FCS Commanders defeat Clay County

The Commanders are one step closer to a region title with a 59-41 victory over Clay County in the Region 4-A tournament in front of their home crowd Saturday.
The first half stayed tight, although Friendship maintained a slim lead and ended the first quarter ahead 12-7. The second quarter came to a close giving the Commanders a 23-14 advantage.
"We missed a lot of shots in the first half and that's disappointing for the defense," Friendship coach Matt Bradshaw said after his team moved to 23-5 for the season.
Momentum swung in favor of the Commanders in the second half. The defense continued to be stingy and the offense picked up as well.
"The kids played hard on defense even when the ball wasn't going in the basket," Bradshaw said.
By the time the buzzer sounded to end the third period of play, the margin stood at 20 points, 42-22.
The next test for Friendship will be Trousdale County, a 55-50 winner over Clarkrange Saturday night. The contest will be at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Michael Teeter knocked down 19 points for Friendship to lead all scorers. Garrett McKnight tossed in 15 points, John Hatcher 10, Cameron Spaulding and Adam Stephens four each, Taylor Ferraro three and John Doak and Parker Freels two apiece.
Shawn Garrett had 17 points to lead the Bulldogs.
Staff Writer Kimberly Jordan can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 44 or by email at kimberly.jordan@lebanondemocrat.com.