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

The Harnett Central Trojans will head out to square off against the Clayton Comets at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

Harnett Central is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Fuquay - Varina on Monday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Trojans lost 56-30 to the Bengals.

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

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Clayton and East Wake, and Clayton kept the tradition alive. The Comets walked away with a 46-33 victory over the Warriors on Tuesday. The Comets haven't had any issues with the Warriors recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.

Harnett Central better keep an eye on Y'Zana Lee Randle. She was instrumental in Clayton's win, going 8-for-17 en route to 22 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Lee Randle has scored at least a third of the Comets' points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabrielle Goode, who scored 12 points in addition to six boards and three steals.

Harnett Central's defeat 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: Harnett Central has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 39.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Clayton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Harnett Central came up short against Clayton in their previous meeting back in January of 2017, falling 53-49. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.