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Another historic season for the No. 2 Coffee County Lady Raiders ended on Thursday night with a 53-44 loss to No. 1 Bradley Central in the Girls 4A State Quarterfinals in Murfreesboro.

The highly anticipated rematch of last year’s State Semifinals has brought up a lot of conversation in the last week, mostly about the way teams are seeded in the tournament, but despite their controversial placement in the bracket, the Lady Raiders gave the Bearettes their closest battle against a team from Tennessee.

The Lady Raider defense started on shaky ground in the first quarter, as Bradley Central went 9-of-18 to outscore Coffee County 21-9 in the first quarter of play. At one point, the Bearettes led by as much as 17 points.

Coffee County’s defense played a lot tighter in the second quarter, holding the Bearettes to just two field goals to bring the score within single digits, 26-20.

“We held them to five points in that second period, but we didn’t really adjust anything,” said Lady Raider Coach Joe Pat Cope. “We came up with this defensive scheme last week and we have been practicing it every day. Bradley hit some shots early and we had a couple of turnovers. The way we were taking shots in the first quarter, we were scared. We settled in during the second quarter, and Jules probably played the best game that I’ve ever coached her in; she took it to them, and she was not afraid.”

Ferrell, making her second State Tournament appearance as a sophomore, made her presence known in the first half, scoring 10 points, drawing a charge and coming up with a monster block on a Bearette three-point attempt at the end of the second quarter.

“I just knew that we had to have momentum if we wanted to beat them,” Ferrell said after the game. “So to be able to step up and take a charge or get that block, it was something that we really needed. I also knew that there were going to be a lot of college coaches watching and I needed to play the best that I could in front of them as well.”

The Bearettes opened things back up to begin the second half, going on an 8-2 run in the first two minutes of the third quarter to reup the lead by double digits, but the Lady Raiders went on a 10-4 scoring run over the next four minutes to close the gap to four points. Two buckets by Kimora Fields in the final minute of the quarter would give the Bearettes a 42-34 lead entering the fourth.

Natalie Barnes would hit a jumper in the first minute of the fourth quarter to make the score 42-36, but for the next two minutes, the Bearettes held the ball on offense, drawing a chorus of boos from the Coffee County faithful.

The Lady Raiders drew as close as five points in the fourth, but for the final two and a half minutes of regulation, momentum completely swung back to the Bearettes, who went on to win the game 53-44, handing Coffee County their only loss of the season.

“All week, people would call me and give a David versus Goliath story, and I would tell them, ‘This isn’t David against Goliath, this is Goliath versus Goliath.’” Coach Cope said after the game. “These teams were No. 1 and No. 2 in the state, and it’s a shame that we have to meet on Thursday night in the same bracket. I felt like there were teams that played before us that we were 70 points better than, but I had to tell my team, ‘Congratulations, you won the region but now have to go up against the No. 4 team in the nation.’ We need to get to the point where this tournament is seeded better… Yeah, we were ready and we fought, but it’s no consolation. That was a gold ball game, and the winner tonight was going to win the whole tournament in my opinion.”

Both teams have been no stranger to blowout wins, but leading up to the State Tournament, Coffee County’s closest battles have been with district rivals and fellow state qualifiers Lincoln County. All four games against the Lady Falcons have been physical, but as Coach Cope would point out, Lincoln County and Bradley Central are completely different animals in terms of physicality.

“Lincoln County’s a great basketball team; they’re top 10 in the state, they’ve got good coaches and good players,” Cope said of their district rivals. “But their players are going on to play at schools like Bryan College. Bradley’s players are going to places like Arkansas, South Carolina or LSU. There’s a difference in going on to play basketball in, say, Division Three then there is playing in the SEC. This is what, Bradley’s 35th appearance here in the State Championships? When you think of basketball in Tennessee, you think Bradley Central.”

Bradley Central’s physical play also played a key role in the defense of Lady Raider standout Channah Gannon. Gannon had averaged 21.8 points per game in the postseason leading up to the State Tournament but was held to just six points in Thursday night’s State Quarterfinals.

Despite a disappointing end to her senior season, Gannon expressed an immense amount of gratitude towards her Lady Raider teammates.

“They mean the world to me,” Gannon said. “They’re my sisters, and they’ll always be my sisters. It’s been amazing to make it to the State Tournament for the last two years and I know that they’re going to be here again next year, no doubt.”

The Lady Raiders finish the 2024-25 season with a 34-1 overall record having won their eighth straight Regular Season District Championship, their sixth consecutive District Tournament Title, their second Region Championship in as many seasons and their first back-to-back State Tournament appearance since 1963 and 1964 when the Manchester Central High School team accomplished the same feat.

Coffee County: 9 11 14 10 – 44

Bradley Central: 21 5 16 11 – 53

Coffee County (44) – Jules Ferrell 13, Olivia Vinson 9, Natalie Barnes 9, Channah Gannon 6, Ava McIntosh 3, Audri Patton 2, Ella Arnold 2.

Bradley Central (53) – Kimora Fields 17, Avary Brewer 13, Harmonie Ware 8, Malia Wilcox 7, TaTianna Stovall 6, Libby Stewart 2.