blue line in.”

In the second, the Kings fought back, and Alex Iafallo put Los Angeles on the board when he capitalized on a power play in the early stages of the period, but that was a close as they came.

Yakov Trenin made it 3-1 in the third when he redirected a Matt Irwin shot into the twine, and Craig Smith put the game out of reach just moments later. Pekka Rinne also contributed in net with 23 saves on the evening to stymie the Kings.

“It was a huge game for us,” Josi said. “We’re not happy with the way we’re playing the last few games, and it was a big win. Everybody bought in, and that’s what we need.”

The Predators will attempt to replicate Saturday’s effort with a quick turnaround in Anaheim on Sunday night, a chance to take four points in Southern California on the weekend.

“We’ve got up start putting wins together and start putting points on the board,” Grimaldi said. “Every game is huge for us, and you know Anaheim is going to be a hungry team in their home building. You have to have another effort like we did tonight.”

Notes:

With two points on the night, Josi established a new record for points by a Preds player through the first 40 games of the season with 43 (14g-29a).

With Ellis (IR) and Fabbro (day-to-day) out of the lineup against the Kings, Josi skated alongside Yannick Weber, Mattias Ekholm was with Jarred Tinordi and Dan Hamhuis saw time with Matt Irwin.

The Predators will head down the California coast to Anaheim ahead of Sunday evening’s contest (at 9 p.m. CT) with the Ducks to finish their back-to-back weekend set in the Golden State.

The Coffee County Middle School basketball teams traveled to Woodbury on Thursday night to take on Cannon County.  In a pair of games you heard here on Thunder Radio as part of the 1^st National Bank Hometown Sports Series, Coffee County came home with a split on the night.  The Lady Raiders needed overtime to get a 26 to 24 win.  The Red Raiders saw their 7 game winning streak come to a close as they fell 25 to 24.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Raiders went on an 8-0 run in the 3^rd quarter to build a 3 point lead entering the 4^th quarter.  After a back and forth 4^th quarter, Cannon County nailed a 3 point basket with 10 seconds left in regulation to force the extra period.  In the overtime, Taylor Anthony had the lone points from the free throw line for the Lady Raiders to get the win.  Coffee Middle was led in scoring by Anthony who had 8 points.  Bella Lawson added 6 points while Channah Gannon, Olivia Vinson and Samantha Kirby each finished with 4 points. 

In the boys’ game, the Lions hit a 3 point basket with 10 seconds to go to take their only lead of the 4^th quarter and stun the Red Raiders.  After Coffee County went on a 9 to 0 run in the 2^nd half, they built a 23 to 19 lead midway thru the 4^th quarter.  The Red Raiders had some costly turnovers in the 2^nd half as they lost for the first time since November 18^th.  Jackson Shemwell and Ethan Hargrove led the Raiders in scoring as each had 6 points.  Cooper Reed and Evan Kirby both finished with 4 points. 

Coffee Middle will travel to Tullahoma on Monday night as they begin the final week of the regular season.  The Raiders and Lady Raiders will visit West Middle School for a conference doubleheader.  Tip off for the girls’ game is set for 6 PM. 

Download the broadcast at: www.thuder1320.com/downloads

The Coffee County CHS freshmen basketball teams welcomed Lincoln County to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Thursday night.  The Lady Raiders had an ice cold 2^nd half as they fell 33 to 20.  The Red Raiders saw a 2^nd half rally come up short as they fell 49 to 40.

Tied at 10 at the half in the girls’ game, the Lady Raiders saw Lincoln County open the 2^nd half on a 10 to 2 run to seize control of the game.  Coffee County was led in scoring by Kennedy Norman-Young who had 8 points.  Nia Sheffield finished with 6 points and Maggie Crouch added 4 points. 

In the boys’ game, Coffee County trailed by 15 points midway through the 3^rd period before mounting a comeback.  The Raiders cut the deficit to 3 points with 5:30 left in the game before falling 49 to 40.  Hayden Collins led the Raiders in scoring with 25 points.  Ryan Graveley added 6 points for the freshmen Raiders. 

The freshmen will welcome White County to “The Patch” on Thursday, January 9^th.  Tip off for the girls’ game is set for 6 PM. 

As 2019 has come 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 some of the highlights of year for the girls’ basketball teams at Coffee County CHS, Coffee County Middle and Westwood Middle schools. 

The Coffee County CHS basketball team advanced to the 2^nd round of the region tournament with an overtime win over Stewarts Creek in February.  Thunder Radio was on hand to bring you the broadcast and reported on the win in a story we published on February 26^th.

Hosting a region quarterfinal basketball game for the 2nd consecutive season, the Lady Raider of CHS welcomed Stewarts Creek to the Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym on Monday.   Looking for their first region win since 2012, Coffee County saw Stewarts Creek rally in the 4th quarter to force overtime.  The Lady Raiders needed a come from behind rally in overtime to get the 59 to 55 win.

After a back and forth first half, Coffee County outscored The Red Hawks 8 to 4 in the final 3 minutes of the first half to take a 6 point lead into the half.  The Lady Raiders stayed hot as they pushed the lead to 14 points in the 3rd quarter behind 4 baskets from behind the 3 point line.  Stewarts Creek opened the 4th quarter on a 10 to 2 run to cut the deficit to 2 with 4 minutes left.  Coffee County built the lead to 7 only to see Stewarts Creek take the lead at 51 to 50 with 1 minute remaining.  Abby Morgan hit a free throw in the final minute and the Coffee County defense made a huge stop in the finals 15 seconds to send the game to an extra period.  In overtime, Morgan scored 6 points to give Coffee County the huge win as Coffee County remained unbeaten at home on the year.

Morgan led all scorers as she finished with 25 points, including 13 in the 4th quarter and overtime.  For her heroics, Morgan was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game.  Bella Vinson had 13 points including 2 big free throws in overtime.  Jacey Vaughn and Ellie Graham each played spectacular on the night and each finished with 8 points.  The win improves the Lady Raiders to 28 and 4 on the season.

The Lady Raiders will be back in action on Tuesday night at Riverdale as they take on the number 1 team in the state, Riverdale, in the semifinals.  Tip-off is set for 6 PM.  That game will be broadcast by our partner station WGNS of Murfreesboro.  You can listen to WGNS online at www.WGNSRadio.com. 

Download the broadcast at: http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/stewarts-creek-at-coffee-county-girls-basketball_141396

The Coffee County Middle School Lady Raider basketball team qualified for the sectional tournament and got a first round win over Oakland.  Thunder Radio brought you the story of the win in a story we brought to you on January 29^th.

The Coffee County Middle School Lady Raider basketball team opened play in the TMSAA Section 2 tournament on Monday night at Stewarts Creek.  Hoping to advance to the inaugural TMSAA State Tournament in February, the Lady Raiders squared off against Oakland Middle School.  A huge 4th quarter rally lifted Coffee Middle to a 32 to 26 win and a berth in the Sectional semifinals.

Trailing 22 to 16 entering the 4th quarter, the Lady Raiders got busy.  Coffee Middle went 10 of 13 at the free throw line and held Oakland to 4 points in the final frame to stun the Lady Chargers.  Alivia Reel led Coffee County in scoring with 13 points, including 8 points in the final quarter.  Chloe Gannon finished with 8 points as she was 2 for 2 at the free throw line in the final period.  Maggie Crouch and Olivia Vinson each poured in 4 points.

The win advances the Lady Raiders to Wednesday night’s semifinals where they will take on White County.  Tip-off is set for 4:30 PM at Stewarts Creek Middle School.

The Westwood Lady Rocket basketball team rides a perfect 12 and 0 record into 2020.  The Lady Rockets got the year started off with a bang with a championship in the Morrison Ruritan Preseason Tournament.   Thunder Radio brought you the recap of the championship  game win in a story we published on October 28^th. 

The Westwood basketball teams traveled to Morrison on Friday night for the final night of the Morrison Ruritan Preseason Tournament.  The Lady Rockets continued their tournament dominance with a 36 to 18 win over Morrison.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Rockets held Morrison to 5 first half points with their man to man defense allowing them to build an 18 point halftime lead.  Westwood stretched that lead to 24 points going into the 4th quarter as they rolled to the championship win.  Bryleigh Gray had four 3 point baskets to lead the Lady Rockets in scoring as she finished with 12 points.  Keena Seivers added 8 points while Leonor Moreno netted 7 points for Westwood. Gray, Moreno and Princess Penaloza were all named to the All-Tournament team from Westwood.   Keena Seivers was selected as the tournament Most Valuable Player. 

As 2019 has come 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 some of the highlights of year for the boys’ basketball teams at Coffee County CHS and Coffee County Middle, Westwood Middle and Temple Baptist Christian schools. 

The Coffee County CHS basketball team earned a region berth in 2019 and hosted a region tournament game for the first time since 2006.  The Red Raiders advanced to the district tournament finals with a hard fought win over Lawrence County.  Thunder Radio was on hand to bring you the broadcast and reported on the win in a story we published on February 16^th.

Trying to get their 3rd win of the season over Lawrence County, the Coffee County Red Raiders squared off against the Wildcats on their home floor on Friday night.  With a home region tournament game as the reward to the winner, the 2 teams battled from the tip-off to the final horn in the District 8AAA tournament semifinals.  In the end, Coffee County rose to the occasion in the 4th quarter to get the 50 to 44 win and advance to Saturday’s District championship game.

After ending the 1st quarter tied at 8, the Red Raiders nudged ahead by 3 points at the half and stretched that lead to 7 points heading to the 4th quarter.  Lawrence County responded to close the gap to 2 points with 5 minutes left in the game on a pair of 3 pointers.  From that point, Coffee County was able to knock down just enough field goals and free throws to hold off the upset-minded Wildcats.

Darius Rozier was the leading scorer for Coffee County as he finished with 14 points, including 5 clutch free throws in the 2nd half.  Kyle Farless added 12 points, with 8 of those points coming in the second half.  Chase Simpkins and Harley Hinshaw each added 8 points with Simpkins getting 6 second half points and Hinshaw netting 5.  For their efforts, Rozier, Farless, Simpkins and Hinshaw were named the Crazy Daisies co-players of the game.   The win improves Coffee County to 19 and 5 on the season and guarantees them a home game in the first round of the region tournament next week.

The Red Raiders will advance to Saturday’s championship game where they will take on Columbia.  Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM at Lawrence County High School.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast beginning with the Char-El Apartments and Home Rental pregame show at 6:50.

The Lady Raiders will also play in Saturday’s girls’ championship game where they will take on Tullahoma.  Tip-off is set for 3:30 PM at Lawrence County High School.  Thunder Radio will bring you all the action beginning with the Powers Storage pregame show at 3:20.

Download the broadcast at: www.Thunder1320.com/downloads

The Coffee County Middle School boys’ basketball team enters 2020 on a 7 game winning streak and has won 9 of their last 10 games.  One of the highlights of the impressive start was a road win for the Red Raiders at White County.  Thunder Radio brought you the story of the win in a story we brought to you on November 15^th.

The Coffee County Middle School basketball teams traveled to Sparta on Thursday night for a conference doubleheader with White County.  The Lady Raiders fell behind early as they fell 37 to 30.  The Red Raiders shut down the Warriors in the 4th quarter to grab a 31 to 25 win.

In the boys game, the Red Raiders trailed by 1 at the half before pulling ahead in the 3rd quarter before holding White County to a single free throw in the final 6 minutes.  The Red Raiders showed off their balanced scoring attack as Jackson Shemwell, Ethan Hargrove and Brendan Sheppard each netted 8 points.  Evan Kirby tacked on 4 points for Coffee Middle. 

The Raiders and Lady Raiders return home on Monday night as they welcome West Tullahoma to the CCMS gym.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you all the action as part of the 1st National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  The pregame show begins at 5:50, tip-off is set for 6:00.

The Westwood Rocket basketball team is also in the midst of a winning streak.  The Rockets are 8 and 1 in conference play and opened the season with a 3^rd place finish in the preseason tournament.  Thunder Radio brought you the recap of the consolation game win in a story we published on October 28^th. 

The Westwood basketball teams traveled to Morrison on Friday night for the final night of the Morrison Ruritan Preseason Tournament.  The Rockets shook off their jitters from Thursday night to get a 37 to 18 win over Dibrell in the tournament’s consolation game. 

In the boys game, the Rockets held Dibrell scoreless in the 3rd quarter to push a 9 point halftime lead to 17 points entering the 4th quarter.  Jayden Carter led Westwood in scoring as he finished with 12 points.  Jaiden Warren added 10 points and Caiden Warren netted 9 points.  Caiden Warren and Jayden Carter were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Temple Baptist Christian School basketball team saw the graduation of their all-time leading scorer in 2019 in Cody Swayze.  Swayze helped lead the Eagles to a 2^nd place finish in their season-ending tournament.  Thunder Radio brought you the recap in a story we published on February 18^th. 

The Eagles of Temple Baptist Christian School closed out their season in Saturday at home in their very own Eagle Invitational.  Temple finished the tournament with a record 4 and 2 with both losses coming at the hands of tournament champion Victory Baptist Academy of Shelbyville.

The Eagles went 3 and 1 in pool play as they opened play on Friday with a 49 to 34 win over Faith Christian of Jamestown.  Cody Swayze led the Eagles in scoring with 32 points as Alex Gloden added 11.  . They followed up with a loss to Victory 60 to 45.  Swayze scored 29 in the loss while Gloden once again scored 11.  The Eagles closed out Friday with a 46 to 32 win over Philadelphia Christian.  Swayze scored 32 points in the win while Gloden finished with 10 points.

On Saturday, Temple opened with a 44 to 30 win over Dogwood Christian to advance to the title game.  Swayze paced the Eagles in scoring with 27 points while Mich Gloden added 9.  In the title game with Victory, foul trouble prevented the Eagles from the revenge win.  Victory pulled away late in a 76 to 53 win.  Swayze poured in 37 points while Mich Gloden added 8.

The Eagles ended the season with a record of 11 and 8.  Senior Cody Swayze ends his career as Temple’s all-time leading scorer as he finished his career with 2,197 points for his JV(middle school) and varsity(high school) career.