Zy Wallace looks to turn the corner for Clinton against a defender, looking for a shot attempt.

Zy Wallace looks to turn the corner for Clinton against a defender, looking for a shot attempt.

<p>Clinton’s Anyahs Butler goes up in traffic for a jump-shot attempt.</p>

Clinton’s Anyahs Butler goes up in traffic for a jump-shot attempt.

With Fairmont entering the contest at 10-6, a tight Southeastern Athletic Conference battle was expected to unfold Tuesday night in the boys’ game. The gym was electric for the battle, fueling Clinton in the early going. Could the Dark Hark Horses maintain through all four quarters? Unfortunately for them, they could not as the Golden Tornadoes got hot and surged past Clinton, taking home an 81-44 victory.

Clinton shu tout Fairmont’s first couple of possessions and Anayahs Butler tallied a layup to make it 2-0. The Golden Tornadoes answered, and then Dark Horse Henry Bass responded with a chance at an old-fashioned 3-point play. He couldn’t connect on the free throw, but his points helped Clinton maintain their lead. Throughout the period, the Dark Horses had several different players get in on the action as they applied heavy pressure to the Golden Tornadoes. Fairmont weathered the storm and stayed within contention but Clinton held the upper hand. With time winding down, the teams exchanged buckets, including Bass’ layup just before the horn, making it 15-12 Dark Horses at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the tide began to turn as the Golden Tornadoes’ winds blew a little harder. Limiting Clinton to one goal early, Fairmont hit a little streak and blew past the Dark Horses for a 22-17 lead at the 3:17 mark. They grew that to 24-17 before a technical foul was called against the Golden Tornadoes. Clinton missed both free throws, though they still held possession looking to end Fairmont’s run. The Golden Tornadoes, though, built their lead all the way to 28-17 before the Dark Horses finally closed the quarter with back-to-back scores, making it 28-21 at halftime.

Buckets from both teams kicked off the second half as the Fairmont lead hit 31-23 early. They started out firing threes and their lead crossed into double-digits at 34-23. Then, the Golden Tornadoes were hit with another technical, giving the Dark Horses another chance at free points. The possession was a 3-point one, bringing Clinton back to within six at the 4:34 mark, but another technical, this one against the Dark Horses, stopped the clock. Fairmont missed both free throws then went 1-for-2 on a common shooting foul. They kept possession and managed to score another bucket, making it 38-28 after the lengthy exchange. From there, both offenses were connecting at a rapid pace but Clinton still found themselves trailing 42-30, producing a timeout with 3:20 left in the third quarter. With both teams battling hard, Fairmont maintained their double-digit advantage, leading 45-33 at the end of that period.

The Golden Tornadoes found their stroke at the start of the fourth quarter, hitting back-to-back 3-point baskets, a jumper inside the line, and a free throw to extend their lead to 54-35. What had been a somewhat close contest suddenly ballooned into an out-of-control, downward spiral for the Dark Horses. They struggled to hold onto the ball as the Tornadoes’ defense tightened up. A late-game full court press from Fairmont was proving detrimental for Clinton as the lead continued to swell for the visitors. With 3:54 left in the game, the Tornadoes signaled for timeout, leading 65-40. Down the stretch, the only thing left for them to do was run out the clock as siren sounded, signalling an 81-44 victory.

Leading scorers for the Dark Horses were Bass with 13 points and Taylen Moore with 10.

With the loss, Clinton falls to 3-14 overall and 0-4 in conference play. They were on the road Wednesday night at St. Pauls, where they lost a close 64-62 game, and were slated to host Midway Friday night.