It was not just a basketball game in Clinton Friday — it was a county rivalry, the kind that families circle on the calendar, former players still talk about, and current athletes feel from warmups to the final horn. When the Clinton Dark Horses and the Lakewood Leopards come together, records take a back seat to pride, familiarity, and the weight of years of competition.
Across three games on the same floor, that rivalry delivered exactly what it promised. The gym stayed loud from start to finish. Emotions ran high. Momentum shifted. And by the final buzzer, both programs walked away with moments to build on as Clinton completed a sweep, while Lakewood showed resilience and growth across all levels.
JV boys
The night began with intensity at the junior varsity level, where Clinton’s defensive pressure created immediate separation and set the emotional temperature for the entire rivalry night.
“We really focus on defense a lot,” Clinton JV head coach Roland Thompson said. “We’ve seen that they didn’t have much ball handling, so we knew we was gonna put pressure on them; whoever dribbling the ball, you gonna feel us. We knew we were gonna trap.”
That pressure showed almost immediately. Clinton flooded the passing lanes, forced turnovers, and turned nearly every stop into a fast break opportunity. As the pace continued to tilt in Clinton’s favor, a running clock was imposed, and the Dark Horses secured a convincing 53-21 victory.
“We really didn’t have to set up much,” Thompson said. “It was just go, go, go. Run the floor, advance the ball, layup, and jump right back in it; keep the pressure on.”
Even as the margin grew, Thompson said the bigger lesson for his team came from humility and discipline.
“At first my mindset was to go undefeated, then I learned now, we’re taking it one game at a time. Stay humble. Stay hungry. The boys are buying in now, and they’re seeing what happens when they bring their energy.”
With the win, Clinton’s JV boys improved to 3-0 and raised their scoring average to 43.7 points per game. While the scoreboard showed clear separation, Lakewood continued to compete through the final horn, using the contest as an early measuring stick against one of its closest rivals.
Varsity girls
The girls’ contest opened with heavy defensive pressure from both teams. Clinton struck first to take a 6-3 lead, but Lakewood quickly answered behind the early presence of Areona McKoy and Takiyah Carr. After one quarter filled with physical play and contested looks, Clinton held a narrow 12-9 edge.
In the second quarter, the lady Horses began to create separation through transition offense and inside-out play. Jayla Pickett found her rhythm in the midrange and finished with 10 points, while Ruby Davila added key transition baskets. Ciara Stuart continued to pressure the baseline as Clinton took a 27-19 lead into halftime.
Lakewood responded coming out of the break with renewed aggression. McKoy continued her steady presence in the paint and finished with a game-high 13 points, Carr added eight, and Jasmine Crumpler chipped in five points as the Leopards attacked both in transition and on the interior.
Clinton countered in the third quarter by tightening its half court pressure. Phoenix Everett, who scored 9 points, sparked multiple fast breaks, while Stuart knocked down a corner three as Clinton extended the margin to 42-25 entering the fourth.
Lakewood continued to push the pace through the final period, trimming the deficit behind drives and rebounds from McKoy and Carr, before Clinton closed out the game at the free throw line for a 50-33 final.
“My kids kept fighting,” lady Leopard head coach Lofton Kerr said afterwards. “That press really bothered us in the third, and I think we lost a little rhythm right there. If we would have been more aggressive coming out of halftime, it might have been different. But I like how hard we competed. The game was never over with our group.”
Kerr also pointed to composure as a teaching point.
“You got to keep playing with composure,” he said. “Sometimes the moment gets big, and you get frustrated, but you still got to stay locked in. I liked that we kept battling, and we got some young kids learning through it.”
Clinton head coach Chris Owens said the pressure was intentional from the opening tip.
“That’s our game plan. We’re up-tempo,” Owens said. “We knew our press would probably give them problems, but Lakewood kept battling. We tried to contain McKoy because she’s special, and I thought we controlled the pace pretty good overall.”
Owens also highlighted his team’s balance on offense.
“We’re blessed to have a lot of girls that can score,” he said. “If you’re open, let it ride. We tell them that every day. We do need to get better at the free-throw line and keep improving on defense, but I liked our effort tonight.”
Varsity boys
The boys game followed a much different script, becoming a night-long tug of war that was not decided until the final free throws.
Clinton opened fast, turning early Lakewood misses into transition baskets and building a 16-4 lead after the first quarter. By halftime, the Dark Horses held a 33-16 advantage.
Lakewood changed the energy coming out of the locker room behind senior Dashaun Carr, who attacked the lane, scored through contact, knocked down perimeter shots, and finished with 26 points to fuel a steady comeback. Juan Parker Jr. added timely baskets, while sophomore Nijal McRae contributed eight points as the Leopards kept chipping away. Clinton still held a 51-37 lead entering the fourth, but the game had completely shifted.
Lakewood opened the final period with urgency. Carr led a surge that tied the game at 53-53 and briefly pushed the Leopards ahead 55-53.
From there, both teams traded stops, baskets, and trips to the free throw line. Sophomore Anyahs Butler finished with 23 points for Clinton, attacking gaps and converting in the final minutes, while senior Taylen Moore added 14 points and junior Jaden Bell contributed 9, including clutch free throws down the stretch.
Carr connected on a late three to cut the margin to 62-60, but fouled out moments later as the pace intensified on both ends. Bell closed the game at the line, while Lakewood continued to pressure until the final horn, as Clinton secured a 68-62 finish.
Lakewood head coach Brandon Powell said his team showed exactly what it is capable of in the second half.
“I’m extremely proud of the effort in the second half,” Powell said. “We got some dogs on this team who give 110 percent. We just got to get more consistent early. Those are things we can fix. Everything is not always going to go your way, but you go back to work and do it again.”
Powell also pointed to leadership from his returning players.
“That’s the expectation for our returning guys,” he said. “We got seniors who know the program and have already bought in. Now we got to get that same buy-in from everybody and bring that defensive intensity every night.”
Clinton head coach Michael Boykin said the pressure-packed fourth quarter was exactly what his team needed early in the year.
“These games help us,” Boykin said. “When conference comes, and it’s close late, we’ve already been through it. That’s why we scheduled games like this. Down the road, these moments matter.”
Boykin also credited leadership for keeping the Dark Horses steady after Lakewood took the lead.
“That’s our seniors and upperclassmen,” Boykin said. “Even as coaches, you can put them in the right spot, but when their peers tell them everything is fine, that hits different.”
With the win being Clinton’s first of the season, Boykin said the feeling is one he wants his team to chase every night.
“It feels good,” he said. “But I want to feel this way after every game, not just one.”
From the defensive pressure and discipline at the JV level, to the physical and balanced girls varsity contest, to the back-and-forth drama in the boys varsity showdown, Friday night inside Clinton’s gym offered a full picture of what makes county rivalries special.
Clinton walked away with three wins. Lakewood left with proof of its fight, growth, and ability to respond under pressure.
And with more matchups still likely ahead on the calendar, Friday night served as another chapter in a rivalry that continues to challenge, sharpen, and define both programs.