Basketball Game Preview: Clayton Comets vs. Harnett Central Trojans + Official Tickets

The Clayton Comets will face off against the Harnett Central Trojans at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Clayton will be strutting in after a win while Harnett Central will be coming in after a loss.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Clayton and East Wake, and Clayton kept the tradition alive. The Comets came out on top against the Warriors by a score of 46-33 on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Comets in their matchups with the Warriors: they've now won five in a row.

Y'Zana Lee Randle had an outrageously good game as she went 8-for-17 to rack up 22 points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Clayton's points. Another player making a difference was Gabrielle Goode, who posted 12 points along with six boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, Harnett Central played a tough matchup on Monday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against Fuquay - Varina, falling 56-30.

Despite the defeat, Harnett Central saw an underclassman step up: freshman Emma Avery had 15 points and five rebounds. That was a full 50% of the Trojans' points, marking the third time in a row Avery has earned more than a third of the team's points. Keimora McAllister also deserves some recognition as she scored her first points of the season.

Harnett Central's loss dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Clayton, they now have a winning record of 2-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Clayton has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31 boards per game. However, it's not like Harnett Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 39.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Clayton didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Harnett Central in their previous meeting back in January of 2017, but they still walked away with a 53-49 win. Do the Comets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trojans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.