For the first time in over 40 years, Coffee County Central’s Red Raider basketball team has brought home a district tournament championship.
Coffee County fought through an unlikely Shelbyville rally Saturday night and left Shelbyville’s Rick Insell Gymnasium with a 53-51overtime win in the District 6-4A championship.
The Raiders led 43-32 with 2:30 to play before the Golden Eagles caught fire. Shelbyville hit 5 3-pointers in the final 2:18 of regulation – going 5-for-5 behind the arc down the stretch – to comeback and tie the game at 49-49. The Eagles completed the comeback on a 3-pointer from Joe Harris.
But in overtime coffee County took control early and kept it, going up 51-49 on a steal and a layup by Phineas Rollman, who added a free throw with 34 seconds on the clock. Dayne Crosslin went 1-of-2 at the line with 5.5 seconds left to push the Raider lead to 53-51.
Shelbyville’s Jason Ragland tried to penetrate for another game tying bucket, but the Raiders poked the ball away before he could ever get off a shot and Red Raider Connor Shemwell scooped up the loose ball as time expired.
The win gives the Raiders a 20-win season – improving them to 20-9. The win also gives the Raiders a 4-0 season sweep over Shelbyville and the district tournament championship – the first in over 40 years.
The Raiders led by 2 at the end of the first and second quarters and took a 32-29 lead into the fourth period. Coffee County got a big night from Dayne Crosslin, who piled up 17 points , including three 3-pointers. Coffee County also picked up 11 points from Shemwell and 10 from senior Aidan Abellana – who ran the point guard position well all night.
The Raiders nearly cost themselves at the free throw line – missing some shots at the line late. CHS finished 9-of-19 at the line and had 15 turnovers on the night.
The win marks the first time the CHS Red Raider and Lady Raider basketball teams have both won their respective district tournaments in modern history.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE FOR THE BROADCAST REPLAY.
AWARDS
Several Red Raiders picked up accolades. Coffee County’s Abellana, Shemwell, Rollman and Crosslin were named District 6-4A all-district. Crosslin was named to the all-tournament team and Shemwell was named District Tournament MVP.
UP NEXT
The Raiders will host the Region 3-4A quarter-finals next Saturday, Feb. 26 at Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gymnasium. Tip will likely be at 7 p.m. against an opponent to be determined. Thunder Radio will broadcast the game – 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.
Connor Shemwell 
Dayne Crosslin 
Aidan Abellana 
John Dobson 
From left, Aidan Abellana, Dayne Crosslin, Phineas Rollman and Connor Shemwell
DISTRICT CHAMPIONS: Lady Raiders fight off late Pioneer rally, complete perfect district season
SHELBYVILLE — Mark another goal off the list.
Coffee County Central’s Lady Raiders got big shots when they needed them and played great defense in a 56-45 win over Warren County Friday night for a District 6-4A tournament championship.
“It never gets old, you know, being able to win another one of these I’m just so proud of these girls,” said CHS head coach Joe Pat Cope.
The win completes a perfect district season for the Lady Raiders. They won the regular season district title and now the tournament to go 11-0. It marks the 5th consecutive year they have won a district championship. The win is 25 in a row for this season and their 4th win in 4 tries over the Lady Pioneers of Warren County.
“That’s a good basketball team and we struggled some with their pressure late but we were able to hold on,” added Cope.
Coffee County led by as many as 14, but a Lady Pioneer run in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 3 at 44-41 after a pair of Kyra Perkins free throws with less than 2-mintues to play. CHS did have turnover problems, giving the ball back to Warren County 16 times on the night.
But Warren County never got any closer than 3. Lady Raider freshman Olivia Vinson and senior Elli Chumley went 4-for-4 at the free throw line on consecutive trips down the floor to give the Lady Raiders the breathing room they needed. CHS finished 22 of 30 at the stripe for the game.
Vinson hit three 3-pointers and 5 big free throws down the stretch. She finished with 16 points and was named Thunder Radio’s Stone Fort Mortgage Player of the Game. She was also named District 6-4A tournament MVP.
Coffee County actually led wire-to-wire. Despite a few runs by the Lady Pioneers, they were never able to tie the game or take the lead. CHS led 24-17 at halftime and 31-25 after three quarters.
Chloe Gannon finished with 11 points for CHS and Chumley added 10. Kiya Ferrell had 9 big points off the bench, including a pair of midrange jumpers in the second half to keep Warren County at a distance.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO REPLAY.
ALL DISTRICT
Coffee County’s Chloe Gannon was named District 6-4A MVP. Vinson, Chumley, Channah Gannon and Jalie Ruehling were named All-District.
UP NEXT
The Lady Raiders have some time off before hosting the Region 3-4A quarter-finals next Friday, Feb. 26 at Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gym. Tip time and opponent TBD.
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND: Lady Raiders, Red Raiders set to play for district titles
It is championship weekend for the Coffee County Central High School basketball teams.
Both CHS Lady Raiders and Red Raider basketball teams will play for a District 6-4A tournament championship in Shelbyville.
Lady Raiders vs. Warren County Lady Pioneers
WHEN – Friday, Feb. 18th at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Shelbyville High School, Rick Insell Gymnasium. 401 Eagle Blvd.
TICKETS: Available at the gate. $7 for adults / $3 for students
RADIO: Thunder Radio broadcast beginning at approximately 7:15 p.m. 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com
RUNDOWN: The Lady Raiders will put their 27-3 record and their 24-game winning streak on the line when they take on the 23-6 Lady Pioneers of Warren County. Coffee County is ranked no. 4 in the final state AP poll of the season. Meanwhile, Warren County cracked the AP Top 10 in January, but quickly fell out with a loss to Coffee County.
The Lady Raiders have beaten the Lady Pioneers three times this season: 54-40, 62-37 and 48-45. The latter in that sequence was a tight game in McMinnville back on Feb. 4 that saw the Lady Pioneers lead at points in the second half.
With this being the fourth meeting between the two schools in one month’s time, both teams will certainly be familiar with one another.
Both teams area already guaranteed a home game in the Region 3-4A tournament by finishing in the top 2 of the district. But the champion will have the benefit of drawing the no. 4 seed from District 5-4A in the first round of the region. The loser will host the no. 3 seed. Region play begins next weekend.
Red Raiders vs. Shelbyville Golden Eagles
WHEN – Saturday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Shelbyville High School, Rick Insell Gymnasium. 401 Eagle Blvd.
TICKETS: Available at the gate. $7 for adults / $3 for students
RADIO: Thunder Radio broadcast beginning at approximately 7:15 p.m. 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com
RUNDOWN: The Golden Eagles upset the tournament’s top ranked Franklin County Rebels in the semi-finals, advancing the Eagles to the championship round. But don’t be fooled by Shelbyville’s fourth place finish in the regular season – this is a young team that is figuring things out as the season goes and appears to be hitting its stride at the right time.
Coffee County swept the Eagles in the regular season, winning 62-51, 60-46 and 56-42.
“We talked about our goals this year and one of those goals was winning a championship and we have that opportunity in front of us,” said CHS head coach Andrew Taylor. “We have been close recently and we feel like with this group of guys we have here, we have a good chance this year.”
Both teams are already guaranteed to play the Region 3-4A quarter finals at home because of their top two placement in the district. The winner will host the no. 4 seed from District 5-4A, while the loser will host the no. 3 seed. Region play begins next weekend.
Raider baseball invites former players to alumni game this weekend
Coffee County Central baseball program has announced plans for Red Raider Alumni Day this Saturday, Feb. 19.
First pitch for alumni game is set for 10 a.m. and all alumni are invited to attend.
There will be a game, retired jerseys available for sale and lunch will be available.
Following the alumni game, the 2022 Red Raiders will participate in the inaugural Dingers for Dollars fundraiser – a hit-a-thon fundraiser.
Anyone planning to attend should register by clicking here.
CMS softball heads to playday Saturday
Believe it or not, Spring Sports is right around the corner.
Coffee Middle School softball will participate in a preseason playday this Saturday (Feb. 19).
The Lady Raiders will be playing in Shelbyville.
CMS is scheduled to play Community at 10 a.m., Cascade at 1 p.m., Moore County at 2:30 p.m. and Blackman at 5:30 p.m.
ON TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: Raider boys punch title ticket with 4th win over Pioneers
Coffee County’s Lady Raiders earned their way to the district championship Monday night.
The Red Raider boys followed on Tuesday (Feb. 15, 2022), getting great scoring distribution and a big defensive effort in a 50-44 win over Warren County in the District 6-4A semi-finals at Shelbyville High School. The Raiders will play Shelbyville in the District championship after the Eagles upset no. 1 seed Franklin County earlier in the night Tuesday.
The Raiders held the Pioneers to just 5 points in the entire fourth quarter to overcome a huge Warren County run late in the third. With the Raiders leading 36-32, the Pioneers took off on a 7-0 run in the final minute of the third period, including a half-court buzzer beater from Sawyer Seymour to put the Pioneers up 39-36 heading into the fourth.
But the Raider defense answered, smothering the Pioneers and finally slowing down Seymour, who scored 18 points on 6 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, Coffee County (19-9 overall) spread out its offensive production as well as the Raiders have all season. Connor Shemwell paced the Raiders with 9 (7 in the second half). Phineas Rollman added 8 points – including 2 big free throws with the Raiders nursing a 1 point lead with a minute to play. Rollman also pulled a big offensive rebound with 30 seconds to play.
Also scoring for the Raiders were Dayne Crosslin with 8 points, Aidan Abellana 6, Brady Nugent 5, Jahlin Osbourne 5, Jackson Shemwell 5 and Cooper Reed 4. CHS only turned the ball over 7 times while forcing 11 Pioneer turnovers.
The win gives the Raiders a complete season sweep over the Pioneers, beating Warren County four times.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO REPLAY.
The Raiders will play Shelbyville in the District 6-4A championship at Shelbyville Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. (The Lady Raiders will play Warren County in the championship at 7:30 p.m. Friday).
Tickets will be sold at the gate for both games. And both games will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio: 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.
Jackson Shemwell 
Connor Shemwell 
Dayne Crosslin 
Brady Nugent 
Jackson Shemwell 
Phineas Rollman 
Phineas Rollman 
Jackson Shemwell 
Aidan Abellana 
Connor Shemwell
ON TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: Lady Raiders blast Franklin County, move to district title game
On to the championship.
Coffee County Central got double-digit points from three different players and produced their highest district point total of the season Monday night, cruising past Franklin County 78-45 in the semi-finals of the District 6-4A tournament in Shelbyville.
The win means the Lady Raiders will play for a district championship Friday night – playing against Warren County in Shelbyville. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. (hear it live on Thunder Radio). It also means the Lady Raiders will host the Region 4-AAA quarter-finals next week and, with a win in that game, will remain at home for the duration of the region tournament. A win on Friday against Warren County would give the Lady Raiders the best positioning for the region tournament.
“It is just huge to be at home and playing at The Patch with our fans and our students, I expect them to have that place rocking,” said CHS head coach Joe Pat Cope.
Monday night in Shelbyville, the Lady Raiders overcame a slow start and had their way with the Rebelettes.
Leading 16-10 after the first quarter, Coffee County turned up the heat and took a 36-19 lead into the halftime break. CHS put it out of reach in the third quarter, outscoring the Rebelettes 23-10.
Junior post Chloe Gannon piled up 22 points for the Lady Raiders. Olivia Vinson knocked down a trio of 3-pointers on her way to 13 points. Senior Elli Chumley attacked the basket early and finished with 11 points – 9 coming at the free-throw line. Overall, the Lady Raiders were stellar at the stripe, hitting 27-of-38.
Channah Gannon added 9 points off the bench for the Lady Raiders.
Kiya Ferrell and Ava McIntosh pitched in 7 points, Alivia Reel 4, Jalie Ruehling 3 and Remi Benjamin 2.
The Lady Raider win is their 24th straight, improving them to 27-3 overall and 10-0 in district games.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO REPLAY.
Remi Benjamin 
Olivia Vinson 
Olivia Vinson 
Ava McIntosh 
Bryleigh Gray 
Ava McIntosh 
Holli Hancock 
Jalie Ruehling 
Chloe Gannon 
Elli Chumley 
Chloe Gannon 
Alivia Reel 
Olivia Vinson 
Alivia Reel 
Channah Gannon 
Kiya Ferrell 
Elli Chumley 
Jalie Ruehling
5 Raider wrestlers qualify for sub-state
Coffee County wrestling has 5 wrestlers advancing to the sub-state this week after showing out at the Region 4 Individual tournament.
Jeremiah Wardell took third place in 126-pounds, Jacob Barlow took 2nd place at 152 pounds, Nazario Flores took 2nd in 170 pounds, Ian Walker 4th in 195 pounds and Blayne Myers 2nd in 285 pounds.
All of these wrestlers advance to the sub state this week for a chance to go to the state meet.
DISTRICT TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Brackets and all the information you need for this week’s high school tournaments
Now the games start to mean just a little bit more.
Both Coffee County Central High School basketball teams begin postseason play this week (Feb. 14-19) – battling for a district crown and region tournament positioning.
All District 6-4A tournament games will be held at Shelbyville High School’s Rick Insell Gymnasium. Below is all the information you need for the week and the brackets.
Address: 401 Eagle Blvd. Shelbyville, TN. 37160
Admission: Cost of admission is $7 per day for adults, $3 for students. Tickets available at the gate.
Elimination: This tournament is a bit unique. Per TSSAA setup, the top 4 teams in the district tournament advance to the region. With the top two finishers hosting the third and fourth place teams from the opposing district and the third and fourth place finishers traveling to the top two teams in the opposing district. Well, District 6-4A only has 4 teams – so all teams will advance to the Region 3-4A tournament next week. But seeding will be important.
Lady Raider road to the title
Coffee County’s Lady Raiders are the top seed with a perfect 9-0 district regular season record. But that did not come without challenges, especially the third time through the district schedule. Shelbyville played Coffee County to a 1 point game while Warren County played the Lady Raiders to a 3 point game.
“When you play teams three and four times, it starts to get really hard because they know what to expect, they know what plays you are running,” said senior Lady Raider Elli Chumley. “We have to strengthen our game, and do what we do best. We are going to get everyone’s best shot (in the tournament).”
Coffee County will play Franklin County at 6 p.m. Monday. CHS beat Franklin County three times this season – 67-30, 69-33 and 68-44.
A win against Franklin County puts the Lady Raiders in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Friday and will guarantee they will play at home in the Region 3-4A tournament for the duration. The region tournament quarterfinals and semi-finals are elimination games. The region championship determines seeding for the state sectional. All region tournament semi-final games and championship games will be at Coffee County Central. The quarterfinal games will be at the highest seed.
A loss against Franklin County on Monday puts CHS in a tough spot. That will move the Lady Raiders to the third place game at 6 p.m. Friday and force them to travel to the no. 1 or no. 2 team in the Chattanooga area for the quarterfinals of the region tournament.
Red Raider Boys Road to the Championship
The Raider boys just missed out on the regular season title to Franklin County. But a tournament title would be even sweeter.
The Raiders 7-2 district record in the regular season is good enough for 2nd place. That means the Raiders will play no. 3 Warren County – tip at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
A win against the Pioneers puts the Raiders in the title game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and guarantees they will stay at home in the Region 3-4A tournament for the duration. A loss would put the Raiders in the third place game at 6 p.m. Saturday and means they will have to travel to the Chattanooga area in the region quarterfinals.
“We want that home game in the region – we want to be at The Patch in front of our fans, our student section and on our home floor. That is important to us,” said CHS head coach Andrew Taylor.
Beating Warren County in the opening round won’t be an easy task. The Raiders swept Warren County 3-0 during the regular season – winning 50-28, 50-38 and 50-46. You’ll notice Warren County closed the gap each game.
“Beating a team four times in a season is not easy, it doesn’t matter who you are playing,” added Taylor.
How you can hear the games
ALL Coffee County District 6-4A tournament games will be broadcast LIVE on Thunder Radio: 107.9 FM, 106.7 FM, 1320 AM and on the Manchester Go Smartphone app and thunder1320.com.
Raiders drop regular season finale at Tullahoma
In what was a game of runs, Tullahoma happened to have the last one.
The Coffee County Red Raiders went back and forth with Tullahoma on the road Friday night, but ultimately dropped the rivalry matchup 54-43.
The second half was a story of big runs. The Raiders took off on a 12-1 run to take a 29-21 lead, their biggest of the night at the time. But the Wildcats answered, hammering out a 14-2 run of their own to take a 35-31 lead. The Red Raiders answered to the game at 35-35 on a layup by Dayne Crosslin. But another big run late by the Wildcats – a 7-0 run – but the game out of reach for the Raiders.
The loss spoiled a tremendous night from Dayne Crosslin, who scored a game-high 19 points. Connor Shemwell added 13 despite battling foul trouble.
Coffee County was abysmal at the free throw line and it was costly. The Raiders were just 9-of-18 at the stripe.
The loss ends the regular season for the Raiders at 18-9 and splits the season series with the Wildcats after a CHS win back on Dec. 17.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE BROADCAST REPLAY.
UP NEXT
Coffee County will move on to the District 6-4A tournament. The Raiders are the no. 2 seed and will play no. 3 Warren County in the semi-finals at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night at Shelbyville. Thunder Radio will be there for the broadcast – listen at 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.