Hawks clash with Norris Middle at ‘The Joe’ and get split
The Clinton Middle School Hawks and Lady Hawks hosted the Norris Middle School Senators and Lady Senators, last Monday. The blue court of Clinton Middle School will always be an appropriate place for a cross-town showdown. The Lady Hawks and the Lady Senators were the first to take the hardwood. Norris would take an early advantage and never look back. The Lady Senators gained momentum after a Emily Mustard triple from downtown, and took a 9-6 lead into the second quarter. Norris was excellent on both ends of the floor, in the second quarter. Four different Lady Senators put points on the board, but the Lady Senators’ defense was more impressive. Norris held the Lady Hawks scoreless, and went into the half with a 16-7 advantage.
Clinton needed a good start to the second half, but Norris was too much for the Lady Hawks defensively. While Clinton struggled to find offense, Mustard put up four more points in the third quarter. She matched the output of the rest of her team, and Norris took a 24-9 lead into the fourth quarter. Carly Kitts added six points for Norris in the fourth quarter, and the Lady Senators cruised to a 34-13 win over Clinton. Yet, script flipped in the boys matchup.
The Clinton Middle School Hawks jumped out to an early 13-5 lead, by the end of the first quarter. Clinton Middle’s Andrew Meier was an absolute force for the Hawks. Meier’s six first quarter points established him an impact player early in the ballgame, and his teammates would continue feeding him the rock. On the opposing side, Norris’ Bryson Vowell. The Senators’ football star plays basketball too? Yes, and quite well. Vowell hit a triple in the first quarter, but would continue to heat up throughout the game. In the second quarter, Vowell scored four of the Senators nine points. At halftime, Clinton held only a 19-14 advantage over Norris. The third quarter should be now known as Meier’s quarter, because he owned it. The Hawks go-to guy had seven points and four rebounds. The rest of the Hawks combined for seven points, and Clinton extended their lead heading into the fourth quarter, 33-18 over Norris. The fourth quarter was really just Meier and Vowell show. Meier chalked up a double-double, with 19 points and 13 boards. On the other side, Vowell would add nine fourth quarter points, as the Senators’ star went off against the Hawks to lead all scorers with 20 points. Vowell also tallied 6 steals. However, Clinton would defend the blue hardwood with a 43-30 win over Norris. Both Clinton and Norris will be back in action this Thursday at 6:00. Clinton Middle will host Horace Maynard, and Norris Middle will host Pigeon Forge.
