By MONTE DUTTON

One successful season ended at Clinton High School on Saturday, and another stayed alive in Columbia.

West-Oak (19-6) found its shooting touch in the latter half and knocked Region 4 champion Clinton out of the Class 3A girls’ basketball playoffs in the second round, 47-39.

Clinton (19-6) led at the end of each of the first three quarters, and by six points at halftime, but West-Oak’s Reagan Mobley, who scored 21 points, popped two crucial three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

“We preach good defense, but good defense is consistent,” said Clinton coach John Gardner. “Good offense always beats good defense.

“Two or three of those threes they hit in the fourth quarter, and I watched us get our hands on the shooter’s hand on the follow-through, and they made it. Those are just good shots, you know?”

The Red Devils played hard and pressed throughout, forcing 26 Warrior turnovers, but Clinton’s hustle and aggressiveness was offset by West-Oak’s 32-19 command of the glass.

West-Oak hit nearly as many threes (6) as twos (8). The Warriors also buried 13/15 free throws, 7/8 by Mobley. Ashton Sosby scored 10 points.

Mylayja Thompson led the Red Devils with 18 points. Clinton also popped six triples: three by Thompson, two Bryanna Belton, who scored 12 overall, and one by McKenzie Clark.

Both teams had six three-pointers and eight for two, but West-Oak’s shooting percentage (14/38, .368) was tidier (14/47, .297) than Clinton’s.

Scoring for Clinton besides Thompson and Belton were Clark (3), Ry”Daijia Mars (2) and Zakalia Redd (2).

Officials whistled Clinton for 18 fouls to West-Oak’s eight (two in each quarter). What made it particularly confounding was that in the first three quarters, fouls sent the Warriors repeatedly to the foul line. In the fourth quarter, when the Red Devils wanted to put West-Oak at the line, they had fouls to give.

Ah, these things happen.

In Columbia, at Ben Lippen School, Laurens Academy got its quest for the SCISA Class A championship off to a spectacular start with a 51-21 verdict over Jefferson Davis Academy on Friday.

Remarkably, the Crusaders’ Olivia Huck was the only player in the game to score in double figures. Her 23 points were quite enough, as they were two more than the opposition in toto, but nine LA players showed up in the scoring column.

They were (and there may be a pop quiz): Huck, Madisyn Graham (8), Rylee Ballard (7), Sadie Bruyere (5), Makayla Lindley (2), Hannah Ervin (2), Emily Suttles (2), E.K. Moore (1) and Braydyn Dorn (1).

Ryleigh York and Madelyn Respess paced the Raiders with seven and six, respectively.

Laurens Academy (24-1) hit 21/49 attempts from the field for a shooting percentage of .429. The Crusaders canned 6/8 foul shots.

Jefferson Davis, listed on MaxPreps as 3-9, hit 8/44 (.182) field goals and 1/2 free throws.

Charleston Collegiate ended the Laurens Academy boys’ season with a 60-35 victory on Saturday.

Jared Willard, with 13 points, and Garrison Vaughan, with 10, led the Crusaders, who also got eight points from Braydon Burke and four from Garrett Murphy.

Thomas Reed led Charleston Collegiate (15-11) with 20.

LA (10-17) hit 14/38 shots (.368). The Sundevils sank 27-56 (.482).

For over two weeks I’ve been suffering from shingles, which has curtailed my live coverage. On Tuesday night, I covered a game for the first time in a while. Even while laid up, though, at least one piece has been posted here for 35 straight days.

I still don’t feel so hot. A coach would probably list me as questionable. It may be a game-time decision.

Shingles has also knocked me off my financial rocker. I’m strapped for cash.

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