Clayton’s vets too much for East Wake boys

Tre Armstead took the lead and Clayton had little trouble with an inexperienced East Wake team.

Armstead led the way with 29 points as the Comets rolled 62-48 on Tuesday night in the Greater Neuse River 4A boys’ basketball conference opener for both teams.

Clayton scored the first 15 points to lead 20-4 after the first period.

Zach Greene added nine points for Clayton (6-1) to go along with his 10 rebounds.

“We’re just trying to get better every day,” said Comets coach Denny Medlin. “Zach Greene took four charges for us and that’s what we’re looking for. It was his best game of the year. And we held them to four points in the fourth quarter. We had a good defensive game.”

Jalen Vick led East Wake (3-3) with 16 points, while Mason Harrell chipped in 10 and pulled down nine rebounds.

They said it

“We need better fundamentals,” said East Wake coach Gerald Melton. “We have three or four guys out there who have never played at this level before. And when you get frustrated you can’t always blame the referees. We lost seven seniors from last season, and we’ve got guys who are our leaders who just played a few minutes a game last year. We just want to be the best we can be.”

Turning point

The start of the game. Clayton took a 15-0 lead behind 10 points from Armstead, and the Warriors were never again closer than eight points back.

Three who mattered

Tre Armstead, Clayton: The senior guard finished with 29 points and six assists.

“It was a good game and a good team effort,” Armstead said. “Zach set the tone early by taking charges. We’re playing well. We’re together and we’re like a family, and it helps out on the court.”

Jalen Vick, East Wake: The senior guard had 16 points.

“We just have to execute our offense better,” Vick said. “We picked up our intensity and started playing better defense, and that made a huge difference.”

Zach Greene, Clayton: The senior forward finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.

By the numbers

9: Points from Greene and rebounds from Harrell.

10: Rebounds from Greene and points from Harrell.

15: Points scored by Clayton to start the game.

16: Points from Vick.

29: Points from Armstead.

Looking ahead

East Wake hosts Garner on Friday night.

The Comets’ next game is on the road Tuesday at Knightdale. Garner visits on Dec. 17.

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 9:29 AM with the headline "Clayton’s vets too much for East Wake boys."