James Kenan senior guard RonNyia Joyner attempts a second-half free throw against Clinton on Wednesday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
James Kenan senior Lillie Kornegay (34) pulls down a first-quarter rebound against Clinton defender DaNiyah Coxum (22) while teammate Y’Anna Rivers (1) provides assistance underneath the basket. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
WARSAW — Kenny Williams couldn’t have been more pleased to see Lillie Kornegay on the court Wednesday evening.
Her return proved critical.
The 5-foot-11 senior controlled the glass and scored 11 points during James Kenan’s 41-26, non-conference conquest of Clinton inside venerable Harmon Gymnasium.
“It was good getting Lillie back,” Williams said. “Now we’re looking forward to practicing with her again and getting some stuff going.”
There’s definitely work to be done, especially underneath the basket and at the free throw line. Williams’ credited the Dark Horses’ defensive effort in the paint, but his team also missed 23 free throw attempts.
The Tigers shot 13 of 36 (36.1 percent) at the stripe on the night.
Clinton obliged with troubles of its own — 20-plus turnovers and 16 missed free throws in 20 tries.
“Our defense was good … better in spurts,” Williams said. “We’ve still got a lot to work on [especially] our leverage points. [Clinton] has some shooters, so we wanted to try and limit that a little bit. I’m proud of our effort. It’s been a tough week for the girls, glad to see our resiliency by just sticking with it.”
James Kenan led 16-10 at halftime.
Williams elected to pull the Dark Horses out of their zone defense in the third quarter. The tactic worked, which allowed speedy guards Y’Anna Rivers and RonNyia Joyner to find open lanes to the basket.
Kornegay mopped up underneath on occasion as the Tigers extended their lead to double digits. Gaby Outlaw’s 3-pointer sparked an 8-0 run that gave Kenan a 27-12 advantage after three periods.
Joyner’s 3-pointer around the five-minute mark stretched the lead to 32-17. Clinton pulled to within 36-25 in the with 1:45 to go, but could get no closer.
Rivers collected a game-high 15 points for the Tigers, who corralled the Dark Horses for just the fifth time in 15 meetings since 2015. Joyner finished with eight points, while Outlaw supplied five points.
James Kenan (7-6 overall) is the guest of East Central 2A rival Southwest Onslow on Friday, while Clinton (7-3) plays host to Southeastern Athletic 2A foe Red Springs.
