Lions back to .500

It has been a long road back for Cannon County after a slump around the Christmas holidays.

The Lions finally saw the results of their hard work when they pounded Murfreesboro Central Magnet, 66-30, to get back to the .500 mark for the first time since early December.

Cannon County won its third straight District 8-AA game and improved to 11-11 overall and 5-3 in league play. The Lions maintain the No. 4 seed with the win.

“We have worked hard and continued to improve. I’m proud of the guys for that,” Cannon County Head Coach Matt Rigsby said. “We have not just won games during this stretch but we have played well in winning those games. We still have room for improvement but we are playing consistently better as a team. That’s a positive at this time of the season.”

Tanner Larson dominated the paint for Cannon County. The junior forward poured in 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Cory Henley added 10 points and Jared Melton had another strong all-around game with nine points and six assists.

Cannon County left no doubt as to the outcome with a stunning 22-2 start. The Lions led 37-8 by halftime and 50-16 after three quarters.

“What pleased me most is even when we built the big lead early and had different combinations out on the court we never really got sloppy,” Rigsby said. “We just have to continue to come to practice and work to improve and be playing our best basketball down the stretch. We are pretty much playing for a higher seed right now.”