The Middle Tennessee Christian Cougars's game last Saturday was a tough loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 59-44 win over Battle Ground Academy. Given Middle Tennessee Christian's advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while Battle Ground Academy is ranked 272nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Middle Tennessee Christian was led to victory by Anna clay Shirley and Ashley Rucker. Shirley scored 16 points, while Rucker dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. That makes it seven consecutive games in which Shirley has scored at least 25% of Middle Tennessee Christian's points. Another player making a difference was Kiley jo Byrom, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds.
Battle Ground Academy's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Abby Mclay, who scored eight points. The team also got some help courtesy of Elle Young, who scored nine points.
Middle Tennessee Christian now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Battle Ground Academy, they bumped their record down to 2-6 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road.
Middle Tennessee Christian won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Nashville Christian at 2:30 p.m. on December 9th. Battle Ground Academy won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Lipscomb Academy at 6:00 p.m. on December 9th.
