Clinton basketball makes strong start

Maddox, Dragons defense shine in first week of play

November 27, 2024 by Ken Lay

The 2024-25 high school basketball season is underway, and Clinton High School has started strong, winning two of its first three games.

The Dragons earned a decisive 67-38 victory over Happy Valley on Thursday morning.

Clinton held a 19-12 lead after the first quarter and steadily pulled away, entering halftime with a 38-22 advantage.

A strong defensive effort limited the Warriors to just 16 second-half points.

Senior Bryson Maddox led the Dragons’ offense with 22 points, supported by teammates Kaden Ison and Ben Tackett, who had eight points each.

Jaxson Alcorn added seven points, and Carson Richardson chipped in six.

Later that evening, the Dragons suffered their first loss of the season, falling to David Crockett 51-33. A rough second quarter saw Clinton score just three points, as the Pioneers built on a 15-10 first-quarter lead with an 11-3 run in the second frame.

Alcorn paced Clinton with 11 points, while Maddox and Ison contributed eight points each.

Clinton kicked off its season on Tuesday, Nov. 19, with a 55-30 win over Lenoir City at the Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.

Maddox led the way with 16 points and five rebounds. Ison added 11 points and six rebounds.

Coach Chris Lockard said he was happy with his team’s early efforts.

“Overall, I was pretty pleased,” Lockard said. “I thought we played good defense. We defended well, and that’s the name of the game.

“gainst Lenoir City, I thought we were a little nervous, and that’s to be expected,” he said.

“I knew going into the (Lenoir City) game that we weren’t where I wanted us to be offensively,” LOckard said. “But everybody did pretty much what we asked them to do, and that was surprising considering that we’re not where I want us to be on offense.”