Lady Raiders edge Elbert

After numerous momentum swings, the Madison County’s girls varsity basketball team got the final cheers in a dramatic seesaw overtime game against Elbert County at home Tuesday.

The Lady Raiders downed the Lady Blue Devils 57-50 at Madison County Middle School to improve to 2-1 in 2012.

“It was just a back and forth game until the end,” said Madison County head coach Dan Lampe, whose team trailed 14-9 after one, but led 31-23 at the half.

The Lady Raiders entered the fourth quarter with a 37-32 lead, but lost that advantage. Elise Coberly, who tallied 15 points and eight rebounds, hit a late fourth-quarter bucket to send the game to overtime with the score tied at 47.

Nekeia Brown dominated the paint for the Lady Raiders, pouring in 27 points, while grabbing nine boards. Mya Moss chipped in nine.

Lampe said he was really pleased with his team’s guard play, noting that they were scrappy and diving for loose balls. He said Brown and Coberly also really shined Tuesday.

“She (Brown) and Elise really played with heart tonight,” said Lampe.

The Lady Raiders face Stephens County Friday at home at 7 p.m. A Saturday game against North Oconee has been rescheduled for Jan. 26 to allow players, coaches and fans to watch the Dec. 1 SEC football championship between Georgia and Alabama.

Lampe said Stephens County has two standout freshmen “that really make them go.”

“If you fall asleep on them, there will be layups at the other end,” he said, noting the squad’s speed and athleticism.

Lampe said he feels his team has a good chance of beating Stephens County if the Lady Raiders can avoid turnovers. The squad has committed upwards of 20 in games this year.

“Turnovers are the main thing we need to address,” he said.

CEDAR SHOALS 58 MADISON COUNTY 42

Also last week, the Lady Raiders got 23 points from Coberly and 16 from Brown, but their efforts were not enough as Cedar Shoals defeated Madison County 58-42 in last Tuesday’s Northeast Georgia Invitational.

Madison County battled the Lady Jags to a 10-7 lead after one quarter. Cedar Shoals came to life in the second quarter outscoring the Raiders 27-9 proving to be the turning point of the game.

Madison County outscored Cedar Shoals the rest of the game.

“We had one bad quarter against them and wun the other three,” said Lampe.

Cedar’s leading scorer Quinnesha Turner chipped in nine of her game high 23 points in the second period to put Cedar on top at the half 34-19. The Lady Jags forced Lady Raider turnovers throughout the game. Madison County ended the first quarter with Coberly connecting on four of six free throws.

Cedar Shoals then took full control of the contest, with a 17-0 run to open the second quarter. The Lady Raiders were kept off the scoreboard in the second period until Brown dropped in two free throws at the 4:00 mark. Cedar cruised to a 15-point lead at the break.

The Lady Raiders closed the margin to 12 points midway through the third quarter after Coberly connected on a three pointer, but the Jags’ offense was able to maintain a healthy lead throughout the period. Cedar used a 6-1 run to close the third quarter on top 44-27.

The Lady Raiders were able to outscore Cedar 15-14 in the final period, but were unable to overcome the Lady Jag lead.