Raiders can’t reach Riverside


Zoe Young led the Raiders with 15 points. (Monte Dutton photos)

What happened at LDHS on Tuesday night wasn’t surprising. Riverside had already swept the Raiders in Greer. Region 2-4A is a tough track.

The basketball games were similar other than the former being contested by girls and the latter by boys. Riverside won them both by 20-point margins. Neither was ever remotely in doubt.

The Raiders had their moments. Few were early.

Zoe Young scored 15 points for Laurens in the 57-37 Riverside girls’ victory. Twelve were in the second half.

The Warriors led 19-4 after one quarter. Eleven played and six scored for Riverside (15-7, 6-0). Seven dressed and five scored for Laurens (7-14, 0-6). In addition to Young, Destiny Anderson scored eight, Nyri Allen seven, Keyoric Yeargin four and Shanayi Chinn three.

Kyndal Hyroskie led the Warriors with 15 points, followed by Madison Garrido with 13 and Elly Trickett with 12.

Turnovers doomed the Raiders, who committed 10 of them in the first quarter and 30 in the game. Laurens’ inability to get the ball into the forecourt resulted in precious few shots. Both teams hit 40 percent of their shots, but Riverside, ranked sixth by S.C. coaches, had 23 more tries. Laurens held up pretty well on the boards, where the Warriors’ edge was only 34-31.

K.J. Singleton scored more points (18) than anyone else in the boys’ game, but Riverside (19-4, 5-1), ranked fifth in Class 4A, defeated the Raiders, 64-44, behind three players tightly aligned in double figures.

Julen Iturbe led the Warriors with 15 points, followed by Drew Cannon with 14 and Mikkel Skinner with 13.

Martineze Shaw also scored in double figures with 12 points for Laurens (7-17, 1-5). Down the list were Nick Danciu (5), Nigere Brown (3), Tylan Fowler (3), B.J. Byrd (2) and Vija Austin (1).

The Warriors led 19-9 after a quarter and 37-21 at halftime.

Turnovers weren’t so much the problem for the Laurens boys. The committed 16 but forced nine. Shooting buried the Raiders, who hit 13/36 (.361) from the floor while the Warriers were hitting .641 (25-39).

Laurens bested Riverside at the free-throw line, hitting 9/12 to the Warriors 6/11.

The Raiders visit Wade Hampton in Taylors on Friday and close the season at home against Eastside next Tuesday.

Clinton’s girls, ranked seventh in Class 3A, won what head coach John Gardner said was their first victory at Woodruff since 2013-14. The Red Devils wrapped up Region 4-3A with both varsity teams.

Eight Red Devils scored, led by McKenzie Clark with 11 points, in the 42-18 victory.

Clinton (16-5, 6-0) put up 17 points in the third quarter, or one less than the Wolverines in the game. Woodruff never scored more than six in any of the four periods.

Also scoring for the Red Devils were Mylayja Thompson (8), Bryanna Belton (6), Zakalia Redd (6), Nah’shia Wright (6), Saniya White (3), Ry’Daijia Mars (2) and Kemaria Shelton (2).

Jaylen Means led Woodruff (9-12, 5-2) with seven points.

The Clinton boys (12-7, 6-0) managed win a considerably more competitive 52-47 decision over Woodruff (14-9, 5-2).

The Red Devils’ splendid guard, Tushawan Richardson, is averaging 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals.

Clinton vanquished the Wolverines in the first half, leading 28-17 at halftime.

Richardson led the way with 17 points (his average) and Devin Swindler added 12. Others joining the party were M.J. Henderson (7), Kadon Crawford (6), Nyterian Smith (3), Emarian Jones (2), Keleja Byrd (2) and Jalin Massey (2).

The Clinton teams visit Chester on Friday.

Also rolling right along were the Laurens Academy girls (20-1, 9-0), who thumped Oakwood Christian of Anderson, 53-46, on the Crusaders’ home court.

Olivia Huck popped 24 points, hitting 10/20 shots and 3/4 free throws. As a team, LA shot .344 (21/61), while Oakbrook hit 15/43 (.349).

Also scoring for the Crusaders were Rylee Ballard (9), Madisyn Graham (6), Sadie Bruyere (4), Hannah Ervin (3), E.K. Moore (2), Addi Hornberger (2) and Braydin Dorn (2).

Evie Trajdol led Oakwood with nine points.

Anderson Christian, not to be confused with Oakwood, edged Laurens Academy (9-15, 6-9), 49-47, in the boys’ game.

Thanks so much for the contributions. I’m aware that folks appreciate what I do, particularly the kids, coaches, parents and fans.

Blue, Green, Purple & Red cannot solely be funded by advertising. There’s not enough room.

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 is sending a contribution to DHK Sports on Venmo. It keeps the site going, both in the balance sheet and on the road.

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

Or, indirectly, purchase my books at MonteDutton.net. They’re 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. I’m closing in on a 10th novel.

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

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.