MANCHESTER — The Clay County Lady Tigers used a strong second half to pull away from Pineville and cruise to a 64-36 victory.
“Very proud of the overall team effort from the girls tonight,” Clay County coach Gemma Parks said. “We had multiple players step up in different spots and they came up big. I’m also very proud with how we executed our game plan. We’re looking forward to a tough game tomorrow at home vs Lincoln.” County.”
After a competitive opening quarter, Clay County took control in the second period and never looked back. The Lady Tigers led 31-18 at halftime and continued to extend their advantage with an 18-point third quarter.
Lauryn Sizemore led Clay County with 16 points to pace a balanced scoring effort. Maci White and Anna Samples followed with 12 points apiece, while Harper Rice added 10 points. Madison Pendland and Carly Fultz each chipped in six points.
Clay County’s defense created scoring opportunities throughout the night, turning turnovers into fast-break points and holding Pineville to just 18 points over the final three quarters.
Pineville was led by Rachel Howard with 17 points, while Madison Johnson added seven points and seven rebounds.
The Lady Tigers controlled the glass, outrebounding Pineville 34-15, and outscored Pineville 27-8 in the paint. Clay County also built a lead that grew to as many as 30 points late in the fourth quarter.
