I thought of an old Lefty Frizzell song while watching basketball Tuesday night: “I’m an Old, Old Man (Trying to Live While I Can).”

I staked out a place on the front row. I need a seat because I take stats on a legal pad while I’m shooting photos. As the girls’ game progressed, the crowd grew and a group gathered around me. That was the whole point of staking out a spot.

They were kids, some in school now and some who played last season and graduated. I enjoyed eavesdropping and offered the occasional remark that was less humorous than I intended.

I’m sure it was quaint, if that was a word anyone ever uses anymore.

The generational disconnect increases because … it is increasing. I’m getting older and the kids at the game remain the same.

For the second time in as many nights, Clinton’s boys won decisively and the girls in a romp on Wednesday. The Red Devils are roaring in Region 4-3A play.

The girls have won five straight games and outscored the opposition by a 280-71 margin in them. The boys have won four in a row by a total of 250-210.

Bryanna Belton scored 11 points and Zakalia Redd 10 as Clinton (13-5, 3-0) handed head coach John Gardner his 100^th victory at the Red Devil helm in the girls’ game.

It was rather decisive. Clinton won, 52-8. At halftime, it was 29-2. Woodruff didn’t score in the second quarter.

Gardner called it “a great performance on both ends. Defense turned to offense and controlled the game from the start.”

Sounds reasonable.

Others providing points were Symiah Floyd (8), Mylayja Thompson (8), McKenzie Clark (6), Ry’Daijia Mars (4), Saniya White (3) and Kemaria Shelton (2). Floyd hit all three of her shots, two of them from beyond the arc.

Mars handed out three assists.

Woodruff (6-11, 2-1) got a team-leading three points from Sadie Burnette. The Wolverines, as a team, were 3/19 (.157) from the field. The Red Devils were 22/39 (.564) and hit 5/7 (.714) three pointers.

Clinton (9-7, 3-0 region) attacked Woodruff (11-9, 2-2) with the three-pronged scoring machine of Tushawan Richardson and Devin Swindler, each of whom scored 16 points, and Keleja Byrd with 15. The boys won, 63-50, in spite of 19 points from Woodruff’s Nick McConnell.

It was a controlled burn that doomed the Wolverines, who trailed by six points at halftime and fell by seven more in the latter half.

Also scoring for Clinton were M.J. Henderson (9), Kadon Crawford (4) and Emarian Jones (2).

Clinton’s varsity teams take on Emerald in Greenwood on Friday, with the girls getting underway at 6 p.m. The two schools play junior varsity games in Clinton on Thursday evening.

Laurens travels to Greer on Thursday evening to play varsity games postponed earlier. At the same time, the Laurens JV teams are playing Eastside at home. The varsity teams visit the Eagles in Taylors on Friday.

Laurens Academy’s varsity boys and middle-school teams are taking on Oconee Christian tonight. Wardlaw visits LA on Friday, with middle-school tilts commencing at 4 p.m., and all the schools’ teams playing.

Thornwell Charter’s hard first-year lessons continued as Dixie defeated the girls, 36-5, and the boys, 77-19, in Due West. For the Saints, Jessie Pitts had three and Keiziyia Watts two in the girls’ game.

On the college front, Presbyterian College has a couple whistlestops on the men’s wrestling trail.

The Blue Hose (2-7) open conference grappling with a visit to Louisville, Ky., on Friday to play Bellarmine (10-0) at 7 p.m. Both PC and Bellarmine wrestle in the Southern Conference.

Presbyterian then returns to play Queens at home on Sunday afternoon at 3.

I hope you find my coverage entertaining and unique.

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