It was a battle for No. 1, as Clinton’s girls took on South Lenoir Tuesday night, earning the top spot with a 53-42 road win.

Coach Chris Owens said the game plan going in was to attack the Lady Blue Devils’ big girls inside, and that’s just what they did, putting the pressure on from the start of the game.

“Our defense on the ball handlers gave them a lot of trouble,” Owens pointed out. “We went in with a plan and I thought we executed that plan very well.”

The Lady Dark Horse coach was just as pleased with his offense, stressing that he believed the team was very successful in running plays, sharing the ball and executing their offense.

“It was an overall team effort, and I was very pleased with the way the girls played,” Owens said.

Clinton took command of the game early, jumping out to a 12-5 lead after one period. The Lady Horses continued to force turnovers and create offense in the second period, taking a 21-9 lead into the half.

South Lenoir found a way to score in the third period and actually put in 3 more points than Clinton, at 19-17, but it was too late to make a dent in the first half deficit.

Leading the way for Clinton was Christine Glasper with 17 points; Courtney Pearsall, 12; Lexus Simpson, 7; Tamara Murphy, 6; Tiandra Johnson, 6; and Bianca Owens, 5.

The win moves Clinton into first place in the 2A East Central Conference. They hit the road again Friday for another conference game with Richlands.