The Coffee County Lady Raiders got the Region 3 Class 4-A tournament started impressively on Friday night.
McMinn County upset the Lady Raiders last season in region action, but this year the story was flipped as Coffee County defeated the Lady Cherokees 67-30.
In the region quarterfinal in Manchester, the Lady Raiders took control of the game early, leading 24-3 after the first quarter and 40-10 at halftime.
Coach Joe Pat Cope went to his bench for most of the second half as 10 Coffee County players scored in the game. Olivia Vinson led the Lady Raiders with 14, followed by Jalie Ruehling and Emaleigh Tarpley with 9 points each. Chloe Gannon added 8 points in limited playing time. Natalie Barnes scored 7, followed by Channah Gannon with 6, Ava McIntosh 5, Ella Arnold 4, Morgan Spears 3, and Alivia Reel added 2 points.
The Coffee County ladies will play again on Monday night at 6:30 pm against Cleveland. Also, on Friday night, the Lady Blue Raiders roared past Franklin County 75-29. In the other region game, Bradley Central rolled in their 72-22 win over Shelbyville.
On Saturday night at Cleveland High School, the Coffee County boys will take on the Blue Raiders at 6 pm CT. You can hear the game on the Rooster 101.5 FM, www.rooster1015.com, or the Rooster 101.5 app.
Photo by Keesha Knott: Ava McIntosh looks to pass the ball on Friday against McMinn County
