Category: Sports

The Coffee County Middle School basketball teams traveled to Rockvale on Thursday night to compete in the Rockvale Tipoff Tournament.  The Red Raiders lost to Walter Baird in an elimination bracket contest 33 to 27.   The Lady Raiders fell in their semifinal contest against Christiana 50 to 32.

Cold shooting in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters doomed the Red Raiders in their loss to Walter Baird.  Leading 8 to 6 after the first 6 minutes, Walter Baird outscored Coffee County 19 to 5 in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters to build a lead that the Red Raiders could not overcome.  Connor Shemwell led the Raiders with 9 points.  Aiden Abellana had a pair of 3 pointers to finish with 6 points.

Trailing 20 to 17 at the half, the Lady Raiders saw Christiana explode for 30 second half points to drop Coffee County to their first loss of the year.   The Lady Raiders return to Rockvale on Saturday for the consolation game at 1:45 PM.  Coffee County will take on the loser of Stewarts Creek and Siegel .

The Raiders and Lady Raiders return home on Monday night for a conference doubleheader with Warren County.  Lucky Knott will be on hand to bring you the broadcast as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  Tip off is at 6 PM, the pregame show will begin at 5:50 here on Thunder Radio.

A 43 point performance by junior Cody Swayze lifted the Temple Baptist Christian Eagles to a 53 to 49 win in Jamestown over Faith Christian Academy.    The Eagles held a 10 point lead after the first quarter as Swayze poured in 12 points in the period.  Swayze finished with 7 three point baskets in the win to level Temple’s record at 1 and 1 on the season.

Michael Clark and Alex Gloden each added 4 points in the road win. Temple is back at home on Thursday when they play host to Berean Academy of Hixson.  The junior varsity will play at 6 PM with the varsity to follow.  Both games will be held at the E.C. Bailey Gym.

Citing the potential for “immediate playing time”, Coffee County Central High School softball player Shelby Scrivnor signed her National Letter of Intent to attend Alabama A&M University on Wednesday at a ceremony at CHS.   Wednesday was the opening day for the early signing period for NCAA Division 1 universities.  Alabama A&M is located in Normal, Alabama which is a northern suburb of Huntsville.  The Lady Bulldogs of Alabama A&M compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and are coached by Nakeya Hall.

Scrivnor returns to the Lady Raider softball team for her senior year after missing last season.  “Even though she did not play school ball last year, Shelby competed in a very tough summer league schedule” said softball coach Brandon McWhorter.  McWhorter went on the say that he was glad to have Shelby back with the Lady Raiders as “she will provide a big bat in the middle of our lineup.”  When asked what would make Scrivnor a success at the college level, McWhorter was quick to point out “Shelby has a good work ethic and she is determined to be successful.”  Scrivnor will compete at 3^rd base and catcher for Coffee County this spring, but her college plan is to be a catcher.

“My first contact with (Alabama A&M) was last March with the help of my travel softball coaches.  They continued to follow me all summer” added Scrivnor.  Shelby mentioned that she liked the positive nature of the coaching staff and her future teammates.  She also liked the opportunity to play close to home.  When asked who she wished to thank, Shelby was quick to list “my mom and Kendall(Layne) along with my travel ball coach, Coach Timmy(Richardson) and definitely Coach (Terry) Floyd and Coach (Lana) Creek.”  Scrivnor plans to major in animal science and become involved with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency after getting her degree.

After earning a split at the Quality Inn Classic in Niceville, Fla., the Motlow Bucks will open Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) play when they travel to Jackson to face the Jackson State Generals on Friday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The game will follow the women’s opener, scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.

The Bucks (2-1) cruised in their first game in Niceville Friday night, handing Lincoln Trail, Illinois, a 95-48 defeat. Saturday the Bucks, ranked No. 9 in the preseason National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) poll, dropped an 81-64 decision to the host team, Northwest Florida State, ranked No. 2 in the preseason. Motlow opened the 2017-18 campaign with a 79-60 win over No. 18 Georgia Highlands last Wednesday.

Isaiah Hart led four double-digit scorers with 21 points against Lincoln Trail. Hart connected on 5-6 three-point shots and 7-10 shots from the field. The Murfreesboro sophomore also added three rebounds, four assists and three steals.

All 14 players who dressed got into the scorebook as the Bucks surged to a 48-22 halftime lead. Motlow shot 51.4 percent from the floor, including 44.8 percent from behind the three point line and connecting on all six of its free throw attempts.

Derrick Rayford scored 13 and added three assists and two steals, Rashawn Fredericks scored 10 with eight rebounds and three blocked shots, and Leo Castillo added 10 points on 4-5 shooting and had three boards and two steals.

Dillon Smith led the Bucks in rebounding with 10 and added eight points, three assists and two steals. Nick Marshall scored six points and had nine rebounds, David Fraser had five points with four rebounds, and Zaire Swaby added four points and blocked three shots with three boards.

On Saturday, the Bucks faced one of the nation’s most established powerhouse programs in Northwest Florida State. The Raiders could hardly miss as they opened the first half by hitting 11-14 three pointers on their way to a commanding 51-24 halftime advantage. The Bucks hit just 9-26 shots in the first half, although a better second half left them with a 37.9 shooting percentage for the contest.

Smith, who has been Motlow’s most consistent scorer in the first week of the season, connected on 5-8 three pointers and 7-12 shots to lead the Motlow scoring with 19 points and three steals. Rayford added 17 points and hit 3-4 from three point range, while Fredericks had nine points and led the Bucks with five rebounds.

Hard dished out eight assists, with Kevonte Corley adding three, but the Bucks only tallied 13 assists for the game. Motlow ended up shooting 37 percent from three-point range and shot 62.5 percent from the free throw line.

After their trip to Jackson Friday night, the Bucks and Lady Bucks will head to Columbia, where they will face Columbia State on Saturday. The women’s game is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. with the men to follow.

Both Motlow teams will play their home opener Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Copperweld Arena. The Lady Bucks will host the Martin Methodist College JV at 5:30 p.m., and the men will host the Cumberland University JV at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free to all Motlow athletic contests on the Moore County campus.

Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at MotlowSports.com for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics on social media at MotlowSports.

The Raiders and Lady Raiders of Coffee County Middle School hosted their first home basketball games of the year on Tuesday night taking on White County.  The Raiders and Lady Raiders each raced out to big halftime leads in the sweep of their Sparta rivals.  The Lady Raiders won 33 to 18 while the Red Raiders won 40 to 34.

The Lady Raiders held White County to 6 first half points as they raced out to a 17 to 6 halftime lead.  Coffee County held the Warriorettes to 6 field goals in the game to capture their 2^nd conference win of the year.  Marley Perry led Coffee County in scoring with 13 points.  Alivia Reel and Kiya Ferrell each added 6 points.

The Red Raiders charged out to a 10 to 4 lead in the first quarter on their way to a 9 point halftime cushion.  Coffee Middle was able to hold off a 2nd half charge by the Warriors by converting 7 of their final 12 free throws.  Connor Shemwell led the Raiders in scoring with 16 points.  Ethan Baker added 7 points and Aiden Abellana added 6 points.

Both Coffee County teams travel to Rockvale on Thursday night for 2^nd round action in the Rockvale Tip-Off Tournament.  The Red Raiders will play at 5 PM as they take on Walter J Baird.  The Lady Raiders will take the floor at 6:15 taking on Christiana.

The Eagles of Temple Baptist Christian School opened the 2017-2018 season at home on Tuesday night as they welcomed Victory Baptist to the E.C. Bailey Gym.  Both the JV(grades 6 thru 9) and the varsity (grades 9 thru 12) teams fell to the visitors from Shelbyville.  The JV lost 31 to 21 while the varsity dropped a 56 to 33 decision.

It was missed offensive opportunities in the 2nd half which doomed the Eagle JV in the first game of the doubleheader.  Trailing by 4 at the half, Temple saw the visiting Patriots open the 3^rd quarter on a 9 to 2 run.  The Eagles were led in scoring by Alex Gloden who finished with 19 points.  Isaiah Baker chipped in 2 points.

In the varsity game, it was offensive rebounding and 3 point baskets that powered Victory Baptist to the wire to wire win.  The visiting Patriots were able to convert 2^nd chance opportunities in building a 7 to 0 lead in the 1^st quarter.  Victory also drained nine 3 point baskets as they pulled away for the win.  The Eagles were led in scoring by Cody Swayze who finished with 17 points.  Freshman Alex Gloden added 11 points.

The varsity Eagles travel to Jamestown on Thursday night to take on Faith Christian School  The opening tip is set for 6 PM.

Calle Jarnkrok scored the game-winner, and the Nashville Predators concluded their four-game road trip by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets by a 3-1 final on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.

It’s Nashville’s third consecutive victory, bumping their record to 8-5-2 on the season and giving them six out of a possible eight points after a successful swing across the country.

Facing Columbus on the second half of a back-to-back for the home team, Nashville scored first, and after allowing their first and only goal early in the third, the Preds buckled down to place another in the win column.

“It was a gutsy win,” Nashville defenseman Matt Irwin said. “[Pekka Rinne] was great when we needed him to be, and timely goals – they tied it up, but we felt like we were still right in it and the goal at the end by [Jarnkrok] was all we needed.”

After a scoreless first period, Irwin broke the tie with his second goal in three games as he took a feed from Viktor Arvidsson and picked the top corner on Joonas Korpisalo. But early in the third, Pierre-Luc Dubois took advantage of a Nashville turnover and beat Pekka Rinne on a breakaway to even the score.

Then, with less than six minutes to play in regulation, Miikka Salomaki drove to the net and Jarnkrok pounded the rebound home to give the Preds a 2-1 advantage, the final lead they’d need for the night. Viktor Arvidsson iced it with an empty-netter before it was all over, and combined with another stellar effort in net from Rinne – his second consecutive 35-save performance – the Predators found another way to get the job done.

“First of all, Peks, he was unbelievable,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “I thought we got better and better and everybody just worked hard and found a way.”

Six of Eight:

It didn’t start the way they wanted, but it sure finished up just fine.

After falling to San Jose in the first outing of their four-game trip, the Preds concluded with three consecutive wins in Anaheim, Los Angeles, and finally in Columbus on Tuesday.

Thanks to timely scoring, clutch goaltending and a bit of snarl, Nashville found a way to defeat two of the West’s better teams in Southern California before heading east to keep the Blue Jackets from collecting their 10th win of the season.

Not a bad few days away from the home front.

“I thought that the guys did what we had to do on the road here, so it was good,” Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “And we walk away with six points. Six out of eight, on a road trip this early, we’ve played a lot of road games so far, for me, it’s good to be in the spot we’re in and go home and look to win some games at home.”

It may be early in the season, but there’s no denying a road trip of this caliber, especially with the success Nashville found, can certainly do something for a team moving forward. The hope is that this past week will do the same this time around.

“There’s been times in past seasons where this West Coast trip has been a season-changer for us, and hopefully it’s this time around, too,” Rinne said. “You play some of the top teams in the League and you come away with six points, so we have to be satisfied and it’s nice to go home now.”

The Predators will return to the friendly confines of Bridgestone Arena for five of the next six in their home building beginning on Saturday night versus Pittsburgh.

And they can’t wait to see the Gold once more.

“This road trip, for me, was about doing the right things,” Laviolette said. “It’s good that it’s over. We’ll go home now and get in front of our fans and in our building and try to win some home games.”

Notes:

Kyle Turris, who was acquired on Sunday by Nashville, did not play on Tuesday in Columbus due to the immigration process as he arrives from Canada. Turris hopes to make his debut on Saturday in Nashville.

Defenseman Anthony Bitetto and forward Pontus Aberg were scratched on Tuesday night against the Blue Jackets.

With their four-game road trip finished, the Preds return home to host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena, the first meeting between the two teams in Nashville since the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

The Coffee County Middle School basketball teams opened up play in the Rockvale Tournament on Monday night in Rutherford County.  The Lady Raiders opened play at 4 PM against the host Rockvale Ravens with a 30 to 21 win.  The Red Raiders fell to the Christiana Cougars in the 2^nd game 40 to 28.

In the girls’ game, Coffee County got 11 points in the 3^rd quarter to stretch a 2 point halftime lead to 9 points entering the 4^th quarter.  The Lady Raiders got 15 points from Kiya Ferrell, including 10 points in the first half.  Alyssa McClanahan added 5 points and Alivia Reel and Marley Perry each added 3 points.

Despite a 16 point 4^th quarter for the Red Raiders, Christiana was able to match Coffee County and hold on for the win.  Connor Shemwell led Coffee County in scoring with 7 points.  Aiden Abellana added 6 points and Ethan Baker chipped in 4.

The Raider teams return home on Tuesday night when they take on White County at the CCMS gym in a conference doubleheader.   The doubleheader gets underway at 6 PM.  Coffee Middle will return to Rockvale on Thursday for 2^nd round tournament action.

The Westwood basketball teams hit the road to Chapel Hill on Monday night for an important conference doubleheader with Forrest.  The Lady Rockets lost a nip and tuck battle with Forrest 35 to 31.  The Rockets saw their 4 game winning streak come to an end in a 35 to 31 loss.

The Lady Rockets never trailed by more than 3 points at the end of the first 3 quarters against Forrest.  Despite foul trouble on their post players, Westwood was able to hit 14 of 21 free throws to keep the game tight until the final horn.  Kasen Holt was 7 of 8 from the line as she led the Lady Rockets in scoring with 13 points.  Elizabeth Brown added 9 points as Westwood saw their 2 game winning streak come to an end.

Turnovers in the 4^th quarter saw Forrest erase a 4^th quarter deficit and send Westwood to their first loss since October 17^th.  Trent Thompson led the Rockets in scoring with 15 points.  Brady Nugent added 9 points and John Dobson chipped in 6 points.

Westwood is back at home on Thursday night when they welcome Middle Tennessee Christian to the Joel Vinson Gym.  The girls’ game will tip off at 6 PM and Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you live coverage as part of the First National Bank Hometown Sports Series.  Our pregame coverage begins at 5:50 with Lucky Knott on the call.