Turner (12-3, 8-1) 82, Clinton (5-6, 3-5) 68
It was a moment that came early in the game that set the tone for the rest of the contest.
Alec Fruin's second basket of the game, a 15-foot elbow jumper, gave Beloit Turner a four-point lead just a few minutes into the game, but it also sent him past former pro football player Ty Talton on the Beloit Turner all-time career scoring list with his 1,651st and 1,652nd point.
"It was a great moment to share with my team," said Fruin after the game.
Coach Ken Watkins concurred.
"Alec is a heck of a kid, a heck of a player, and an absolute joy to coach. I'm sure he's happy with the achievement but he'll tell you he was probably happier that we got the win."
Fruin finished with 34 points, 21 of them in the first half, en route to Turner's sixth straight victory. The win against Clinton also evened up the all-time series between the schools only 15 miles apart at 57 apiece in the 114th all-time meeting between Turner and Clinton.
Nacio Villarreal added 26 points, including back-to-back three pointers to start the second half, to help spur the Trojans on to their eighth Rock Valley conference win.
Clinton hung tough in the first half, using good play off the bench and pounding it down low to Cole Ciochon for eight first-half points to keep it within nine at the break, 42-33. Ciochon finished with 14 points.
Clinton coach John Gracyalny, who replaced the Cougars' coach of the last nine-plus seasons, Denny Morris, five games ago, saw his son Caleb Gracyalny lead the team in scoring with 15, including ten points in the second half.
"I've only been with the kids [as head coach] for four games," said Coach Gracyalny before the game. "We're hoping for some more consistency down the stretch."
Turner coach Ken Watkins picked up his 113th win at Turner, leading the Trojans to a 12-3 overall record this season, including 8-1 in the Rock Valley. Clinton dropped to 5-6 overall, 3-5 in the Rock Valley, although they remain in second place in the Rock Valley South behind Turner.
The schools will meet in the regular-season finale on February 23 at Clinton. Turner and Clinton met for the 114th time
Turner is planning a special ceremony prior to its game against Jefferson on Thursday, January 26 to honor Alec Fruin for becoming the school's all-time leading scorer. Following the win against Clinton, the team served punch and cake to the team. When asked if he picked the flavor of the cake, Fruin said, "It'll be good. It has to. It's cake."
Fruin, who hasn't announced his college plans, played in front of scouts from several division 3 schools, including UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh.