MCMS splits road tilt at Highland Rim
Hatfield drains three 3-pointers; Pettygrue, Smith post team-high 11
8:35 p.m. Jan. 12, 2026
DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor
The Moore County Middle School Raiderettes continued their strong season Monday, Jan. 12, improving to 13-1 with a 39-27 road win over Highland Rim.
Defense set the tone early and never let up, as the Raiderettes held Highland Rim to single-digit scoring in three of the four quarters. MCMS jumped out to a 9-1 lead after the first quarter and carried a 21-8 advantage into halftime.
The Raiderettes maintained control through the third, leading 23-13 entering the final period, before closing out the victory at the free-throw line.
Addison Brandon led MCMS with 14 points, including a steady 6 of 9 performance from the free-throw line. Madison Hatfield followed with nine points, all coming from beyond the arc.
Sadie Ivey added six points, including a 3-pointer, while Maddie Goodwin and Haven Hornaday each chipped in five points, both connecting from long range.
MCMS finished 7-for-10 at the free-throw line.
Abbie Shelton paced Highland Rim with 10 points, including a 3-pointer.
The Raiderettes return to action Thursday with a road trip to Flintville. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Highland Rim 43, Raiders 39
The Middle School Raiders saw their record slip to 10-4 after a tightly contested loss to Highland Rim, which rallied from an early deficit to secure the win.
MCMS held a 13-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter, but Highland Rim responded in the second period to take a 23-19 lead into halftime. The game remained close throughout the third quarter, with the teams deadlocked at 31-31 heading into the final period.
Highland Rim gained the upper hand in the fourth, led by a dominant scoring performance from Brantley Johnson, who poured in a game-high 22 points to pace the host team.
Jojo Pettygrue and Kurt Smith led the Raiders with 11 points each. Pettygrue knocked down two 3-pointers, while Smith added one from beyond the arc.
Laken Wade contributed eight points, Whit Sumners finished with four, Finn Carney added three points on a trey, and Sawyer Boyce scored two.
The Raiders went 5-for-8 from the free-throw line in the loss.
