In a previous game, Clayton defeated Garner with a last-second shot, but in their second matchup on Friday night, Garner turned the tables.

At the Clayton game, Garner had a sluggish start in the initial quarter. However, they managed to defeat the Comets 68-60, giving them their first conference defeat of the season and creating a tie for the top spot in the Greater Neuse River Conference.

In the first quarter, Clayton had a strong start and gained an eight-point advantage. Justice Mitchell contributed seven points while Andrew Grimes added five, but Cam’ren Reyes from Garner also scored nine points to keep the Trojans in the game. However, the Comets maintained a 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

At the end of the first half, Garner was in the lead thanks to points scored from long-range shots. In the second quarter, Tayshaun Whitner, Lucas Dowless, Keaton Bloms, and Geren Holmes all successfully made three-point shots, giving Garner a 32-28 lead going into halftime.

In the second quarter, the Trojans limited Mitchell to only two points. However, in the third quarter, the 6-foot-6 junior had a strong performance with eight points. This included making two out of four free throws. Clayton nearly doubled their first half score with 24 points in the third quarter.

In the third quarter, Xavier Longe successfully made two three-point shots for the Comets, while Anthony Walters and Jeremiah Henson also contributed with one each. This helped Clayton take the lead with a score of 52-47 going into the final quarter.

However, Garner’s defense made a significant impact in the fourth quarter as they held Clayton to only eight points. Six of those points were from Walters’ two three-point shots.

In the final quarter, Garner put up 21 points with Whitner contributing six points from free throws. This strong performance in the fourth quarter, with a 21-8 lead, allowed the Trojans to secure a comeback victory.

Reyes was the top scorer for Garner with a total of 19 points, with 13 of those points being scored in the first half. Keaton Bloms contributed 10 points for the Trojans, and Whitner had nine. Kingston Beale and Ghab Scott both scored eight points each.

Mitchell was the top scorer for the Comets, tallying 17 points. Henson and Grimes each contributed 11 points for Clayton, while Walters ended with 10 points.

Both teams have a record of 9-1 in their conference and have each won one game in their two regular season meetings. If they continue to win in the regular season, the tie for seeding in the state playoffs will be decided at the Greater Neuse River Conference tournament later this month. This could involve a third game between the two teams or be determined by which team progresses further in the conference tournament.

Garner currently has a record of 14 wins and 6 losses. On February 6, the Trojans will go to Fuquay-Varina. In their last encounter in January, Garner emerged victorious with a score of 61-49 against the Bengals.

On February 6, Clayton will resume playing and bring their 15-5 record to Southeast Raleigh. In their initial match, the Comets defeated the Bulldogs 68-56.

Source: highschoolot.com