Clinton’s men’s basketball team claimed their second straight conference title Friday night, beating rival school James Kenan. They got off to a rough start, but the Horses cleaned house in the second half taking it over the Tigers 60-30.
“This was a much tougher game than the final score indicates, credit James Kenan,” said head coach Randy Jordan. “They came out, played hard and basically smacked us in the face in the first six minutes. They controlled the game tempo and caught us a little off guard with their intensity.”
The Dark Horses found themselves trailing by the end of the first quarter being out scored by three. They managed to close a huge gap of 14-2 that lasted most of the quarter. Fortunately, some favorable opportunities showed up and they were able to capitalize on them ending the first period at 14-11.
“We were down 14-2 with two minutes left in the first quarter. We were able to get a couple steals and rebounds, convert them into points and got back into the game at 14-11 at the end of the first quarter,” said Jordan.
The second quarter was the slowest of the night for both teams, neither could find much productivity on offense. Being a defense heavy period, scoring at 7-4 Clinton’s way, the Horses were able to tie the game up going into halftime 18-18.
From the third until the game’s conclusion it was all Clinton, their halftime changes completely giving them the upper hand. Going for more in the third than they did the entire first half, the bust of offense getting them 20. On the defensive side of thing they played equally well, holding the Tiger to below double digits again with nine.
The final frame was nothing but dominance by Clinton on both ends of the court. The offense having its best showing with 22 points to cap off the night. What’s more impressive was the defensive effort. They held James Kenan to only three points solidifying their title win by a 30-point margin.
“From the six minute mark of the first period on, we played with intensity on defense, teamwork on offense and played with a sense of urgency; holding them to a total of 16 points for the rest of the game,” Jordan remarked.
“We stopped reaching and moved our feet. We were able to mix up our defenses and it seemed to confuse their guards. We stopped going for steals and locked people down,” he continued.
“On offense, we used our size and strength to our advantage and pushed the ball down inside the paint, playing inside out. Along with getting out and running and getting the tempo where we were comfortable. This got us a number of easy baskets and when we got to the foul line, we were making them,” Jordan added.
Dewan Lesesne led the team with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and five steals. Zion Autry was the closest to him with 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steal. Xzavier Howard also played well finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“I can’t say enough about the defensive intensity our guys showed after the slow start. To hold a team like JK to 30 points, well, that says something about what these young men are capable of,” said Jordan.
“We got a great lift off the bench from Carson Ellis in the first and second quarters. He just did a great job on defense and was physical, along with Tymair McIntyre as well. They were both difference makers for us,” coach added.
The Dark Horses snagged the conference title while averaging 74.8 points per game with a field goal percentage at 47 percent. The were monstrous on the boards with 44.6 rebounds per game. All this was topped off with 19.0 assists, 15.5 steal and 6.3 blocks per game.
“We are very proud of these young men and they should be of themselves as well. They have gone undefeated in conference play the past two seasons, 31-0, and are now 23-1 with an 18-game winning streak heading into the state tournament,” stated Jordan.
“We are excited about opening play at home next Tuesday and are hoping for a No. 1 or No. 2 overall seed to possibly get four games at home, if we can keep the ball rolling. We hope to see a lot of fans there to support these fine young men,” Jordan concluded.
The Horses will face Montgomery as their first round opponent.
