Gritty Dragons outlasts Eagles in road win
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Senior Kaden Ison (34) and freshman Brendon Hayden (12) scuffle for the ball with several Gibbs players during last Saturday’s District 4-AAA matchup in Corryton. The Dragons mounted a second-half comeback to beat the Eagles 53-46 - Tony Cox
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Chase Lockard picked up his second win on Saturday night as interim head coach of the Dragons. - Tony Cox
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Clinton’s Kaden Ison gave a 22-point performance against Gibbs in the Dragons’ 53-46 road win Saturday, Dec. 14. - Tony Cox
Playing without its head coach, the Clinton High School boys basketball team opened District 4-AAA play with a hard-fought 53-46 road win over Gibbs on Saturday night in Corryton.
The Dragons (7-5 overall, 1-0 district) had to come from behind to secure the victory in Northeast Knox County.
Clinton opened the game with a 5-0 run before Gibbs closed the first quarter with a 15-2 spurt to take a 15-7 lead.
The Eagles controlled the first half and carried a slim 24-22 advantage into the break.
After halftime, the Dragons slowed the pace and began using their height advantage inside during the defensive struggle.
Forward Kaden Ison led the way with 22 points, many of which came in the second half.
“Kaden had a big game for us,” said interim coach Chase Lockard, who stepped in for his father, Chris Lockard. The elder Lockard was serving a suspension after being ejected during Clinton’s 84-54 loss to Oak Ridge on Monday, Dec. 9.
“We didn’t get [Ison] a lot of touches in the first half, and I told him to hang tight and we would get him the ball,” Chase Lockard said.
Lockard emphasized slowing the tempo to disrupt Gibbs’ run-and-gun style of play.
“I called a timeout and told them to be patient,” Lockard said. “Gibbs is a team that can really put it down. They can score, and they want to run and make you play at their tempo. When I called timeout, I told them to slow down, and we got this.”
Guard Carson Richardson also had a strong performance for Clinton, finishing with 17 points. Jaxson Alcorn added six.
The Dragons picked up their first win under the younger Lockard on Thursday, defeating geographical rival and former District 3-AAA opponent Powell 49-42 in a non-district matchup at Jeff Hunter Gymnasium.
Richardson led Clinton with 21 points. Alcorn added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Ison contributed nine points, eight rebounds.
