What We Learned: Clayton vs. South Garner

<p>The Clayton Comets and South Garner Titans faced off in a rubber match from their previous matchup (11/21) and things ended up a lot closer than their previous affair. </p> <h5>Comets find a way to victory</h5> <p>The Clayton Comets defeated the South Garner Titans in their first meeting, 53-34, at home but on the road, on Wednesday night things weren't as easy. The Comets trailed 34-28 and needed a big run in the third quarter to pull out a win in the end. At 3-2 on the season, they're still in good shape in the early going.</p> <p>2021 forward<strong> B.J. Freeman</strong> led the way on offense with 21 points and 2020 senior <strong>Mason Rusch</strong> was right behind him with 16 points. They also got 12 points from senior guard <strong>Elijah Sanders.</strong></p> <p>Clayton outscored the Titans 23-7 in the third quarter to take a 51-41 lead into the final quarter. South Garner hung around and ended up outscoring them 26-22 in the quarter but 10 points from Freeman (6-of-6 from the free-throw line) and five from Rusch played a big part in holding them off.</p> <h5>B.J. Freeman is a Division I player</h5> <p>2021 forward <strong>B.J. Freeman</strong> is a prospect that holds offers from East Carolina, North Carolina Central, James Madison and a number of Division I schools already and he showed it on Wednesday night with his performance down the stretch. When things got tight in the second half, he got the ball and got to the rim. He put up 14 of his 21 points in the second half.</p> <p>While he is a prospect that can stretch the floor with his 3-point shot, he knows how to use his length to get easy baskets at the rim. His skillset shows he's got a lot of potential at the next level. As he learns to play in the halfcourt, he'll need to develop his ability to knock down the mid-range shot and shots at the high post. He took some good ones against South Garner, the shots just aren't falling yet.</p> <h5>2020 point guard Mason Rusch is hard to defend</h5> <p>Clayton point guard <strong>Mason Rusch </strong>is a new face in the rotation since transferring from Kentucky. Last season, he averaged 25.6 points, 4.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game at Calvary Christian High School (KY). When his team needed a play to be made, Rusch ability to make plays and score points was on full display.</p> <p>Rusch finished with 16 points in the game, getting to the paint and drawing fouls with no fear at all. He got to the free-throw line quite a bit, going 8-of-12 from the line when it was all said and done. He does well to control the pace with the ball in his hands and holds potential as a next-level floor general. </p> <p>Rusch was even more active on the defensive end and forced a number of turnovers on the opposite end. He's a prospect that should get some looks soon.</p> <h5>Julius Peacock is emerging in the half-court</h5> <p>South Garner forward <strong>Julius Peacock</strong> was a player that made an early impact on the game. He put up 11 points of his 19 points in the second quarter. In the second half, things just seemed to go away from him. As he learns to rebound on both ends, he'll be a junior prospect to keep eyes on. He's already a strong defensive rebounder, now he'll need to learn how to remain active on his own end.</p> <h5>South Garner has to solve the "Third Quarter Effect"</h5> <p>The South Garner Titans scored just seven points against Clayton in the third quarter after possessing the lead at halftime. They're a young group that's learning and it seems the third quarter has been their biggest hump of late. In their previous matchup on Tuesday night, they scored one point against Fuquay-Varina. </p> <p>On the bright side, they did outscore Clayton 26-22 in the fourth quarter. Their leading scorer in the game, 2022 guard <strong>Nigel Okwakol </strong>(15 points), is a player that's going to have to find a way to put all four quarters together. He didn't have a field goal in the third quarter and went 1-for-2 from the free-throw stripe.</p> <p>Next up for the Titans is Garner Magnet on Friday night at 7:00 PM. </p> <p>Next up for the Comets is Corinth Holders at 8:00 PM on Friday night.</p>