Taylor’s 18 leads Lady Dragons to rivalry win
Clinton’s Caylin Taylor. shown here against Oak Ridge, had 18 points, six rebounds, three steals and a block in the Lady Dragons’ 43-35 win over Powell. Clinton improved to 10-1 with the victory. (photo:Tony Cox )
The Lady Dragons improved to 10-1 with a hard-fought 43-35 victory over longtime rival Powell on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.
Clinton was without senior Josie Moody, who was diagnosed with the flu shortly before tipoff.
“Josie was sick,” Lady Dragons Coach Alicia Daugherty said. “She got diagnosed with the flu right before the game, so she was at home. She was disappointed that she didn’t get to play, but I told her not to worry because it wasn’t a district game.”
Clinton had to battle back from an early deficit, but got a big night from Caylin Taylor, who scored 18 points and added six rebounds, three steals and a block.
She had plenty of help from her supporting cast. Jailie Rodd had eight points, two steals and an assist. Addi Gamble, a Carson-Newman signee, turned in another all-around performance with seven points, six rebounds, six steals and five assists.
Topanga Easterday and Lanee Carmichael scored four points each, and Kenzlee Hutchison finished with two points, seven rebounds and a crucial late-game block.
“We beat a very good Powell team and I was really proud of the girls for how they played through adversity,” Daugherty said. “I told them they were going to have to do that. We’ve already had to play without Lanee, and at some point, everybody could get into foul trouble.”
Clinton will wrap up the 2025 portion of its schedule in Florida at a college showcase tournament. The Lady Dragons will then compete in the Carter Holiday Tournament in Strawberry Plains the week after Christmas.