Dragons’ run ends in region semis
Clinton’s Kaden Ison battles Carter’s Lincoln Tummel for a loose ball. (photo:Tony Cox )
The Dragons, who had won 11 of their last 12 games heading into the Region 2-AAA tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 4, saw their campaign halted with a 79-69 loss to Carter at Fulton High School’s Jody Wright Arena.
Clinton held a 19-17 lead at the end of the first quarter before the Hornets rallied to take a 34-29 advantage by halftime.
Carter, boasting a 27-10 overall record heading into Monday’s state sectional matchup at Greeneville, had fallen to two-time defending Class AAA state champion Fulton in the region championship game on Thursday.
However, the Hornets secured the District 3-AAA tournament title the previous week.
Carter seized control in the third quarter, outscoring Clinton 25-16, and never looked back.
The Dragons reached the regional semifinals for the second straight year.
Despite a slow start to the 2024-25 campaign, Clinton surged late in the season to secure a share of the District 4-AAA regular-season title with crosstown rival Anderson County.
The Dragons and the Mavericks split their regular-season series, with both teams winning on the road.
Anderson County captured the district tournament crown after Clinton earned the No. 1 seed in a tiebreaker.
In their season finale against the Hornets, the Dragons had three players in double figures.
Bryson Maddox led the way with 25 points, while Carson Richardson added 17 and Kaden Ison chipped in 16. Richardson added five 3-pointers.
Camden Nelson also delivered a strong performance for Clinton (20-11), scoring eight points, handing out seven assists, and grabbing four rebounds.
Carter’s Chris Cowan led all scorers with 31 points and was one of three Hornets in double figures. Zion Oliver had 20 points, and Dave Stokes added 12.
Cowan also filled the stat sheet with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
