The Class 3 District 12 championship game was an instant classic with Clever and Diamond going back and forth before Clever was able to pull away for a 53-47 win.
Clever, the No. 1 seed, started out hot with a 15-6 lead after one quarter and 25-14 lead at the half.
Diamond, led by all-state selection Grace Frazier, was not prepared to give up.
Out of the half, Diamond blitzed Clever with a 20-5 third-quarter advantage to take a 34-30 lead into the third quarter. Frazier scored nine of the 20 points for Diamond in the quarter. She finished with 26 in the game to lead all scorers.
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Clever got off the deck in the fourth quarter on the back of their star Ireland Jones.
Jones scored 13 of Clever’s 23 fourth-quarter points, as the Lady Jays outscored Diamond 23-13 to pull ahead for the 53-47 win. Jones finished with 21 points for Clever.
Clever knocked down four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and seven in the game. Baillie McClanahan hit four of those 3-pointers finishing with 13 points.
Clever will host Mid-Lakes conference rival Fair Grove in the sectional round on Monday. Fair Grove won the regular season matchup 75-54.
Diamond – 6-8-20-13 — 47
Clever – 15-10-5-23 — 53
D: Grace Frazier 26, Lauren Turner 11, Kabrie Parmley 5, Caitlyn Suhrie 3, MaKaylynn Lafferty 2
C: Ireland Jones 21, Baillie McClanahan 13, Mackenzie Camp 10, Jayleign Flood 4, Brylie Hicks 3, Ella Newman 2
