Clinton is 10-0 against Lakewood since December of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. Both will face off at 6:00 p.m. without much rest having both just played. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Clinton sitting on six straight wins and Lakewood on five.
Clinton is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took down Wallace-Rose Hill 70-51 on Thursday. The Dark Horses pushed the score to 55-31 by the end of the third, a deficit the Bulldogs cut but never quite recovered from.
Phoenix Everett
| 12/26/24 vs Wallace-Rose Hill | 22 |
| 12/04/24 vs South Lenoir | 17 |
| 12/09/24 @ Princeton | 15 |
| 12/13/24 vs James Kenan | 10 |
| 12/10/24 @ South Lenoir | 6 |
Clinton found their leader in sophomore Phoenix Everett, who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Everett has scored all season. Jayla Pickett was another key player, putting up nine points along with five boards and four steals.
Clinton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in February.
Meanwhile, Lakewood got the win against Heide Trask on Thursday by a conclusive 62-40. The Leopards have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Lakewood found their leader in freshman Areona McKoy, who went 11 of 20 on her way to 27 points and seven steals. That makes it five consecutive games in which McKoy has scored at least a third of Lakewood's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Takiyah Carr, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine boards.
Lakewood's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 30.2 points. As for Clinton, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Clinton has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lakewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Clinton took their victory against Lakewood when the teams last played back in January by a conclusive 54-30. The rematch might be a little tougher for Clinton since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
