Trojans knock off Wildcats in hotly contested five-setter
2 min read
Another all-Johnston County showdown went the distance as South Johnston and West Johnston battled for their playoff lives. In the end, it was the Trojans who avenged their home loss to the Wildcats last week.
After a four set loss to them last week, the Trojans pulled off a five-set road win (21-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-14, 15-8) to keep their chances of reaching the state playoffs alive. Both of the first two sets were hotly contested as they played to a stalemate early. After the Wildcats got hot to start the second, the Trojans rallied to keep themselves in the match with a torrid closing stretch.
However, a dominant third set from the Wildcats gave them a chance at a season sweep of their county rivals. The visiting Trojans were resilient in their response with a dominant set of their own to tie the match and force a fifth set. In the end, South Johnston jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the final stanza and West Johnston wasn’t able to rally.
These two teams along with Cleveland are fighting for a chance at second in the Greater Neuse 3-A conference. All three teams will play each other to close the regular season and those matches should determine who will have a shot at the postseason. Clayton is currently in first place with an undefeated mark of 7-0.
The Trojans host Smithfield-Selma Friday while the Wildcats will face Triton in a non-conference matchup Monday.
