Garner moved to 8-0 in the Greater Neuse River 4-A, holding Clayton to 27-percent shooting from the field in a 73-49 victory. The Trojans will meet Knightdale, the one league team Garner hasn't played this season, twice during the next week.
Four Trojans had 10 points or more, led by Stephon Drane's 19 points. Deandre Anderson added 15, including four thunderous dunks.
"We wanted to go to our pressure earlier, but we couldn't hit any free throws earlier," Garner coach Eddie Gray said. "But once we were able to hit some shots, we created some turnovers and did a good job in our transition offense."
Clayton led 10-6 with three minutes to go in the first quarter, but Garner countered with a 22-5 run to take control of the game. Clayton is No. 9 in the N&O rankings and Garner is No. 11.
Apex keeps control: Apex remained in control of the Tri-Nine 4-A with a 62-41 win over Fuquay-Varina. Connor Belicic and Weston Murphy had 17 and 16 points for the Cougars, 14-4 and No. 8 in the N&O poll.
Fuquay-Varina's Dominique Byrd had 12 points and eight rebounds. The 6-foot-6 junior now has 500 points and 500 rebounds in his career.
Black hits winner: Kevin Black hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Sanderson to a 51-50 nonconference 4-A win over Middle Creek. The Mustangs trailed by 10 in the second half but held a two-point lead in the closing seconds despite missing three free throws.
Black finished with five points. Chris Carter led Sanderson with 22. Middle Creek (13-6 and No. 12 in the N&O rankings) was led by Stephen McAllister (17) and Rashawn King (15).
Enloe cruises: Enloe built a 25-point halftime lead and cruised with a 67-37 Cap Seven 4-A win over Wake Forest-Rolesville. Melvin Tabb led the 15-3 Eagles (No. 4 in the N&O rankings) with 14 points. Marcus Walker had 12, and Emanuel Chapman scored 11.
Broughton balanced: Broughton had five players score in double figures in a 75-38 Cap Seven 4-A win over Leesville Road. J.R. Owens led the way with 15 points.
Wolves continue run: Cedar Ridge won its 16th consecutive game as it bopped Raleigh Charter 63-37.
The Red Wolves led 36-23 at the half and 49-31 entering the fourth quarter. Cedar Ridge is 16-1, including a season-opening loss to 4-A East Chapel Hill. The Wolves are No. 10 in the N&O poll.
Ford's record falls: Phil Ford's career scoring record at Rocky Mount High fell as Tashawn Mabry scored 31 points in a 95-58 win over Northern Nash. Ford, a former All-American at the University of North Carolina, finished his high school career with 2,093 points. Mabry now has 2,102 points.
Rocky Mount is 14-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big East 3-A.
Ravens win: Ravenscroft, 16-4 and No. 7, defeated Cary Academy 64-50. Cameron Walton scored 31 points in the loss. Luke Davis led the Ravens with 14.
Cary nips Green Hope: Cary's Lucas Edmisten scored 12 points as the Imps nipped Green Hope 54-51 in a Tri-Nine game.
RCA rallies: Raleigh Christian erased a nine-point halftime deficit to beat Wake Christian 47-46. Caleb Brown led the winners with 14 points. Brandon Burke scored 21 for WCA.
Gibbons tops Webb: Alberto Munoz scored 22 points in Cardinal Gibbons' 62-46 win over Oxford Webb.
Girls
Wakefield wins top 10 game: Wakefield, No. 10 in the N&O poll, knocked off Millbrook, No. 8, 57-45 in a Cap Seven 4-A showdown.
Wakefield (16-4, 6-2) was led by Brittany Christian (23 points) and Kayla Harris (21). Millbrook (14-5, 6-2) got 12 points from Samiyah Williams.
Green Hope rolls on: Green Hope, 19-0 and No. 1 in the N&O poll, continued to roll up huge scoring totals as it pounded Cary 91-40 in a Tri-Nine game. It was the Falcons' second consecutive victory by 50-plus points. They beat Lee County 97-32 on Friday night.
Sophomore Kristen Gaffney scored 31 points in the rout. Green Hope scored 32 points in the first quarter and led 50-18 at the half. The Falcons out-scored Cary 31-3 in the third period.
Bursey scores 38: Western Harnett's Ariel Bursey, the area's leading scorer, knocked in 38 points in a 71-53 victory over Southern Lee.
Caps top Leesville: Broughton built a sizeable lead and slowed its scoring pace in the fourth quarter of a 53-34 Cap Seven win over Leesville Road. The Caps led 48-22 entering the fourth quarter.
Knights escape: Northern Durham, which lost its first Piedmont Athletic 4-A game of the season on Friday, escaped a second straight loss with a 43-42 win over Durham Jordan. Nashika Williams-Suggs had 21 points for the Knights (14-2 and No. 4).
Duo leads Enloe: Ryan Flowers and Dana Brown each scored 13 points as Enloe (15-4, 7-1 in Cap Seven 4-A) beat Sanderson 52-38. Enloe is No. 9 in the N&O poll.
Southeast rebounds: Southeast Raleigh bounced back from a disappointing loss to Clayton last Friday to defeat Knightdale 52-30 in a Greater Neuse 4-A game. Southeast (13-3 overall, 9-1) is No. 5 in the N&O rankings. Knightdale is 5-12, 4-4.
Clayton beats Garner: Clayton remained hot as it dashed past Garner 68-41 in a Greater Neuse game. The Comets (17-2, 8-1, No. 3 in the N&O poll) relied on Marnikka Young (20 points) and Vernessa Hinnant (18).
DA tops NRC: Durham Academy defeated North Raleigh Christian 48-40 in a Triangle Independent Schools Athletic Conference game. Sarah Kearney and Lauren Blazing each scored 12 points in the win. NRC played without injured leading scorer Kayla Seymour (18.9 ppg.)
Ravens win in OT: Ravenscroft beat Cary Academy 80-69 in overtime in a TISAC game. Cary Academy scored only one point in overtime. Ravenscroft was led by Erin Bratcher's 25 points. Cary Academy's Kelsey Lee had 20.
Cary Christian wins: Cary Christian defeated Kerr-Vance Academy 29-23. Cary Christian didn't score in the third period and K-V managed only three points.
Gibbons nipped: Oxford Webb nipped Cardinal Gibbons 42-40 in a Carolina 3-A game. Chloe Stapleton led Gibbons with 19 points.
Vernon leads Friends: Zoe Vernon scored 26 points in Durham Carolina Friends' 50-17 win over Lighthouse Home School.
Granville beats S&M: Kelva Atkins scored 18 points in Granville Central's 34-26 win over Durham Science & Math in the Carolina Nine 1-A/2-A.
East Wake wins: East Wake (5-8, 5-2) beat Smithfield-Selma (4-8, 1-7) 49-37 in a Greater Neuse River game.
