Garner Trojans push back Comet effort to end their winning streak and command of Greater Neuse

Tuesday January 26, 2010

#13 Garner started the game in a flat diamond and one defense, with a man shadowing #8 Clayton’s shooter Adam Parrish.  The three men on the back side of the defense challenged every shot that the Comets put up, blocking and altering several.

Clayton’s defense was not shabby in the 1^st quarter either, switching from a halfcourt 2-1-2 zone to a fullcourt trapping zone that forced Garner into some turnovers.  Clayton trailed by only four points after the opening period.

Garner and point guard Emanuel McClain figured out the press and the rout was on.  McClain did a good job of finding impressive sophomore forward Dominique Reed on some great looks that led to easy baskets, giving the Trojans some cushion. 

As the Trojan offense gained momentum, so did the defense.  While the bigs were challenging everything in the paint, the guards turned up the pressure and created some Comet turnovers.  Those turnovers led to quick scores by Garner, the Trojans led 34-23 at halftime. 

In the 2^nd half, Garner went to the more conventional 2-3 zone and Parrish connected on three treys in the half, but that did not change the outcome.  Stephon Drane and D’Andre Anderson exploded in the final two periods.

Drane had 11 2^nd half points, finishing with totals of 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Anderson was the only one that bested Drane’s scoring exploits, putting in all 15 of his points after halftime, including three crowd pleasing monster dunks.

Parrish led Clayton with 12 points, as the visitors traveled back down Highway 70 with the bad taste of a 73-49 defeat in their mouths.

Gavin Wilson and Donald Johnson came up huge for the Trojans, doing a little bit of everything for the Trojans as usual, finishing with 14 and 10 respectively.  Emanuel McClain had a notable 9 assists to go with his 5 points.  The win extends Garner’s current winning streak to 6 games.  The Trojans are in the driver’s seat in Greater Neuse at 8-0.

Garner travels to #9 Knightdale on Thursday, the Knights lost to #20 Southeast Raleigh on Tuesday night.  Clayton has a week to simmer, as they will not get a chance to bounce back until next Tuesday at #19 West Johnston.

Kerry Smith

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it