Coffee County took the lead early and never gave it up Friday night, getting double-figure nights from three players as the Lady Raiders dropped Tullahoma 47-37 on the road.
“They are a good basketball team and have gotten some good wins and played some close games with good teams and we handled our business tonight,” said CHS head coach Joe Pat Cope.
Chloe Gannon led the way with 11 points for the Lady Raiders – 9 coming in the first half as CHS took a 25-14 lead into the locker room. Olivia Vinson and Elli Chumley each pitched in 10 points for the Lady Raiders in the win.
Tullahoma cut the deficit to 4 points at 27-23 late in the third quarter behind solid play from Lucy Nutt, who scored a game high 13 points (8 in the third quarter). But the Lady Raiders closed the third on a 6-1 run and kept their distance the rest of the night.
The win moves the Lady Raiders to 13-1 against Tullahoma since Joe Pat Cope took over before the 2017 season. CHS is 18-1 in their past 19 against the Lady Cats.
The win improves the Lady Raiders to 26-3 on the season and marks 23 straight wins.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE BROADCAST REPLAY.
UP NEXT
Coffee County will open District 6-4A tournament play against Franklin County at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14. The game will be in Shelbyville – which is the host site for the tournament. Thunder Radio will be on hand for the broadcast – pregame at 5:45 p.m. at 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM and on the Manchester Go smartphone app.
CHS basketball coaches to host 2 day skills academy
Coffee County High School boys basketball coach Andrew Taylor and Lady Raider basketball coach Joe Pat Cope will be hosting a 2-day basketball skills camp Feb. 20-21.
The camp is open for grades K-8 and is for boys and girls.
Campers will learn important basketball skills – ball handling, shooting techniques, dribbling, defense, footwork and agility. Cost is $50 for both days or $30 for one day and includes a camp shirt and other awards.
Pre registration is not required, but you should register between 9-10 a.m. Saturday (Feb. 12) at the CHS gymnasium to guarantee a properly sized t-shirt.
If you do not pre-register on Saturday, you can do so from 1-2 pm Sunday, Feb. 20 at Coffee County Central gymnasium (shirt size not guaranteed). Camp hours are 2-4 pm Feb. 20 and 9am-11 am Feb. 21.
Story notes
*Pre Registration: 9-10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 at CHS Gymnasium. 100 Red Raider Dr.
*Second registration: 1-2 pm Sunday, Feb. 20 (t-shirt size NOT guaranteed)
*Camp Day 1: Sunday, Feb. 20 from 2-4 p.m. at CHS gym
*Camp Day 2: Monday, Feb. 21 from 9-11 a.m. at CHS gym.
*Cost is $30 for 1 day, $50 for both.
Richardson signs to play college softball at University of Virginia at Wise
In front of friends, family and coaches Wednesday, Feb. 9, Hannah Richardson inked on the dotted line to secure her softball future.
Richardson signed her National Letter of Intent to play softball for the University of Virginia at Wise – a Division 2 school in Wise, Va.
On a mission to play college softball since she was 13, Richardson committed herself to getting to the next level.
“I’ve gone to many softball camps and tournaments and played some of the best competition there is,” she explained. “Then I get a random call from a coach one day saying she was interested. I went on a visit and committed this past November.”
Richardson is a student at Coffee County Central High School and is part of the swim team. In softball, she has played travel ball since the age of 8, including the past 3 years with the East Cobb Bullets out of Georgia.
She plans to major in business administration with a minor in psychology.
“I want to thank my family, my coaches and God,” added Richardson. “I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without his blessings.”
TSSAA mandates Thursday football games due to ‘official shortage’
Coffee County Central High School football season will kickoff August 19 with Franklin County coming to Manchester.
It will be the start of a 10-game regular season that will look slightly different this year due to a change made at Tuesday’s (Feb. 8) TSSAA Board of Control meeting.
Citing a “shortage of officials,” the TSSAA says it will require every school to play at least one Thursday night football game “so that all games can be satisfactorily covered.”
The TSSAA will choose which game will be moved to Thursday and will inform each school by mid-March. The rule states that the association must “only reschedule one game for each school.”
For the 65th year, Thunder Radio will be your home for Coffee County Central football every Friday night at 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM and worldwide at thunder1320.com and on the Manchester Go app.
Gannon scores career high 29 as Lady Raiders roll over Franklin County
The third time through the district schedule has proven to be a bit of a bugaboo for the Coffee County Lady Raiders.
After tight, single-digit wins over Warren County and Shelbyville in the past week, the Lady Raiders used a career night from Chloe Gannon Tuesday night and pulled away late from Franklin County in a 68-44 win in Winchester.
Even though Franklin County kept the game close for a while, Coffee County took an 11 point lead into the locker room and pulled ahead by 20 by the end of the third. Most of Coffee County’s production came in the post. Gannon scored a career high 29 points and was named Thunder Radio Player of the Game.
“I knew when the first basket went in that it was going to be a good night,” said Gannon.
Kiya Ferrell came off the bench and added some depth in the paint, pitching in 11 points for the Lady Raiders.
Coffee County did struggle at times with turnovers, which were very costly against in a narrow, one-point win over Shelbyville Monday night. The Lady Raiders turned it over 14 times against Franklin County.
“We have to get back in the gym and clean some of this up,” said CHS head coach Joe Pat Cope. “Some of it is the same mistake over and over again. Stuff we can fix.”
Defensively, the Lady Raiders forced 21 Rebellete turnovers.
The win ends the district regular season with a perfect 9-0 record for CHS and a 3-0 sweep of Franklin County. Coffee County will play Tullahoma Friday, Feb. 11 in a non-district tilt before beginning the district tournament next week in Shelbyville.
Raider boys pull away late to sweep Shelbyville
Red Raider junior Dayne Crosslin poured in 16 points and Connor Shemwell added 12 from the post as Coffee County Central pulled away from Shelbyville for a 56-42 win Monday night at Rick Insell Gymnasium.
The Raiders took a 25-25 halftime score and steadily pulled away in the final two quarters. The Raiders led 41-33 after three quarters then took off on a 5-0 run to start the fourth quarter and lead 46-33. Shelbyville never got the deficit back within 10.
Devin Heath led the Eagles with 19 behind a red hot night behind the arc.
Phineas Rollman pitched in 9 points for the Raiders and defensively frustrated Shelbyville’s Jayshon Jones, who only scored 7 points before fouling out.
Cooper Reed added 8 points off the bench for the Raiders. Aidan Abellana 6 and Brady Nugent 2.
Coffee County ends its district season 7-2 with the win. The Raiders won’t play again until the final regular season game of the year – Friday, Feb. 11 at Tullahoma. The district tournament begins next week.
Lady Raiders hold on late, edge Shelbyville Monday night
Absolutely nothing about Monday night’s game in Shelbyville went how it was supposed to.
The Eaglettes took Coffee County to the wire, tying the game with a minute to play. But the Coffee County Lady Raiders made just enough plays when they needed them and escaped Rick Insell Gymnasium with a 47-46 District 6-4A win.
“We definitely have some things to work on because that was not not our best effort,” said Coffee County head coach Joe Pat Cope. “Teams are forcing us to do some different things and we didn’t handle the pressure well tonight.”
But Coffee County won – which counts the same – and the final couple of possessions proved to be the difference.
Shelbyville got the ball inside to Lily Brown for a bucket off the glass with 1:15 on the clock to tie the game at 44-44. It was the first time Shelbyville had tied the game despite pulling to within 2 and to within 1 at different points of the game.
Lady Raider senior Elli Chumley split a pair at the free throw line with 38 seconds to put CHS back up 45-44. Shelbyville’s Lanaya Young took off to the basket for a chance to take the lead with 10 seconds to play, but Lady Raider post Chloe Gannon put up a defensive wall and forced the miss.
Coffee County freshman Olivia Vinson ended up with the ball in her hands and nailed 2 key free throws with 7.9 seconds on the clock to put the Lady Raiders back up 47-44. Shelbyville inexplicably went for a layup as time expired to make the final score 47-46.
“We put our defense in a position that we thought would kind of lure them to go to the basket, and it worked,” explained Cope.
Gannon finished with 17 tough points to lead the way for Coffee County.
Early in the game, it looked like the Lady Raiders were well on their way to their third blowout win over the Eaglettes. Olivia Vinson poured in 8 points in the first quarter and Coffee County led 16-4 after a period. But Shelbyville stormed back, taking off on a 10-0 run to start the second quarter and ended up down 23-14 at the break. Shelbyville cut the deficit to 1 point in the third quarter but never tied the game or took the lead.
Coffee County completely lost control offensively at points, turning the ball over 18 times.
Jalie Ruehling scored 9 points for the Lady Raiders, Elli Chumley added 7, Alivia Reel 3 and Channah Gannon 2.
The win marks the third straight tight game for CHS. The Lady Raiders beat Warren County by 3 Friday night, Rockvale by 3 Saturday and Shelbyville by 1.
It is the 21st straight win for the Lady Raiders. They return to action Tuesday night at Franklin County for the final district game of the season. Tip is at 6 p.m. (girls game only). You can hear it live on Thunder Radio: 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.
Fourth quarter comeback powers Lady Raiders past Rockvale Saturday
Jalie Ruehling said she enjoys playing in close games.
The Lady Raider junior point guard proved it Saturday night.
Ruehling went 7-of-8 at the free throw line, finished with 14 points and helped to facilitate a fourth quarter comeback for the Coffee County Lady Raiders in a 43-40 road win at Rockvale High School.
It was the second night in a row the Lady Raiders were in a tight contest after winning by 3 at Warren County Friday night.
Saturday night at Rockvale, the outcome looked bleak for the Lady Raiders after an abysmal third quarter. CHS scored just 3 points the entire period, their worst output of the season, and saw a 24-22 halftime lead evaporate to a 32-27 deficit going into the final quarter.
The Lady Raiders fell behind by 6 – then mounted a comeback. Ruehling started the show with a big 3 pointer with 5:10 on the clock to cut the deficit to 2. She added a pair of free throws at 3:01 to put the Lady Raiders back in front.
From there Coffee County never surrendered the lead. The Lady Raider man-to-man defense forced back Rockvale shot attempts and Elli Chumley got her first field goal of the game at the 1:56 mark. Chloe Gannon got in on the action a minute later after the Rockvale defense was forced to leave the paint to track down Ruehling before she ran out the clock. Ruehling sealed the game with 2 free throws with 19 seconds to play. Ruehling added 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Gannon finished with 10 tough points in the paint for the Lady Raiders and Chumley added 7. Kiya Ferrell pitched in 5 off the bench in the first half while Gannon sat with foul trouble. Channah Gannon added 4 points and Alivia Reel 3.
Rockvale was led by Amani Sharif with 11 points before she fouled out early in the fourth quarter. She and Alecea Wilkerson ( 8 points) battled foul trouble from the tip.
The Lady Rockets fall to 18-6 with the loss – 2 of those 6 losses to Coffee County. Rockvale is currently in 2nd place in Rutherford County’s District 7-4A, behind the state’s top ranked team – Blackman.
Coffee County effectively won the game at the free-throw line with a 17-of-24 performance. In contrast, Rockvale started 5-of-5 at the stripe, but went 0-for-5 in the second half.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST BY THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO REPLAY.
Coffee County is now 23-3. The Lady Raiders have won 20 straight and are ranked no. 5 in the state by AP voters.
The Lady Raiders return to action Monday night at Shelbyville. Opening tip at 6 p.m. with pregame at 5:45 pm on Thunder Radio – 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go smartphone app and thunder1320.com.
Elli Chumley 
Channah Gannon 
Channah Gannon 
Chloe Gannon 
Alivia Reel 
Elli Chumley 
Olivia Vinson 
Alivia Reel
Raiders pull away in second half to complete season sweep of Rockvale
It took a half for Coffee County to completely distance itself from Rockvale, but the Raiders finally put on more steam in the second half and cruised to a 55-42 non-district win on the road Saturday night.
Junior Dayne Crosslin started off the game red hot, pouring in 11 points in the first half – finishing with 14.
The Raiders got a tip-in from Aidan Abellana at the halftime buzzer to take a 1 point lead into the locker room. It was all Coffee County in the second half, pulling ahead by as many as 20 (53-33) with 3:04 on the clock. The Raiders worked in some subs late.
Jackson Shemwell had a solid night off the bench with 8 points. Brady Nugent also scored 8 for the Raiders. Connor Shemwell added 7, Abellana 5, Cooper Reed and Phineas Rollman 4, Jahlin Osbourne and John Dobson 2.
The win improves the Raiders to 16-8 on the season and was their second in as many nights. CHS beat Warren County in overtime Friday night on the road.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO GET THE AUDIO REPLAY OF THE BROADCAST.
The Raiders get back to action Monday night – a district matchup at Shelbyville. Girls tip at 6 p.m. with the boys to follow. You can hear both games live on Thunder Radio with pregame beginning at 5:45 p.m. Listen at 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.
Jackson Shemwell 
John Dobson 
Cooper Reed 
Phineas Rollman 
Connor Shemwell 
Aidan Abellana
Raiders overcome slow start, down Warren County in overtime Friday night
For the second time in as many games, Coffee County’s Red Raiders went into overtime.
The outcome was much more favorable this time, though.
Aidan Abellana buried two free throws with 6.5 seconds to play in overtime, putting Coffee County up 50-46 and effectively ending the game as the Raiders held on for the win by that score.
The Raiders had to overcome a slugglish start. The Raiders trailed 10-5 after one quarter and were down by as many as 9 points in the first half. But a late first half run, capped by a 3-pointer by Connor Shemwell at the halftime buzzer tied the game at 19-19.
Shemwell led everyone with a game-high 17 points. He was followed up by Brady Nugent with 11. Nugent was named Thunder Radio broadcast Stone Fort Mortgage Player of the Game.
Phineas Rollman pitched in 8 points and Dayne Crosslin 7 for the Raiders in the win.
Coffee County improves to 16-8 on the season with the win and 6-2 in district play.
THIS GAME WAS BROADCAST LIVE ON THUNDER RADIO. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE BROADCAST REPLAY
The Raiders will play at Rockvale Saturday night. You can hear that game live on Thunder Radio. Girls tip at 6 p.m. with the boys to follow: 107.9 FM, 1320 AM, 106.7 FM, Manchester Go app and thunder1320.com.
Aidan Abellana 
Dayne Crosslin 
Jahlin Osbourne 
Jackson Shemwell 
Phineas Rollman 
Dayne Crosslin 
Brady Nugent 
Cooper Reed 
Connor Shemwell