The South Garner Titans were the 79-73 winner over the Clayton Comets when they last played one another back in February, but their luck changed this time around. South Garner fell 54-44 to Clayton on Tuesday. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points South Garner has scored all season.
When it comes to explaining why South Garner lost, one person who can't be blamed is Najai Hines. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Hines is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Loddie Leach, who scored 11 points along with five assists.
Clayton's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Andrew Grimes, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds. Grimes also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Justice Mitchell was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with six rebounds.
This is the second loss in a row for South Garner and nudges their season record down to 5-2. As for Clayton, their win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-2.
South Garner won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Broughton at 7:45 p.m. on December 20th. Broughton will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings (they are ranked 365th, while South Garner is ranked 56th). Clayton and New Hanover will round out the year against one another at 6:00 p.m. on December 28th at. New Hanover will be coming into the match with an undefeated record on the line.
