WENDELL - The Clayton Lady Comets scored first, but the Warriors’ defense kicked into action to hold the Comets to just those two points in the first quarter.

The Comets battled over the entire game, but were unable to penetrate the stone wall East Wake built on the court as they fell to the Warriors in a 53-35 blowout.

“We were coming off a big win against Southeast Raleigh,” said Clayton coach Marlon Lee. “We had to come out with intensity, but that didn’t happen.”

By the time East Wake had cruised to a 25-2 lead two minutes into the second quarter, the Comets appeared rattled. An aggressive Warrior team had committed 10 fouls midway through the second quarter, forced turnovers and sent the Comets to the foul line for 13 free throws.

The Lady Warriors (17-3, 10-1 Greater Neuse River 4A) led 34-17 at the half.

Clayton (11-5, 8-5) returned to the court in the third quarter with more energy and composure, and threatened to close the scoring gap, but it was not enough. The Warriors dominated the physical game until the end.

“I wasn’t surprised at the outcome,” said East Wake coach Toni Vick. “I knew if we played good defense, we would be able to win. Clayton is a good team, and we can’t take that away from them.”

Lee complimented East Wake’s effort.

“East Wake did a great job on defense. They brought a lot of energy and controlled the tempo,” he said. “We worked out our defense and cut their lead in half, but we missed easy shots.”

Vick believed her team accomplished its goals defensively, and improved on offense. She did not single out any of her players.

“Everybody came together as a team to play,” she said. “It was a team effort.”

The East Wake win set up a rematch on Friday with Southeast Raleigh to determine the top team in the conference. The Bulldogs won the first meeting in the first week of January 60-48.

“We better show up for that one,” Vick said of Friday’s game. “It is going to be a tough game.”

Top scorers for East Wake were Kianna Wynn with 17 points, Tianna Knuckles with 10, and Shayla Tanner and Shakerrya Morrison with 8 points each.

Scoring leaders for Clayton were Amber Caudle and Ashley Murphy with 10 points each, and Latesha Williams with 6 points.