Lady Dragons’ streak hits seven
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Clinton senior standout Josie Moody scored a game-high 16 points in the Lady Dragons’ 53-46 win over Oak Ridge on Friday, Dec. 12. - Tony Cox
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Lanee Carmichael had 12 points, including three 3-pointers, in the Lady Dragons’ home win over cross-county rival Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats - Tony Cox
The Clinton High School girls basketball team extended its winning streak to seven games last week, picking up a pair of non-district victories.
Clinton (9-1) edged Oak Ridge 53-46 on Friday night for its second win over the Lady Wildcats in the past three seasons.
Lady Dragons Coach Alicia Daugherty welcomed the rivalry result against the long-time cross-county foe and former district opponent.
“Anytime you play against Oak Ridge, it’s a big game,” Daugherty said. “They have a young team, and they have one really good player who was there last year. She’s a really good player, and I think she averages in the high 20s.”
That player is Eviyah Mitchell, who scored 15 points to lead Oak Ridge (1-3). She was the lone Lady Wildcat to reach double figures. Paige Lawing and Jenayah Pippins, both returners from last season, finished with seven points each.
Clinton’s scoring effort was far more balanced, with three players reaching double figures.
Josie Moody poured in a game-high 16 points to lead the Lady Dragons.
Cailyn Taylor added 14, while Lanee Carmichael finished with 12 points and knocked down three 3-pointers. Point guard Addi Gamble chipped in nine points.
The teams entered the matchup trending in opposite directions.
Clinton opened the week with a 62-28 home win over Austin-East on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The game was a rematch of a Nov. 25 meeting in the Gibbs Thanksgiving Classic, which the Lady Dragons also won.
Daugherty said her team showed noticeable improvement in the second meeting with the Lady Roadrunners.
“We played a lot better than we did the first time,” she said. “We won that game too, and we’ll take it, but we just didn’t play well offensively. We did have Lanee back.”
Carmichael missed the first matchup while recovering from a season-ending knee injury last year.
Taylor scored 20 points against Austin-East, while Moody added 17. Gamble turned in a strong all-around performance with nine points, six steals, five rebounds and three assists. Jailie Rodd finished with seven points.
Oak Ridge, meanwhile, has dropped three straight games since winning its home opener against Oliver Springs on Nov. 17. The Lady Wildcats also fell to Farragut earlier last week, but first-year Coach Kevin Tubbs remains encouraged.
“We had two tough losses last week,” Tubbs said.
“The girls have really worked hard, and they’ve improved tenfold from two weeks ago.
“We had a chance to win both games in the last two minutes against two quality teams, and it came down to a few plays that we didn’t make,” he said. “We have to learn how to finish.”