Clayton girls basketball coach Marlon Lee challenged his team to seize control of its game against Knightdale in the third quarter, and the Comets responded with 28 points in a 61-40 Greater Neuse River win.
"We came out flat, and I really challenged the girls at the half," Lee said. "It was a great defensive effort. Marnikka Young and Vernessa Hinnant had all but seven of the points in the period, but everyone played well on defense."
Hinnant scored 19 points and Young added 18 for the Comets (20-2, 11-1 and No. 3 in the N&O rankings.)
SER tops Central: Taja Gardner-Rand scored 14 points, and April McRae scored 13 as Southeast Raleigh (17-3, 13-1 Greater Neuse River) topped Harnett Central (8-11, 4-7). The victory keeps the Bulldogs, No. 5 in the N&O rankings, at the top of the league along with Clayton.
Cap Seven leaders fall: Wake Forest-Rolesville held Millbrook to 24 points through three quarters to take a 45-37 upset win, and Sanderson nipped Enloe 60-58 as the Cap Seven's top two teams lost.
Millbrook (16-6, 8-3) and Enloe (15-6, 7-3) were ranked Nos. 8 and 9 in the N&O poll.
Wake Forest (13-10, 6-6) was led by Taylor Walker (13 points) and Rena Wakama (11). Courtney Spearman and Samiyah Williams each scored 11 in the loss.
Sanderson (9-13, 3-8) got 19 points from Derricka Lewis. Tracy Davis had 14 for Enloe.
Northern handles Southern: Northern Durham defeated rival Southern Durham 59-47 in a Piedmont Athletic showdown between the Nos. 2 and 6 in the N&O poll.
Northern (18-2, 10-1) steadily pulled away from the Spartans (16-5, 9-4). The Knights' Nashika Williams-Suggs scored 21 points.
Green Hope still perfect: Green Hope, No. 1 in the N&O poll, remained undefeated as it topped Holly Springs 79-55 in a Tri-Nine game. Kristin Gaffney led the win with 26 points.
Trojans beat East Wake: Garner (3-10, 3-6 Greater Neuse River) topped East Wake 50-44. The Trojans outscored East Wake 15-6 in the fourth quarter. Jaya Johnson had 12 points in the win.
Boys
Garner clinches: Garner wrapped up the Greater Neuse River 4-A regular-season championship with a 78-74 victory over East Wake and Clayton's 69-59 win over Knightdale.
Garner (12-7, 11-1 and No. 10 in the N&O poll) has two games left. Knightdale (11-11, 8-4), Clayton (16-6, 8-4 and No. 11) and West Johnston (12-7, 8-4), a 59-45 winner over Smithfield-Selma, can't overtake the Trojans.
Stephon Drane and Emanual McClain each had 17 points in the win. Dominique Reid and Gavin Wilson each had 13. East Wake's Kasunn Williams led all scorers with 29 points.
Apex clinches: Apex secured the Tri-Nine 4-A regular-season title with its 65-41 win over Athens Drive. The Cougars are 18-4 overall, 14-1 in the league and No. 4 in the N&O poll.
Weston Murphy (21 points), Mike Fogg (19) and Connor Belicic (12) led the Cougars.
Millbrook rolls: Millbrook scored 54 points in the second half of an 82-53 Cap Seven win over Wake Forest-Rolesville. The Wildcats (19-3, 10-1 and No. 1 in the N&O poll) led 28-18 at the half before detonating.
Donzel Hill had 21 points to lead the Wildcats.
Wakefield holds on: Wakefield held on in the fourth quarter to nip Broughton 61-60 in a Cap Seven 4-A game. Wakefield (17-6, 7-4 in the league and No. 5 in the N&O poll) got 16 points from Keith Armstrong. J.R. Owens led all scorers with 23 points for Broughton (13-8, 5-5).
Enloe stingy: Enloe's defense shut down Sanderson in a 54-29 Cap Seven victory. The Eagles (17-3, 8-2 and No. 3 in the N&O poll) held the Spartans to 5, 8, 8 and 8 points in the quarters. Marcus Walker had 11, and Charles Ashley added 10 for Enloe. Chris Carter did the bulk of the damage for Sanderson with 23 points.
Mustangs nip Bengals: Middle Creek edged Fuquay-Varina 54-51 in a Tri-Nine game. Middle Creek (16-6, 11-3 and No. 12 in the N&O rankings) were led by Marvin Wilson (15 points) and Rashawn King (13). Fuquay's Keith Watson had 17.
Lee rallies for win: Lee County scored 28 points in the fourth quarter of a 73-68 Tri-Nine win over Panther Creek.
"We started out really well but couldn't finish," said Panther Creek coach Travis Chapman.
Raleigh Charter wins: Raleigh Charter defeated River Mill 48-25 as Gerald Robertson led a balanced attack with 12 points.
Word of God wins: N.C. State commitment Luke Cothron scored 26 points and so did uncommitted C.J. Leslie in Word of God's 89-80 victory over Red Springs Flora McDonald on Thursday night. McDonald's Cothron and Word of God's Leslie are both ranked among the top 100 seniors in the country.
