Dragons ride momentum into postseason
Clinton’s Camden Nelson (2) shoots a layup during the Dragons’ 75-43 victory over Kingston on Friday night. Clinton raced out to an early lead and never looked back. (photo:Ellie Hatmaker )
The Dragons (25-7) went undefeated in district play and capped the 2025-26 regular season with a pair of non-district victories late last week.
In the finale Friday night, Clinton rolled past Kingston, 75-43, at Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.
The Dragons bolted to a 20-0 lead in the opening quarter against the Yellow Jackets and stretched the margin to 25-5 by the end of the frame, effectively putting the game away in the first eight minutes.
“We played great defense against Kingston and we got out to a 20-0 lead in that first quarter,” Dragons coach Chris Lockard said. “At the end of the first, we were up like 25-5. I’ve been very pleased with our defense.”
Bryson Maddox topped the offense with 16 points, three assists and two steals. Tristian Lundy added 15 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Jaxson Alcorn contributed nine points and five boards. Ben Tackett chipped in seven points.
As the top seed in the district tournament, Clinton already has secured a berth in the Region 2-AAA Tournament and will be chasing its eighth consecutive appearance in the district championship game.
Over the past two seasons, the Dragons have transitioned from a youthful lineup into a veteran group accustomed to postseason pressure.
“We’ve had some good teams here and we’ve played in a lot of tournament games,” Lockard said. “I think to a lot of people that was a surprise because we were so young.
“Now, we finally have some older players, but that district tournament is hard to win.”
Clinton has dropped its last three district tournament championship games to crosstown rival Anderson County but will look to reverse that trend this week.
“Anderson County and Scott County can play with anybody in our district and our region, including us,” Lockard said. “And Gibbs and Union County are good.
“They have some good players. They’re just young.”
On Thursday, Clinton picked up a 58-42 road win over Powell.
