Cousins put on a show

CLAYTON -- For Clayton’s Vernessa Hinnant and Smithfield-Selma’s Sabrina Shepherd, their basketball rivalry runs deeper than the 15 miles that separate the schools.

For them, it’s personal.

Hinnant and Shepherd, who are cousins, put on quite a show Friday night as the duo combined for 55 points in Clayton’s 74-48 Greater Neuse River 4A Conference victory.

Hinnant poured in 30 points to lead the Comets, while Shepherd dropped in 25 for the Spartans.

“We didn’t know she was going to come out shooting like that,” Hinnant said of Shepherd, who averages fewer than eight points per game but knocked down six 3-pointers Friday. “She came out tonight.”

Smithfield-Selma, who lost to Clayton by 34 points just three weeks ago, managed to hang around thanks to the hot hand of Shepherd and even held a brief second quarter lead. With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Shepherd canned a 3-pointer to cut Clayton’s lead to just nine points at 47-38.

The Comets caught fire down the stretch however and finished the game on a 27-10 run.

“You win the game in the fourth quarter,” Clayton coach Marlon Lee said. “We wanted to keep playing the same way we wanted to play which is pushing the ball and running up and down the floor and hopefully they’ll wear down.

“Our game plan is pretty much just get up and down the floor and we’ll win the game in the fourth quarter.”

At least one group of family and friends was entertained. Hinnant, who averages 18 points per game for the Comets, hit a pair of 3-pointers herself and the two cousins combined for 21 of the game’s 46 field goals and eight of the 13 3-pointers.

“We were kind of rocky in the beginning, but we pulled together and came out strong,” Hinnant said. “In the locker room (at halftime) we were saying how we had to pick it up and get it together. We’ve got family and friends out here watching so we’ve got to pick it up and we did.”

Hinnant was complemented by Jenna Harris’ 14 points, 10 from Jasmine Dixon and nine by Latesha Williams.

“Some nights she just makes it look so easy,” Lee said of Hinnant. “She did it offensively and defensively. That’s what we expect out of her. She missed a few layups and a couple short shots. She probably could’ve had about 40.”

Diamond Blackstone added 13 points for SSS, who dropped to 3-17 overall and 1-11 in conference play. Clayton upped its record to 13-5 including 7-5 in the conference.