My life is taking a narrow focus.

I just realized I don’t know who won last week’s NASCAR race. Why? The answer is obvious. Presbyterian College was pursuing a doomed women’s basketball dream.

To paraphase Bill Murray, I hear there’s money in that gig.

This school year, I’ve watched much more women’s basketball. I’ve watched much less NBA. College basketball takes a lot of time, and I study it a lot.

Most common thought during the NCAA Tournament: Hey, is that the same J’Aquan Luiza who used to play for Charleston Southern? (I made up the name and school. If there were really a J’Aquan Luiza, surely it would have to be the same one. Maybe.)

Now the end of basketball is near, and so I face the final curtain.

I did it my way to little effect.

I’ve been wondering what Daryl Smith was doing. I’m delighted to learn that what the ex-LDHS head coach will be doing is coaching the Thornwell Charter Saints.

Smith is a fine coach and man, his difficulties with the Raiders notwithstanding. He’s got a lot of work to do at Thornwell, but it’s a great hire. He’s a builder, and it’s what the Saints need. It won’t be easy.

Greg Porter replaced Smith with the Raiders after a 2-9 season last fall. Smith succeeds Charlie Washington, who stepped down after the Saints’ first season of varsity play.

Thornwell is to be aligned in Region 1-A with, in football, with Abbeville, Calhoun Falls, Dixie, McCormick, Ware Shoals and Whitmire.

Would you care to hazard a guess at the presumed favorite?

Last season opponents outscored the 1-8 Saints, 430-59. The average score was 59-7.

Clinton gave up a run to Chesnee in the top of the first inning on Thursday night.

Oh, no!

The Red Devils promptly scored four runs in the bottom half and four more in the second, and they were off and running to an 11-2 victory over the Eagles.

Clinton (6-5) plays at Woodruff, to which it lost 4-3 on Wednesday, on Friday evening.

After Chesnee scratched for its first-inning run, the first Devil batter, left fielder Brett Young, laced a triple to left on a 3-1 count. Shortstop Bryce Young singled him in, and before the inning was complete, catcher Luke Young drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

In the second inning, Jaydon Glenn opened with a single, and the Chesnee wheels came off. Tanner Kyko reached on a dropped third strike. Brett Young sacrificed and reached on an error. Four more crossed amid the rubble.

Brett Young unleashed another thunderbolt in the fifth, a two-out, bases-loaded double to center that cleared the bases. In fact, he went 3/3 with a triple in the first inning, a single in the fourth and a double in the fifth.

Camden Finley pitched the first three innings and Freddy Lopez the final four. Each gave up a hit. Finley fanned three in three, Lopez four in four.

Eight different players combined for Clinton’s 10 hits. The Red Devils stole six bases, three by Bryce (not Brett’s brother) Young. Luke (Brett’s brother) Young also had a double.

Greer defended its home field with a 7-3 Region 2-4A softball victory over Laurens on Wednesday evening.

Greer scored three runs in the bottom of the third, but the Raiders tied it in the fifth on shortstop Carly Edwards’ three-run blast.

Five Raiders collected a hit apiece, but Edwards’ homer produced all the runs and was the only one to go for extra bases.

The Yellow Jackets’ shortstop, Tate Davis, was a one-person wrecking crew. She drove in four runs and scored two with a single and a double. Addie Howard rapped two singles in four trips. Layla Walker singled and doubled and scored twice.

Summer Nations took the loss for Laurens (5-3, 2-1), yielding 12 hits and a walk.

Maddie McLemore of Greer (2-6, 1-3)  was the winner, allowing five hits and three runs in a complete game.

I’m not sure what KMJ is. It’s apparently in Woodruff and is good in softball, and it has a home field it defeated Laurens (5-4) on, 16-3, Thursday.

The KMJers, a.k.a., the Woodruff Wolverines, apparently, scored 11 runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Kasey Morris went 2/2 to lead the Raiders.

Losing pitcher Skyla Bates only retired one batter for Laurens.

Kara West drove in four runs, and Alexis Mock produced three for KMJ.

The Clinton junior varsity baseball team removed most of the drama with seven first-inning runs in what ended up a 10-0 victory over Chesnee.

The Red Devils (7-3) had one hit in the seven-inning first. The runs scored on a lineout, a walk, an error, another walk, a hit batter, another walk and a wild pitch.

The game only lasted four innings, but winning pitcher Talan Campbell pitched three innings and Angel Vargas without either allowing a hit or a walk.

Bryan Preller, who lasted 2/3 of an inning, took the loss.

Clinton second baseman Rhett Gilliam doubled in both his at-bats.

J.L. Mann provided an encore to its victory over the Laurens JVs two nights earlier with a 6-2 decision on Thursday evening in Greenville.

Logan Martin and Samuel Adams each provided two hits to the Raiders’ seven-hit attack. One of Adams’ went for two bases.

Laurens (8-2) scored both its runs in the first inning. The Patriots put up a decisive four in the bottom of the second. Matthew McAdams’ double drove in three of them.

Chase Job was the winning pitcher. Ko’Allen Blackwell took the loss.

The seismograph that is Thornwell baseball continued as Dixie blanked the Saints, 29-0, on Thursday evening.

The Saints didn’t have a hit in the three innings that were played, and the Green Hornets had 25 of them. The Dixie shortstop, Johnson, and the second baseman, Snipes, each had four hits. The Green Hornets batted .833 (25/30) as a team.

It was just over half as bad for TCS softball, which fell, 15-0, to Dixie.

Thornwell (2-9) collected three hits, singles by Camden Nelson, Madi Porter and Madi Landrith. Nelson took the loss. Only five of the 15 runs she allowed were earned in 2-1/3 innings, at which point the game ended by run rule.

Clinton remained unbeaten in golf with a three-way victory over Broome and Union County.

The Red Devils shot 173, the Centurions 184 and the Yellow Jackets 198.

Broome’s Alex Weathers fired a 29 – a 29! – and was the medalist.

Luke McMurray led Clinton with a 40. Aiden Bragg shot 43, Gabi Carles 45 and Josh Rochester 45.

Will work for food, but contributions would be better. Besides, I had a steak before Jim McLaurin’s funeral. I’d forgotten how good they are.

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