By MONTE DUTTON

School was rained out Tuesday. Basketball games were rained out. They’re contested inside. This is an e-learning day, which I suppose anyone who e-learns could do by reading this. I’d humbly recommend John Steinbeck. They’ll e-learn more from the late great.

The obvious choice for a basketball game to be rained out would be Riverside, but Laurens played there Friday. Tonight’s games were supposed to be in the same locale, but getting rained out at Greer High School doesn’t carry quite the same cachet.

Besides, e-basketball isn’t allowed. The modern rule is if you can’t “e” it on an e-learning day, then it just can’t be done.

I’m not against it. In fact, I’m in favor of school officials erring on the side of caution. Be in denial if you prefer, but weather has changed in my lifetime. Wintertime tornados and thunderstorms once were so rare people thought it was a sign Jesus was about to return. Nowadays it’s the friendly weatherman.

I got up this morning to watch TV coverage of the weather. It’s really bad if they interrupt regularly scheduled programming. So far it’s not bad enough for stock footage of empty bread shelves.

Since basketball players are not going to hunker down tonight, it appears as if I am. I hope the weather is cleared out of Tuscaloosa so the Gamecocks and Tide don’t get rained out. Otherwise, I might be watching a game from Ames, Iowa. Or, more likely, an old movie on TCM.

Better yet, I might get the draft of a novel finished. I’m two chapters, the 51^st and 52^nd, shy. I still need to go back and polish – that’s my version of a final draft – but I might get this draft in circulation to begin the process of finding a publisher.

Ten years ago, this novel might be considered a farce. Now no farce is more farcical than real life. It amazes me that this yarn I’m penning actually seems frighteningly plausible.

It’s called The Graduate Transfer, and it’s the story of a young man who plays quarterback at four different schools in five years, undergoes four knee surgeries, coaches a semipro team whose viral videos make him and his best friend famous, and they go off to coach at a deeply religious college, run by a television evangelist, who wants to turn the school into the holy-roller version of Notre Dame. Meanwhile, our hero falls in love with a hell-raising country singer who loves to party. Complications ensue.

Happens all the time.

To answer your question, I wanted to get something on the website in this mess of a day.

Meanwhile … (The audience would laugh if it was Stephen Colbert.)

I’m thinking about fixing breakfast once this episode of Comics Unleashed is over.

Breakfast was tasty. It’s rumbling outside and a hairstylist just won on Funny You Should Ask.

Oh, why not cram in some local sports?

Clinton (11-5) stormed the Capitals – Columbia High Capitals, that is – and left with a 57-13 victory in its pocket.

Ry’Daijia Mars and Zakalia Redd led the Red Devil girls with 11 points and 10, respectively.

Quite a crowd lined up behind them in the scoring list: Bryanna Belton (9), McKenzie Clark (6), Emma Patterson (6), Nah’shia Wright (6), Kemaria Shelton (6) and Mylayja Thompson (4).

The boys improved to 7-7 with a 60-56 verdict over Columbia, and the JV boys won, 41-5.

Clinton heads to Woodruff on Friday night.

Brandon Burke (20) and Jared Willard (15) combined for 35 points Laurens Academy (6-8, 4-2 SCISA 1-A) thumped W.W. King, 62-44.

Also scratching for the Crusaders but in single digits were Garrison Vaughn (9), Buddy Baker (9),Tristian Bates (4), Elijah Straight (3) and John Walters (2).

The Crusaders shot .404 (23/57) from the field.

Spencer McCormick led the Knights with 17 points and Wyatt Burbank added 10.

Tuesday’s scheduled games with Cambridge were rained out. LA is scheduled to host Newberry Academy on Thursday night.

Wednesday is going to be a blur. Often rubbing one’s eyes cures that.

Presbyterian is home against Winthrop in men’s basketball at 7 p.m., and the women are playing the Eagles in Rock Hill at 6. The Citadel visits Furman at 7. That’s men. The Citadel has no women. No women’s basketball, that is. The Furman women go to Western Carolina on Thursday at 7.

Keep those cards, letters and donations coming. The sports seasons are back at full speed. In the fall, I’m up all night on weekends. In winter, I’m up late most nights.

I’m thankful for your support, whether by advertising, contributing or reading.

Thanks so much for the recent contributions. My goal is to provide unique coverage of local sports. I’m aware that folks appreciate what I do, particularly the kids, coaches, parents and fans.

I used to list an address to send a check (DHK Sports, P.O. Box 768, Clinton, S.C. 29325). I finally got it through my thick head that not that many people write checks nowadays. For example, me. A more convenient means might be sending a reasonable contribution to DHK Sports on Venmo.

Support the advertisers, and help keep the site – the game stories, the blogs, the photos – alive by making, if you choose, a monthly donation via Patreon. The Laurens County site is here. The Furman site is here.

Another way I can make a little is if you purchase my books at MonteDutton.net. They’re quite entertaining in spite of the fellow who wrote them. Two of my novels, Cowboys Come Home and Lightning in a Bottle, are available in audio versions. The latest, The Latter Days, is about baseball.

Photo galleries are posted on Instagram @furmanatt and @laurenscountysports.