FLOWOOD — Clinton has always been known for defense.
That was on full display in the second half of Thursday’s game.
The Arrows only allowed West Lauderdale to score 11 total points in the second half while getting past the Knights 52-40 in the Northwest Rankin Cougar Christmas Classic on Thursday night.
“Second half for us we try to tell our guys the first four minutes of the third quarter are the most important minutes of the game,” said Clinton coach Leonard Taylor. “Tonight we just had to turn the up the intensity and be patient with our shots.”
It was a back-and-forth first quarter that saw West Lauderdale hold a 14-13 lead.
The Knights opened the second quarter on a 10-3 run to extend their lead to 24-16, but Clinton ended the first half on a 7-2 run to cut the West Lauderdale lead to 29-25 at halftime.
The third quarter was the difference in this one as Clinton opened the second half on a 11-0 run to take a 36-29 lead and outscored the Knights 16-4 in the frame to take a 41-33 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Arrows went on a 7-2 run to begin the fourth quarter to take a commanding 48-35 lead and never had their lead cut below 12 points for the rest of the game.
Kari Hamilton had a game-high 11 points to lead Clinton, while Trey Alexander added 10 points for the Arrows (12-2).
“That’s one thing we want our identity to be is we’re a defensive team and that’s something I’ve always preached. Offense will come we got guys that can score,” Taylor said. “We just want to get better for district play. We want to be playing with this intensity and momentum we got going into district and see how it plays out.”
Jeremiah McMillian had 10 points to lead West Lauderdale. The Knights had won nine games in a row heading into the matchup.
“A lot of missed opportunities for us, but on the other end we gave up too many second chance shots,” said West Lauderdale coach Duran Clark. “But the number one thing is we competed. That’s what I wanted to see, and a very good test for us going into district.”