Lady Dark Horse Janiya Mosley looks for a way around the Fairmont defender.
                                 Daron Barefoot|Sampson Independent

Lady Dark Horse Janiya Mosley looks for a way around the Fairmont defender.

Daron Barefoot|Sampson Independent

<p>Ciara Stuart turns toward the basket, seeking a shot opportunity</p>
                                 <p>Daron Barefoot|Sampson Independent</p>

Ciara Stuart turns toward the basket, seeking a shot opportunity

Daron Barefoot|Sampson Independent

Back on the court for the first time since last week’s snowstorm, the Lady Dark Horses took on conference opponent Fairmont in early-week action Tuesday night. The Lady Tornadoes entered the contest at 15-1 overall and in first place in the Southeastern Athletic Conference at 4-0. Undoubtedly, a tough battle was expected. That expectation was met and then some as Fairmont stormed through and took a 55-33 victory.

Fairmont came out strong, moving the ball exceptionally, while utilizing a stifling defense to hinder Clinton. Possessions for the Lady Dark Horses frequently ended in turnovers and what shots they did get off were highly contested. The one thing that plagued the Lady Tornadoes early was free throws, as missed opportunities at the line kept them from taking a double-digit advantage. As it stood, Fairmont led 8-0 at the 4:23 mark as Clinton was still in search of points. Just a minute later, Clinton head coach Chris Owens had seen enough and asked for a 30-second timeout at the 3:25 mark, trailing 12-0. Rubi Davila finally got Clinton on the board with a layup in the lane, making it 12-2 at the 2:50 mark, providing her team a little spark, and Phoenix Everett followed up with a 3-pointer. Still, Fairmont’s wheels kept on turning as they held an 18-5 lead late in the first quarter. At the end of the period, it was 20-8.

The clock was really on the move in the second quarter as the time remaining in the first half quickly sunk below 5:00. The action on the court was equally as fast as the teams picked up the pace. Though Clinton looked a lot better than they did early in the game, the Lady Tornadoes continued to force the tempo. The Lady Dark Horses weren’t quite able to truly dig their heels in and Fairmont’s lead continued to grow. After a long pause in the scoring, Clinton’s Everett grabbed a steal and went the other way for a layup, making it 26-12 at the 2:00 mark. The Lady Dark Horses had switched into a zone defense and proved to be quite effective in slowing down the Tornadoes. After getting a couple of baskets down the stretch, Clinton trailed 26-14 at halftime.

The start of the second half was a sloppy one that saw the scoring leaning in favor of Fairmont. They extended their lead to 34-16 as the Lady Dark Horses continued to fall further behind. Everett missed a wide-open layup after getting a steal — an indication of just the kind of night Clinton was having. The game continued to be sloppy throughout the third period, with lots of contact and poor ball control on both sides. The Lady Dark Horses made a small dent in the Lady Tornadoes’ lead, but it wasn’t significant and they were able to recover. At the conclusion of the third quarter, Fairmont led 38-22.

In the fourth quarter, the Lady Tornadoes turned things up and began to pull away. A couple of 3-point baskets catapulted their lead into the 20-point range, and with a timeout on the court, Fairmont led 50-30 with 3:30 left in the contest. When the final horn sounded, the Lady Tornadoes had blown through town, laying claim to a 55-33 victory.

Leading scorer for Clinton was Everett with 16 points. Davila and Ciara Stuart had four points each and Jayla Pickett and Janiyah Simmons each had three. Jianna Pickett had two points and Daniyah Coxum had one point.

With the loss, the Lady Dark Horses are now 11-6 overall and 3-1 in league play. They also fell to St. Pauls on Wednesday, 66-4, before returning home Friday for a matchup against Midway.