Category: Sports

The Motlow Lady Bucks have begun official practice in preparation for the 2014-15 basketball season, the 40th in school history and the first under new head coach Dominic Tharpe. Junior college teams throughout the country practiced for the first time Oct. 1.
After three scheduled scrimmage contests, the Lady Bucks will open the regular season when they welcome non-conference opponent Snead State to Copperweld Arena on Friday, Oct. 31. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and admission is free.
Before his hiring at Motlow in July, Tharpe spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Dyersburg State, where the Lady Eagles enjoyed the most successful two-year run in school history. Tharpe played for Motlow from 1998-2000 and was an assistant men’s coach during the 2006-07 season.
“I feel that the past few years have allowed me to be very familiar with the TCCAA and its level of competition,” said Tharpe. “Rian Puckett and Bobby Steinburg served as great head coaches and mentors to me during my tenure as an assistant coach on the junior college level. My previous experiences have equipped me with valuable knowledge in turning our program back in the right direction.”
Tharpe has been working hard to create a balanced roster that includes six returning sophomores and seven newcomers. Of the 13 roster spots, eight are filled by players from Motlow College’s 11-county service area. Fans should be familiar with a number of Lady Bucks as the season opens.
Headlining the sophomore class that will be counted on to lead the Lady Bucks are Franklin County alum Chelsea Holman, Huntland’s Alexis Smith, Shelbyville’s Bree Horner, Chloe Neil from Bristol and Sabrina Jackson from Chicago. Nashville’s Jadah Fite sat out much of last season due to injury, but is healthy and expected to be a major contributor.
“Our sophomore class is very hungry to prove that they are better than the previous year,” continued Tharpe. “I honestly feel they are working with a chip on their shoulder to become the best players they can be on and off the court. The experience that they bring to our team has helped the freshmen to make the transition from high school a lot easier.”
Holman, Smith and Neil each played in all 25 games for the Lady Bucks in 2013-14. Smith, a 6-1 post, averaged seven points, 5.8 rebounds and one steal per game. She blocked 31 shots and connected on 5-12 shots from three-point range.
Holman was one of the most consistent players last season, averaging 7.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, one steal and one assist per game. Jackson was the top reserve, coming off the bench to average 6.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Jackson also blocked 41 shots, second on the team which blocked a total of 174 shots.
Neil connected on 27 three-point shots last season and averaged four points and 1.6 rebounds per contest. Horner improved consistently as the season advanced last year, averaging 3.1 points, three rebounds and one assist per game. In limited time, Fite averaged 4.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and one assist.
“Holman, Smith, and Neil all have valuable playing experience in the TCCAA and know what type of grind that the season can bring on and off the court,” Tharpe added. “I feel that each of these players have stepped up their level of commitment and desire to win through the transition of the coaching change. Horner, Jackson and Fite will definitely be key contributors this year. Their work ethic and dedication to our team has been great during the preseason. I expect them to really have breakout seasons and impose their will on opponents this year.”
Newcomers to the Lady Bucks this season include Lauren Brown and Kelsey Munn from Manchester, both of which played their high school basketball at Coffee County.
Tanika Gholston is from Whitwell, Kaitelyn Leverette from Shelbyville, Ashley Kee from Smyrna, Titanisha Lawless from Nashville, and Erin Layne from Tullahoma are also set to begin their first season at Motlow College. Kee and Leverette are sophomores, while the rest are freshmen with two seasons of eligibility.
Most Motlow home games will be broadcast live on Tullahoma’s The Ticket sports radio. Listeners can tune in on the radio at 105.1 FM and AM 740, on the internet at www.theticketradio.com, on a smartphone using the free Tune-In Radio app, and in Tullahoma on LightTUBe channel 11. Video replays can be seen on LightTUBe channel 23.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics at and .

Lady Raider’s soccer had a home game Thursday night against Central Magnet. The Murfreesboro school was undefeated at 15-0 on season headed into the match. Alex Ellison scored on an assist by Makenzie Anderson in 35th minute of the first half to help Coffee County to a 1-0 lead at halftime. Central Magnet scored twice in the 2nd half to propel them to their 16th win. The Lady Raiders failed to score in the 2nd half.
The district tournament is up next for Coffee County.

With a roster that returns five players from last season, three more who were Motlow redshirts, and 10 newcomers with sterling credentials, the Motlow Bucks appear to be in position to challenge for the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) championship.
Head Coach Matt Sligh enters his second season with a roster full of potential Division I prospects. The path in and out of Copperweld Arena is well worn from a stream of major and mid-major college coaches who have visited Motlow’s Moore County campus during the previous month.
Practice officially began for the 10 member schools of the TCCAA on Oct. 1, with most teams opening their seasons on Halloween night. The Bucks will open at home on Oct. 31, hosting non-conference opponent Snead State at 7:30 p.m., or 20 minutes after the conclusion of the women’s contest which begins at 5:30 p.m.
“We are excited that October has arrived and competition against other teams is fast approaching,” said Sligh. “Our players have worked hard thus far in their various roles of being a student-athlete and are now eager to begin playing against someone else besides each other.”
Headlining the roster is returning All-American Dequon Miller. The 5-10 Miller, a native of Charleston, W.Va., became the ninth player in Motlow history to be named an All-American last season. From his point-guard position he averaged 21 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two steals per game, while shooting 44% from three-point range and 83% from the free-throw line.
Joining Miller as returning Bucks who saw playing time last year is Kytrel Williams, a second team all-conference selection from Memphis who averaged 10 points, four rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game with 23 blocked shots. The 6-4 Williams scored in double figures 13 times last season, with a high of 28 coming against Cleveland State in November.
Washington D.C. sophomore Greg Mason also returns. The 6-6 forward averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game while shooting 65% from the floor, the fifth-best single season shooting percentage in Motlow history.
Reggie Williams, a 6-6 shooting guard from Detroit, also returns after coming on strong towards the end of last season and averaging 4.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. C.J. McEwen is the fifth returnee. The 6-1 Nashville product averaged three points and 1.6 rebounds per game, but like Williams played his best basketball at the end of last season.
“Our team’s focus early on will be to increase our toughness and togetherness,” Sligh continued. “I am thrilled to work with our returning players who have been through a full season and are hungry to improve on last year.”
Three players, all guards, who sat out last season while attending Motlow, will suit up with the varsity during the coming season. Clint Nwosuh is 6-2 from Houston, Jahaad Lyons is also 6-2 and comes from Murfreesboro’s Oakland High School, and 5-9 Dezon Dozier is from Nashville.
New additions to the roster this season include sophomore transfer D’Andre Downey from Milwaukee, Wis., and freshman Seth McKelvey from North Charleston, S.C.
The remaining newcomers are all from Tennessee, including Jaylen Barford from Jackson, Axel Magnuson from Clarksville, Terry Holt from Nashville, Reid Pierce from Murfreesboro, Montrez Van Zant from Winchester, and former Cheatham County teammates Jake Saunders and Jordan Darden, both from Ashland City. Nashville guard Jade Patrick comes to Motlow from Pearl Cohn High School and will redshirt this season.
“We welcome a highly-competitive and talented group of new players who are used to winning,” added Sligh. “I look forward to watching our players define their roles through their performance in practice and in our scrimmages this month. We hope to vastly improve our ability to defend over last season, as well as play fast offensively. Our roster fits how we want to play on both ends of the floor, but now it’s time to make it happen.”
The Bucks will open TCCAA conference play when they host Jackson State on Friday, Nov. 7, and Columbia State the following day. The regular season ends with a return trip to Columbia State on Feb. 21. The Chargers are the defending conference champions and eliminated the Bucks in last year’s TCCAA tournament.
“The TCCAA is loaded this year and we begin league play the first week of November, as well as facing several quality opponents as our schedule begins,” Sligh said. “We are one of the only conferences to play league games this early in the season, which makes October even more important for us.”
Most Motlow home games will be broadcast live on Tullahoma’s The Ticket sports radio. Listeners can tune in on the radio at 105.1 FM and AM 740, on the internet at www.theticketradio.com, on a smartphone using the free Tune-In Radio app, and in Tullahoma on LightTUBe channel 11. Video replays can be seen on LightTUBe channel 23.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at <www.motlowsports.com> for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics at <Facebook/MotlowSports> and <Twitter@MotlowSports>.

It was a battle for the Central Tennessee Conference regular season football championship Tuesday night in Manchester. The Middle School Raiders hosted the Warriors of White County.
The Raiders took an early advantage with 3:48 left in 1st quarter on a Weston Hargroves 2-yard TD run. Just before halftime White County took the lead on touchdown run and 2-point conversion.
Headed into the 4th quarter the score remained the same. The Raiders put together a great drive in the final couple of minutes of play. Coffee County went for a throwback pass to the QB in the last few seconds of the game, but could not connect. The Warriors defeated the Raiders 8-6 to win the 2014 championship.
Trace Bryant who had a 43-yard reception was named the Gateway Tire and Service Center player of the game.
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Coffee County finishes with a 6-2 overall record.

The TSSAA State Golf Tournament began yesterday in Manchester for Class AAA high school teams. The Coffee County Lady Raiders after day 1 are in 2nd place after shooting a team score of 152. Hollee Sadler carded a 72 and Savannah Quick posted an 80. Rossview leads the team competition with a score of 143. Reagan Greene of Rossview is on top in the individual standings with a 68 followed Aubree Jones of Brighton with 69 and Sadler heads to day 2 in 3rd place 4 shots out of the lead.
In boy’s play Coffee County’s Jacob Prater got off to a tough start shooting a 46 over his first 9-holes but battled back with an outstanding 3-under 33 on his next 9. Jacob is in the middle of the pack that is led by Jacob Sherlin of Hendersonville who scored a 4-under 68. The Commandos also lead the team scores with a 289, 1-over par.
The final day of the tournament is Wednesday at Willowbrook.