District superiority is up for grabs Friday night in Manchester.
Coffee County Central’s Lady Red Raiders (no. 4 AP) and the Warren County Lady Pioneers (tied no. 10 AP) will meet at Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gymnasium for the District 6-4A Championship. Tip is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.
Joe Frank Patch Memorial Gymnasium is located on the campus of Coffee County Central High School – 100 Red Raider Dr. Manchester.
The Lady Red Raiders (28-2 overall) and Lady Pioneers (22-7) split their regular season series, with Coffee County wining the first matchup 32-29 on Jan. 24 and Warren County winning 48-42 on Feb. 3 in McMinnville. Turnover troubles plagued the Lady Raiders in both games.
Dating back to 2017, Coffee County had beaten Warren County 12 straight times before Feb. 3.
“We had probably the best week of practice I’ve been associated with in 15 years,” said Joe Pat Cope, speaking about the open week CHS had to practice after losing to Warren County before going on to smoke Franklin County by 51 in the district semi-finals. “Turnovers were a big focus.”
As they should have been. CHS turned the ball over 23 times against Warren County Feb. 3.
The winner Friday night will not only be crowned district champion, but will have a slight advantage in the upcoming Region 3-4A tournament. The winner will host the no. 4 seed out of District 5-4A, while the loser in the district title game will host the no. 3 seed in the region quarterfinal round.
A win would also mean six straight district titles (regular season, tournament or both) for the Lady Raider program.
GAME INFO
Tip off Friday, Feb. 17 is at approximately 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $10 or in advance on your phone through GoFan for $9 (after service fees).
HOW TO LISTEN
If you cannot attend, the game will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio WMSR – home for Red Raider athletics since 1957.
Listen at 1320 AM, 107.9 FM, on the Manchester Go app or by clicking here.
UP NEXT
Regardless of the outcome against Warren County, the Lady Raiders will host the Region 3-4A quarterfinals on Friday, Feb. 24. Game time TBD. That will be an elimination game. If they win in the region quarterfinals on Feb. 24, this is what the road to the state tournament looks like:
Feb 27: Region 3-4A semi-finals. Will be held in Cleveland, Tennessee (pending District 5-4A tournament results). This is an elimination game and has been the step Coffee County has not been able to get past in the last few years. Game will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio WMSR.
March 1: Region 3-4A Championship. If the Lady Raiders win on Feb 27, they will play for a region title on March 1. This is NOT a must win game, but a win is beneficial. The winner will host a state sectional game, the loser will travel for the state sectional. Game will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio WMSR.
March 4: State sectional. This is a winner take all, one game situation. The loser will turn in uniforms, the winner will go to the state tournament at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro. Game will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio WMSR.
March 7-11: State Tournament. Only 8 teams remain in the state of Tennessee. Three wins means a state title. One loss ends the season. Games will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio WMSR.
