The county’s high-school basketball teams are on the verge of region play after the calendar rolls over, but Laurens conclude tournament play on Friday in Greenwood while Clinton’s boys and girls play on Friday and Saturday in Charleston.

Presbyterian College hosts a couple weekend games. The men (7-7) face Johnson & Wales (6-5) on Saturday at 2 p.m., and the women (8-6) face Columbia College (8-6) on Sunday at the same time.

Laurens got off to a rousing start in the Emerald FCA Holiday Classic, thumping Saluda, 72-39, in Greenwood on Wednesday, and Emerald, 57-37, on Thursday.

The Raiders won their final game, 81-41, over Ninety Six (2-8)

Against the Tigers, Martinez Shaw pumped in 10 of his 20 points in the first quarter, when the Raiders got off to a 17-8 lead they stretched to 33-17 at halftime and 51-24 after three quarters.

TyJ Jones complemented Shaw with 16 points, followed by Zee Simpson with 12.

Also showing up in the scorebook were E’Myus Young (7), Jaylen Simpson (5), K.J. Singleton (5), C.J. Bates (4), Hyikeem Burnside (2), Nigere Brown (2), Nick Danciu (2), B.J. Byrd (2) and Travija Austin (2).

TyJ Jones stepped up with 28 points to lead Laurens past Emerald.

After Emerald scored the game’s first six points, the Raiders came back to lead, 11-8, after a quarter. The lead was 10 (42-32) after three quarters, after which LDHS put the Vikings away with a 15-5 edge in the final eight minutes.

Zee Simpson and Martinez Show each scored eight points. Others were Ty Fowler with six, K.J. Singleton with five and Nick Danciu with two.

Laurens, after losing four straight, takes a three-game win streak into its final tournament game.

Meanwhile, in Charleston’s Carolina Invitational at James Island High, the Clinton boys came up strong with a 54-49 victory over Willow Spring (2-9) of Fuquay-Varina, N.C. After the Red Devils played to a 21-all first-half tie. Clinton (5-5) took a two-point lead in the third quarter and added three more points to the lead in the final period.

The Red Devils’s scoring was nicely balanced. Keleja Byrd led the way with 13 points, Kadon Crawford added 11 and Tushawan Richardson chipped in 10.

Also providing points were Nyterian Smith (6), M.J. Henderson (6), Zy Butler (4), Jalin Massey (2) and Emarian Jones (2).

Grant Overman led the Storm with 19 points.

George C. Marshall (Falls Church, Va.) defeated the Red Devils on Friday, 52-42.

Worthington Kilbourne (Columbus, Ohio) stopped the Clinton girls, 41-30, in the same large tournament.

Clinton (8-4) remained within six points at halftime, but only in the second quarter did the Red Devils score in double figures as a team. The Wolves improved to 2-6.

Bryanna Belton led Clinton with 13 points, followed by Mylayja Thompson with eight.

Clinton faced Christchurch School (Va.) on Friday and came out on top, 26-17, in a defensive struggle. The Red Devils’ leading scorers were Belton, Thompson and McKenzie Clark, each with five points.

PC attempts to put an end to a three-game losing streak in men’s basketball against the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales on Saturday.

The Blue Hose opened the season with four straight victories – after entering it with 18 straight losses – but have recently fallen to Kennesaw State (94-84), Furman (76-61) and Wake Forest (91-69).

While Charlotte, N.C.-based J&W has a winning record, its triumphs were against United International (Charlotte), Methodist (Fayetteville, N.C.), Erskine, Blue Lights (Charlotte), Brevard (N.C.) and Penn State Greater Allegheny (McKeesport).

Similarly, on Sunday, the Presbyterian women seek to fend off a three-game skid – South Carolina (99-29), Eastern Washington (92-51) and Wright State (66-61) – against Columbia College.

The Koalas – by the way, everyone on earth should visit gokoalas.com just to say they did it – have conquered Paine (Augusta, Ga.) twice, Brenau (Gainesville, Ga.), Columbia International, Kentucky Christian (Grayson), Saint Andrews (Laurinburg, N.C.), Bluefield (Va.) and, yes, Erskine.

PC and CC have one common opponent, Columbia International (which prefers CIU in order to distinguish it from CC). The Blue Hose defeated the Rams, 95-43. The Koalas defeated the Rams, 78-74.

Happy New Year. I’m cautiously optimistic. It couldn’t possibly be worse. Oh, wait. There’s an election.

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