Case closed

As one of the top-rated juniors in the country, there wasn’t anything that Chloe Clardy needed to prove during last week’s Turkey Feast Classic. But the 5-9 guard did so anyway — and against the player who’s ranked No. 1 in their class.

Clardy scored 38 points to carry No. 1 Conway (6-0) to a runaway 77-54 victory over Mikaylah Williams and Parkway, La., at Pulaski Academy’s Hugg Gymnasium in Little Rock. Williams, a 6-0 forward who’s tabbed as the top recruit in the Class of 2023 by ESPN and won a gold medal for the U.S. during the FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup this summer, finished with an impressive stat line of 24 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks against Conway.

Still, the day belonged to the Clardy.

“And she did all of that while missing four or five layups,” Conway Coach Ashley Hutchcraft said afterward. “But I think she proved herself in this one.”

In Clardy’s case, she posted those gaudy numbers in unassuming fashion. In fact, the way she quietly terrorized Parkway was the same way she’s taken on opponents since she was moved up as a ninth-grader. She got to the basket by taking defenders off the dribble, capitalized on fast-break opportunities by sprinting down the floor, put up short runners when they were available and knocked down free throws.

Her point total may have eclipsed the 50-point plateau if not for some pointblank baskets that rimmed out. Clardy, currently a 4-star prospect and the No. 40-ranked junior by ESPN, also had 10 steals, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the Lady Wampus Cats, who are set to play at Greenwood today.