Bulldogs escape the stampede

It was an intense match to start the new week, with the Dark Horses hosting their long time rivals, the Lady Bulldogs of Wallace Rose-Hill. The Horses fell after an arduous battle on the court, Wallace takes the win and bragging right, 49-42.

The first quarter was tight contested with the ladies battling for supremacy in this long time rivalry. The Bulldogs came to play and stifled Clinton on the court in the opening quarter but it wasn’t without heavy resistance. By the end of one, Wallace led by five, 10-5.

In the next frame, Clinton came in livelier and with more hustle in their step. In two minutes of the quarter, a trio of horses brought Wallace to their knees and stripped them of the lead. Janiya Mosley bum rushed the Bulldog zone with heavy resistance but managed to score on the layup. This was followed by Ava Williford also creating chaos in the paint for a quick layup. Wallace lost the ball in a scramble after the rapid rally with Ciara Stuart there to clean it up and drive it in for two, giving Clinton the lead at 11-10.

Wallace tried to shift the momentum but Williford made it more difficult with a rainbow shot that swished for three, making it a four point advantage. The Lady Dogs managed to tie it up after Clinton’s defense fizzled out for a spell. The Horses recovered off a clutch three from Giana Smith that resulted in a foul by Wallace with three minutes left before the break, 17-14.

Wallace didn’t stop coming after them and Clinton struggled to fend off the rapid Bulldogs and they rallied back after some strong drives and solid shooting to close the gap to two as they entered halftime. The Lady Horses led, 21-19.

The scoring slowed after the break but the action was hot as both teams kept coming after one another. Fouls became a problem for Clinton as Wallace began to make trips to the stripe for some free points. Three minutes in they were separated by just a point before Best sank a two from mid-range put them ahead by three.

The Horses lost their lead due to the fouls and the Bulldogs pulled ahead by two with Clinton seemingly out of gas with four minutes left in the third. Mosley’s perseverance aided the Horses with a momentum shifting play where she saved the ball by leaping and passing the ball in bounds directly to Stuart who sank the easy two to tie the game up at 25 all. After Wallace sank another two points, Davila would make a play of her own with a big steal as Wallace tried to move up court, sinking a layup despite the traffic. The third ended quickly and the squads entered the final frame tied up after a grueling quarter at 32 all.

The fourth kicked off with a bang as Davila caught Wallace napping, sniping a three from distance to take the lead. This would be their last big play for a while as Wallace merely capitalized off a flurry of poor plays and mental lapses by Clinton. This became the them for them in the final frame as they struggled to get anything started. The Lady Dogs continued to add to their lead through free throws and breakout passes with the Horses in a state of chaos as they tried to reorganize. It was too late though with Clinton reigniting way too late, leaving little time to turn the tide on their rivals. Wallace earned the bragging rights for the year as they toppled the Horses for a second time, 49-42.

Clinton now sits at 11-7 and have two more contests this week on the road as they face Red Springs (4-14) and Midway (8-9), Tuesday and Friday respectively.