Stories from Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Tigers outlast Hurricanes with a strong dose of defense The Marshall County took to the road on Friday night to face the East Hamilton Hurricanes in Chattanooga and despite the two-hour drive the visitors brought a huge crowd to see the Tigers compete in their first semifinal appearance in 31 years. The high powered Marshall County (12-1) offense would need a little help from the defense on this night and like so many games in this magical season, the defense refused to allow a second half score as the Tigers hung on in a nail bitter for the 17-7 win.

The FMS hoops squads returned home Monday night after a tough stretch that saw the boys lose three-in-a-row, while the Lady Rockets had dropped two-out-of the last three games. Both squads came up with big wins versus Middle Tennessee Christian School Monday at Chapel Hill with the girls posting an easy 48-21 win, while the Rockets (10-6) survived a tough Cougar squad 64-61.

Forrest coach Randy Toombs witnessed his team lose the first two games of the season last week, but the first-year headman is optimistic about his squad's potential after the Rockets had good showings versus Lincoln County and Summertown. "It's like we are almost there and it is painful to watch, because you say we are over it, then oh we are not over it," Toombs said. "There are a lot little things to tweak and there are things we did do better from last time."

The Lincoln County Lady Falcons came ready to play from the opening tip and Forrest did not, resulting in an uphill battle fought all night by the Lady Rockets. The Chapel Hill girls trailed by as many as 24 points before coming together with two minutes remaining in the first half, but it was not enough as Forrest fell 64-53 at Fayetteville in Thursday night's season opener.

The Forrest Lady Rockets looked to bounce back from a 50-28 drubbing by Houston County earlier Saturday morning by playing a Creek Wood team just two years removed from a state tournament semifinal appearance. The Lady Rockets came out firing, led by Tamia Northcutt and Caitlyn Yost's seven points each for the 18-11 lead heading into the second quarter.

arshall County traveled to Hohenwald on Thursday night to take on Lewis County to open the season in a Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Hall of Champions basketball game. The Tigerettes started out strong but faded in the final quarter to start the 2015-16 season out with a 61-51 loss. "Towards the end we ran out of steam," MCHS coach Jerrie Henry said. "They had three shooters that were on tonight, we didn't stay on them and they got the win."

The Rockets came into Monday night's game looking for its first win of the year after losing a heart breaker against Summertown in the Hall of Champions on Saturday and faced a winless Cornersville squad coming off a big loss to Loretto to start the year. The Rockets started out with a big lead before letting the Bulldogs bounce back and finally pulling away for the 73-58 win.

The Forrest Lady Rockets entered Monday nights game at Cornersville on a high note, coming off a convincing 57-46 win Saturday night against 2A powerhouse Creek Wood. The Lady Bulldogs were looking to bounce back from 72-20 annihilation at the hands of Loretto.

Tammy Lynnette Endsley Isley, 49 of Cornersville, died Friday, November 20, 2015 at her residence. Tammy was a native of Marshall County, Tennessee and the daughter of Buford and Eva Smith Endsley. She was a homemaker and member of the Cornersville Church of Christ...

Mr. Earl E. Hartley, 81, of the Pottsville Community of Maury County, died Monday, Nov. 23, 2015 in Franklin, Tennessee. Mr. Hartley was born in Williamson County and was a son of the late Porter Garfield and Annie Belle Jones Hartley. He retired after 37 years of service with Clark Hardware in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

Isabella Dianne Crane, beloved infant daughter of Albert Ray Crane, Jr. and Jenny Dianne Frost passed away on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015. A funeral service for Isabella will be held on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. where family will gather to comfort one another on the loss of this beautiful baby. Bro. Ronnie Grooms and Dean Delk will officiate. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. Gathering together will begin at noon prior to the service at the funeral home...

Mildred Brown, age 91 formerly of Cornersville, died Monday, November 23, 2015 in Community Care Center in Murfreesboro. Mrs. Brown was a native of Marshall County, and daughter of the late Grover Cleveland and Jennie Ann Phifer Collins. She was a homemaker and member of the Cornersville Church of Christ...

Mr. Andrew Tommy "Andy" Henson, 76, of Lewisburg, died Friday, November 20, 2015 at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Henson was a native of Marshall County, the son of the late Tommy and Mable Henson and was retired from the State of Tennessee Department of Transportation as a foreman...

Theodore "Ted" Clifford Harris, 78 of Lewisburg, died Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015 at his residence. Mr. Harris was a native of Lakeland, Florida and son of the late Thomas Carl and Rhoda Sutton Harris. He was a well-known songwriter with his first big hit "Crystal Chandelier" being recorded by many artists in over 40 countries. ...

Bobby G. Finley, 81, of Mooresville, died Thursday, November 19, 2015 at his residence. Mr. Finley was a native of Marshall County, Tennessee and son of the late James Bryan and Mattie Wilma Rudd Finley. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force during the Cuban Crisis and was a well-known farmer in the Mooresville Community. He was a member of the Friendship Baptist Church...

Today's Marshall County Tribune is a combination of the Wednesday and Friday editions this week. Our office is closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving.