Midway squares up with Clinton

Clinton and Midway locked horns for the second time this season on Friday night, renewing their rivalry on the hardwood in Spivey’s Corner. The Lady Dark Horses took home the victory in the first meeting so the Lady Raiders were looking for a little revenge. Midway rallied in the second half in a physical game, filled with plenty of emotion, securing the victory, 51-45.

Midway grabbed the opening toss and went right to work with Peyton Herring getting a quick layup. Down on the other end, Ciara Stuart got Clinton going with a three-pointer and the battle was underway. Ava Williford doubled the Lady Dark Horses up with another three-point basket and after Stuart went one-for-two at the free throw line, the score was 7-4. Threes were falling early for Clinton, who used another one to stretch their lead to 12-6. The first quarter was high-octane with plenty of scoring but the Lady Horses maintained the advantage. At the end of one, the score was 18-13 in favor of Clinton.

At the start of the second quarter, the Lady Raiders worked to chip into the Lady Dark Horses lead but another Clinton three-pointer prevented that from happening, putting the score at 21-15. The Lady Dark Horses stayed hot from beyond the arc as Stuart hit another one to make it 24-16. Defensively, Clinton was applying heavy defense the full length of the floor which was making things difficult for Midway. Still, the Lady Raiders found a way to hang around and got back to within 24-21 with 3:20 to go in the first half. Morgan Williams hit a three-pointer for the Lady Raiders, trying things up at 24-24 but a 7-0 Clinton run extended the lead back again. At the end of the half, the Lady Dark Horses led 31-25.

The action was hot at the start of the second half as both teams were duking it out. The advantage was in favor of Midway, though, as they rallied and claimed a 34-33 lead on a Herring layup. The teams jostled back and forth throughout the period and at the end of the third quarter, Clinton had gotten back ahead by one, 37-36.

The Lady Raiders got back out in front to kick off the fourth quarter, connecting on another Herring layup, followed by a McKenzie Williams three-pointer, extending the lead to 41-37. Larkin Best hit a jumper for Clinton, making it 41-39, and with 5:16 left in the game, there was a timeout on the court.

All night long, the Lady Raiders had figured out a way to beat the Lady Dark Horses’ full-court pressure, but they were turning the ball over once they got down to their end. Now in the fourth quarter, it continued to happen allowing Clinton opportunities to stay within striking distance. The Dark Horses ran into foul trouble, however, gifting Midway with a couple of trips to line.

After a Clinton traveling violation, there was another timeout on the court with 3:20 left and the Lady Raiders led, 46-41. Tensions began to run high as the game was getting physical and with 1:24 left, Midway clung to their three point advantage, 47-44.

Best went one-for-two at the free throw line, making it 47-45, and with 1:02 to go, another timeout put things on pause again. Out of this break, back-to-back turnovers stung both teams, which produced yet another timeout, this time with less than a minute left and Midway with possession. When play resumed, Morgan Williams got a quick basket for the Raiders, making it a 49-45 with the clock running. The Lady Dark Horses came up empty on the other end and the Lady Raiders were able to put it back on the line. They held on down the stretch and claimed victory, getting a 51-45 win.

Scorers for Clinton were Stuart with a game-high 17 points. She was followed by Williford with eight points and Best with seven. Phoenix Everett and Evan Gillespie each had four points, Jianna Picket had three points, and Jayla Pickett had two points.

For Midway, Herring had 14 points and Stonerock had 13 points. Morgan Williams finished with 10 points and McKenzie Williams seven. Kara Beth Benton had four points and Ella Clark had three points.

With the win, the Lady Raiders are back above .500 at 10-9 overall and 3-5 in league play. For Clinton, they fall to 12-8 and 5-3 in conference.

Both teams will wrap up the regular season next week with Midway hosting Red Springs on Tuesday then traveling to St. Pauls on Friday. Clinton will host St. Pauls on Tuesday and Fairmont on Friday.