Miranda H. Lewis
Carter County Times
Birds of a feather flock together, and that’s perhaps truest for the East Carter Raiders team.
The Raiders are entering their final month of regular season play, racing out to an unbeaten 4-0 record in the 62nd District and gripping a strong 10-4 record in the 16th Region. The team’s success is very much a group effort as there is no one superstar that’s stealing the spotlight routinely for East Carter. Whether it’s Tate and Ty Scott orchestrating the team’s defense, Blake Hall and Connor Skaggs pounding away in the paint for a tough layup, or Evan Goodman flying up the floor in transition, the Raiders have a whole roster of players who can be dangerous when they hit the court.
East Carter came out firing on all cylinders against Raceland Wednesday night.
The hosting Raiders steamrolled an 11-11 Raceland team, 65-53, in a 16th Region match up.
Ty Scott scored ten of his game-high 18 points in the first half.
Scott found his stroke early in the contest, draining a mid-range jump shot and a three-pointer at the top of the first quarter to give the Raider’s a quick 6-2 lead.
Christian Large knocked down a triple on the other end of the floor to bring the Rams within a point; however, a turnaround jumper by Goodman extended the Raider’s lead back to three.
Conner Sutton countered with a mid-range jumper to trim the lead back down to one, 8-7 at the 2:30 mark; however, that would mark as close as Raceland would get for the remainder of the contest.
Goodman and Gavin Sexton went on an 8-3 run to build a 16-10 advantage over Raceland to close out the first quarter.
Just as they have done throughout the entire season, East Carter thrived in transition.
Hall’s bounce pass inside the lane to Cason Adams for a basket to open the second frame is a prime example of the Raider’s efficiency in transition.
On East Carter’s next two possessions, Skaggs found Hall in transition for back-to-back baskets.
At the 5:04 mark in the second quarter, Hall worked the ball inside out to assist a Goodman triple, edging the Raiders to a 12-point lead.
Ty Scott closed out the first half with a triple to send the teams into intermission.
The Raiders were in control throughout, forging a 31-22 halftime lead.
East Carter started the second half with the same energy they closed the first with.
Tate Scott opened the third frame with an offensive rebound and returned it strong for his first basket of the night.
On the ensuing possession, Skaggs kicked out to Ty Scott for a mid-range jumper at the 6:30 mark.
Goodman, with a basket off the dribble at 5:44, gave the Raiders a 13-point advantage, 37-24.
Hall found Goodman on a back door cut and he finished at the rim to close out the third quarter, 44-31.
The Rams tried to keep things close, but less-than-hot shooting hampered their efforts.
The Raiders advanced to 13-8 for the season.
Goodman finished with 17 points for the Raiders, Hall added 11 points and eight rebounds and Skaggs chipped in eight points and eight rebounds.
“Credit to our guys. I thought they stayed the course and did a good job offensively tonight,” said East Carter coach Cole Brammer.
The Raiders shot 46.8 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the charity stripe.
Brammer said there is no time to rest as the Raiders were scheduled to hit the road for a 62nd District showdown against Morgan County on Thursday. (See story in this edition.)
“We are right back in it, back on the road for district play tomorrow night. No time to think about it, got to get some rest and get on the bus tomorrow to go play a district game,” he said.
“We are excited about it, another opportunity to play. We plan to go up there [Morgan County] and give it our best shot and take care of business,” he added.
East Carter (65) – Ty Scott 18, Goodman 17, Hall 11, Skaggs 8, Sexton 5, Tate Scott 2, Caleb Lane 2, Cason Adams 2. FG Pct.:46.8 FT Pct.:72.7. 3-pointers: 5-15 (Sexton 1-2, Goodman 2-5, Ty Scott 2-5, Skaggs 0-1, Hall 0-1, Tate Scott 0-1). PF:11. Fouled out: None. Turnovers:16.
Raceland (53) – Large 14, Ison 11, Thacket 8, Sutton 8, Arnett 7, Topping 4, Waller 1. FG Pct.:33.3. FT Pct:81.2. 3-Pt. FG:6-25 (Large 4-11, Ison 2-6, Topping 0-1, Newman 0-2, Arnett 0-1, Douglas 0-1, Thacker 0-3). Fouls:. Fouled out: None. Turnovers:.
