Coffee splits Warren in Border Battle, Charity Charge raises $26K

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Another dominant two-way performance led the No. 2 ranked Lady Raiders to a 73-32 win over the Lady Pioneers, but after a thrilling overtime battle, the Red Raiders fell 57-52 in the latest edition of the Border Battle on Friday night in Manchester.

CCHS Lady Raiders: 73,

Warren County Lady Pioneers: 32

Coming off of a dominant 67-12 win at Columbia on Tuesday in which they allowed a season-low 12 points, the No. 2 ranked Lady Raiders walked into Friday night’s tilt with Warren County eyeing their eighth win in district play.

The Lady Raiders set a ferocious pace at the start with a 16-0 run to begin the game’s opening minutes, which would turn into a 21-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Junior Natalie Barnes had the hot hand for Coffee County in the early going, scoring 21 of her 26 game points in the first half to fuel the Lady Raiders to a 48-14 lead at the halftime break.

“It means a lot to put up a bunch of points in a game like this,” Barnes said after the game. “I just felt really confident. We put in a new play before this game, and I knew that I would be open a lot on that play, so I knew I had to knock down those shots.”

The torrent pace set by the Lady Raiders would die down a bit in the second half, but Coffee County would still outscore Warren 25-18 over the final two quarters to win 73-32.

With the win over Warren, the Lady Raiders move to 26-0 overall and 8-0 in district play. A win at Lincoln County on Tuesday, Feb. 11 would clinch the 4A District 9 Regular Season Championship for the Lady Raiders.

“Lincoln County’s a good basketball team and of course they were a State Tournament team last year,” said Coach Joe Pat Cope. “For the eight years I’ve been coaching at Coffee County, we’ve been fortunate enough to go undefeated against them. Eventually, a State Tournament team is going to beat you, but hopefully that won’t be Tuesday night. We just have to keep playing hard every night and make our shots.”

Warren County: 3, 11, 8, 10 – 32

Coffee County: 21, 27, 17, 8 – 73

Warren County (32) Aubrey Olesik 8, Addison Steakley 7, Trinity Reynolds 6, Brinlee Chisam 4, Alyssa Parsley 3, Zoie Verge 2, Valery Esparza 2.

Coffee County (73) Natalie Barnes 26, Channah Gannon 22, Olivia Vinson 7, Jules Ferrell 6, Ella Arnold 5, Audri Patton 4, Morgen Spears 2, Ava McIntosh 1.

CCHS Red Raiders: 52,

Warren County Pioneers: 57 (OT)

After a 50-46 loss at Columbia on Tuesday, the Red Raiders were hoping to rebound against Warren County, a team that Coffee County struggled against offensively in a 46-24 loss back on Jan. 21.

Friday night’s bout with Warren would prove to be a much closer battle, but in the end, the Red Raiders were still unable to overcome the first place team in the district.

The Pioneers would forge ahead in the opening minutes with an 11-3 scoring run, but the Red Raiders closed the first quarter with an 8-5 run of their own to cut Warren’s lead to five points entering the second period.

Coffee County would build on that first quarter momentum in the second, as senior Brady Wright drilled three triples to help the Red Raiders outscore the Pioneers 14-4 for a halftime lead of 25-20.

The Raider offense would go cold in the third quarter, managing only two points, and the Pioneers took advantage, pulling ahead 32-27 heading into the final frame.

Coffee County would battle back in the fourth and both teams would trade the lead several times in the waning moments, but with a minute left in regulation, the Pioneers still held a 43-40 advantage.

The Red Raiders would methodically work their offense in the final minute before senior Courtland Farrar got open and nailed a three-point jumper from the corner with 25 seconds remaining, tying the score at 43-43.

Warren County would turn the ball over on a five second violation during their next possession, but the Red Raiders could not take advantage of the miscue, meaning that the capacity crowd would get to enjoy at least four more minutes of free basketball.

The battle would continue on in the overtime session, but the Red Raiders would run out of steam, and the Pioneers would go on to win 57-52.

“It was a fantastic effort by our guys,” said Coach Andrew Taylor. “But in the end, Warren just made more plays than we did. If we continue to execute, hit a few more free throws and battle like we did tonight, we’ll give ourselves a chance in future games.”

With the win over Coffee County, the Pioneers clinch the 4A District 9 Regular Season Title, however, the second place spot is still up for grabs. Shelbyville Central and Lincoln County each hold a district record of 5-3 and Coffee County’s most recent loss puts the Red Raiders at 4-4 with two district games remaining.

Warren County: 16, 4, 12, 11, 14 – 57

Coffee County: 11, 14, 2, 16, 9 – 52

Warren County (57) Devin Fish 18, Nathan Turner 12, Deashawn Adams 10, Corban Felton 8, Chance Whitlock 4, Keyton Reno 3, Isiah Robledo 2.

Coffee County (52) Brady Wright 16, Courtland Farrar 14, Cayden Trail 11, Jaiden Warren 7, Jayden Carter 4.

Despite splitting the battle on the court, Coffee County ran away with the Charity Charge battle off of the court. After the boys game, it was announced that a total of $16,855 was raised for the Dream for Weave Foundation and $9,548 for McMinnville Special Games, combining for a total payout of $26,403.

The $16,855 in donations made for the Dream for Weave Foundation is almost $4,000 more than last year’s total of $12,900.

CCHS basketball will be back on the road for their next district battle at Lincoln County on Tuesday, Feb. 11 with the varsity girls game slated to start at 6 p.m.