Dawgs catch winning run with district wins

The Clinton County Bulldogs grabbed two district wins this week, including avenging an earlier loss to Russell County on their home floor, as well as winning in the first round of the All “A” Classic 4th Region Tournament at Todd County Central, 79-43.

Tuesday night, Clinton County traveled to Cumberland County and picked up an easy 68-45 win, and hosted Russell County on Friday in what proved to be a more difficult matchup that came down to the final minutes to determine a winner. Clinton County did win, 48-44 and moved to 5-1 in district play.

Clinton County 79

Todd County Central 43

Todd County Central came into Monday night’s game with a 3-17 record and finished the game with another loss as Clinton County took control of the game early on and never looked back.

During the first quarter, Todd County played with a little fire, taking the lead at 4-2, but Clinton County then turned up the heat and jumped out 13-6.

The Dawgs would finish the quarter with seven more points on the board to Todd County’s four for a 20-10 first quarter lead.

During the second quarter, Clinton County caught fire from beyond the three point line and hit four in a row, two of which came from Lance Claywell.

Claywell finished the game with six three pointers.

Another scoring feat that was surpassed during Monday’s game was Keifer Dalton’s scoring record. He finished with 16 points, pushing over the 2,000 point mark with 2,004 career points.

Clinton County finished the first half with a 45-20 lead.

The second half went much the same as Clinton County’s domination continued to overpower the Rebels of Todd County.

The Dawgs reached a 35 point lead during the third quarter which allows for the mercy rule to come into effect with a continuous running clock for the remainder of the game.

Clinton County led at the end of three quarters, 66-31.

Clinton County’s bench entering the game during the fourth quarter, and outscored Todd County in the final period, 13-12.

Clinton County will move on to the semi-finals of the All “A” Classic 4th Region Tournament against Cumberland County Thursday with a 7:45 tip off.

Individual scoring for Clinton County was:

Claywell 20

Smith 18

Dalton 16

McWhorter 6

C. Anderson 5

England 3

Nelson 2

Gibson 2

Summers 2

E. Anderson 2

Collins 2

C. Smith 1

Clinton County 48

Russell County 44

The Bulldogs started off slow during Friday night’s contest, but the good thing was Russell County was even colder from the floor.

Clinton County jumped out to an 8-2 lead, but Russell County cut that lead to one point with 1:30 remaining in the period, 8-7.

Ethan Smith knocked down a three pointer, followed by a field goal by Keifer Dalton for a 13-7 first quarter lead.

During the second quarter, things began to pick up somewhat for both teams as Russell County started with a 5-0 run to cut the Dawgs’ lead to one, 13-12.

A field goal by Dalton pushed Clinton County’s lead to three, but a three pointer from Russell County tied the score at 15 with 5:40 remaining before halftime.

Russell County then took its first lead of the game on a three pointer, 18-15, which was the start of a 11-0 run, to lead, 26-15 with 3:20 on the clock.

Back-to-back baskets by Lance Claywell and Cole Nelson cut the lead to seven, 26-19, but a three pointer by Russell County extended the lead to 10 points, 29-19.

Clinton County finished the half with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to four points at the break, 29-25.

The Dawgs came out in the second half and scored right out of the gate to cut the lead to two points, but two free throws by Russell County extended the lead back to four points with 6:37 on the clock, 31-27.

Dalton scored at the 5:55 mark, but the Lakers answered with a basket of its own. Nelson cut the lead to two points on a field goal and Smith tied the score at 33 on a basket with 3:41 remaining in the third.

Russell County wouldn’t go away as a three point play gave the Lakers back the lead.

Clinton County then took the lead on two field goals and a free throw by Dalton with 1:35 on the clock, 38-35.

As seconds ticked away on the last possession of the third quarter, Dalton missed the last second shot, but the rebound was tipped in by Nelson to give the Dawgs a four point lead heading into the final quarter, 40-36.

Head Coach Todd Messer’s game plan was evident at the start of the fourth quarter as Dalton stood at halfcourt and held the ball for nearly two minutes.

Russell County cut the lead to two points on a field goal at the 4:50 mark, then took the lead on a three point play with 2:38 remaining, 41-40.

Smith was fouled at the 2:26 mark and went to the line where he hit two of two for a one point edge, 42-41.

A three pointer on Russell County’s next possession gave the Lakers a two point lead with two minutes remaining, but Dalton stepped up and made a basket with 1:10 on the clock to tie the score at 44.

On Clinton County’s possession, Dalton was fouled and went to the line, hitting one of two for a one point lead, 45-44.

With 43.4 seconds remaining, Russell County called a timeout to set up a final play, but Clinton County’s defense forced the Lakers to call another timeout when they couldn’t inbound the ball.

Russell County drove the ball into the left side of the lane and Claywell was there to take a charge and forced the turnover by the Lakers.

Dalton was fouled with 20 seconds remaining where he hit two of two for a three point lead, 47-44.

Russell County was fouled by Nelson with 16 seconds remaining where the Lakers missed the front end of the one and one, giving Clinton County the ball back with 13 seconds on the clock.

Russell County immediately fouled Dalton, sending him to the line for two. Dalton made both to put Clinton County up by four, and what would eventually be the final score for the game with Clinton County picking up the win.

Individual scoring for Clinton County was:

Dalton 20

Claywell 10

Nelson 10

Smith 7

Langford 1

Clinton County 68

Cumberland County 45

Tuesday night’s game went much as expected for Clinton County, as Cumberland County is still looking for its first win of the season. They stand now at 0-17 on the year.

During the first quarter, Clinton County started off slow, but picked up the pace as the quarter moved on.

Dalton scored the first basket at the 6:34 mark, followed by a basket by Cumberland County for a 2-2 game.

Dalton scored again to take a 4-2 lead, but Cumberland County hit a three pointer to take a one point lead, 5-4.

Clinton County then started putting points on the board with a 16-2 run to finish the quarter, 20-7.

Cumberland County showed signs of life in the second quarter by cutting the lead to four points at the 3:26 mark, 26-22, but that was as many as the Panthers would score in the second quarter as Clinton County finished the half with a 9-0 run for a 34-22 halftime lead.

The second half saw Clinton County extend its lead and pretty much drowning out the Panthers.

With 1:28 in the third, Clinton County reached a 21 point lead, 52-31, and finished the quarter 54-31.

The fourth quarter saw Coach Messer clear his bench and offer playing time for several of the underclassmen. Clinton County cruised during the final period for the 68-45 win.

Individual scoring for Clinton County was:

Dalton 21

Smith 14

Claywell 9

C. Anderson 6

Nelson 6

Collins 4

E. Anderson 3

England 2

Brown 2

Choate 1

Keifer Dalton drove the lane Tuesday against Cumberland County. The Bulldogs also won against Russell County and Todd County Central to improve its record to 14-6 on the year. Dalton finished Tuesday night’s game with 21 points.

Ethan Smith put the ball in the basket during the second half against Cumberland County last Tuesday. Clinton County won the game, 68-45. Smith finished with 14 points.