Clinton triumphs over Anderson County
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Anderson County’s Bethany Lowe (15) is fouled by Clin- ton’s Jailie Rodd (5) during a physical rivalry game on Friday night at Don W. Lockard Gymnasium. - Tony Cox
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Clinton’s Bailey Burroughs powers her way to the basket during last Friday’s game against Anderson County. - Tony Cox
Clinton High School’s girls basketball team posted a 44-37 victory Friday night over Anderson County in front of an energized crowd at Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.
The Lady Dragons entered this season with one of East Tennessee’s most experienced and seasoned rosters.
Still, despite high expectations, they have faced challenges—many of them by design.
After an early exit from last year’s Region 2-AAA tournament, veteran Coach Alicia Daugherty put together a tougher schedule to prepare her team for postseason play.
“We’ve played the sixth-toughest schedule in the state this year, and I had to do that to get us ready for this postseason,” Daugherty said. “It took us a while to come together after volleyball season and get into basketball shape, but I think we started to turn the corner in that Campbell County game after the break.”
The Lady Dragons have a 7-12 record this season, but remain a strong contender in district play.
Friday’s game with Anderson County began as a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to find offensive rhythm.
“It was 4-3 late in the first quarter; we were up, then we had a foul, and they hit the free throws, so it was 5-4,” Anderson County Coach Mitch Cupples said.
“We came back and were ahead by four at halftime.”
The Lady Mavericks led 19-15 at the half, but ball security played a role in their loss.
“The problem was we had too many turnovers, and a lot of it wasn’t due to pressure,” Cupples said. “It was bad decisions.
“We got called for multiple illegal screens, which count as turnovers,” he said. “I’m honestly not sure what’s an illegal screen anymore, but those don’t bother me as much.
“We weren’t taking care of the ball, and they scored 22 points off turnovers,” Cupples said.
The Lady Dragons, were to play Cumberland County at home on Tuesday night (results unavailable at press time).
Clinton will face Scott County on the road Friday in another key district matchup.
“These are two big games for us,” Clinton’s Daugherty said. “This week is huge for our seeding in the upcoming district tournament.”
Clinton’s Josie Moody and Anderson County’s Macy Basford tied for game-high scoring honors with 16 points each.
The Lady Dragons’ Addie Gamble scored all 12 of her points after halftime, while Ashaunti Davis added five, including two crucial free throws that gave Clinton the lead late in the first quarter.
For Anderson County, Addison Grooms scored eight points, and Shelby Kelly contributed seven.
The Lady Mavericks defeated Oliver Springs 51-39 on Monday night and faced Union County on Tuesday (results were unavailable at press time).
Clinton will take on Gibbs in Corryton on Friday.
