Men's Basketball | 11/8/2024 3:10:00 PM

With under a minute left and some cushion to its lead, the Clinton High School Basketball team found itself in transition after a defensive stop.

The Arrows threw down an alley-oop that erupted Arrow Gym into a frenzy and emphatically closed out a 62-53 win over the Terry Bulldogs on Tuesday night.

Senior guard Jakobe Cavett hit critical shots throughout the game, tallying a team-high 19 points, in the non-district triumph. Joshua Luckett, the Arrows' first-year head coach, secured his first win in the coach's home debut.

"There were some first-game jitters, but we end up prevailing at the end and picking up a win," Luckett said. "First game of the year, we played with high intensity against a good team, and it was a little sloppy at times ... But through the adversity, we still came out and pulled out the win. Hopefully, we continue to build."

Christien Cunning tallied 12 points, and Jaden Moody added nine.

With its lead dwindled to 51-49, the Arrows pulled away in the game's final four minutes, 18 seconds. Jamari Young drained two free throws, and Moody bottomed out a 3-pointer. Then, Moody extended the lead to six with his driving lay-up through the lane. Finally, Cavett hit a death-nail 3-pointer that silenced the feisty Bulldogs for good, 60-52.

Cavett scored 11 of his 19 points in the first half, which had eight lead changes. The senior guard knocked down a 3-pointer at the first period's 1:05 mark, helping the Arrows carry a 16-13 advantage into the second.

"(Cavett) got off to a really, really good start," Luckett said. "We depend on him to score for the team. Even when he was cramping up and missing some shots, he hit a key three down the stretch. That's what good players do."

In the second, Cavett went to work scoring a driving lay-up and two free throws to give Clinton a 22-20 advantage with 5:05 left in the half. He added a contest lay-up for the Arrows to take 25-23 lead with three minutes, 47 seconds remaining.

Moody sparked an 8-3 run in the last three minutes before intermission. Moody scored a fast-break score, Javarius Tyler hit a 3-pointer from the corner, Cunning knocked down two foul shots, and Logan Garner added a free throw at the 10-second mark for a 33-29 halftime lead.