It was all Clinton Tuesday, as the varsity girls took down Topsail in a conference road game that kept them securely in first place in the East Central Conference.

Pressure defense, coach Chris Owens said, was a contributing factor in the Clinton girls’ victory.

“They just couldn’t handle our defense; it gave them a lot of problems from the start,” Owens stressed.

That pressure forced Topsail to turn the ball over often and the Lady Horses were able to turn those turnover into points.

It’s been defense, and the offense it has created, that has propelled Clinton to its current place at the top of the standings.

“I’m very pleased with where we are right now. We are peaking at the right time. The chemistry’s there; we’re sharing the ball and we’re just playing solid basketball right now.”

And that, Owens said, is good since the Lady Horses only have three more games before the regular season ends and conference play begins.

In Tuesday’s game, Clinton showed its power early, jumping out to an early 14-4 first quarter lead and taking a 33-9 lead into the half.

Although Topsail tried to rally in the third period, scoring 18 points, the early deficit and Clinton’s continued pressure prevented any chance of them getting back into the game.

Courtney Pearsall led scoring for Clinton with 14 points, followed closely behind by teammate Lexus Simpson with 13. Also scoring for Clinton was Kristen Glasper with 12; Bianca Owens, 10; Tamara Murphy, 5; Tiandra Johnson, 4; Deasia Edwards, 2; Kadasia Wilson, 3; and Jessica Bell.

Clinton’s record moves to 17-4 overall and 10-1 in conference play. They face East Duplin at home Friday night.