By MONTE DUTTON

It’s not easy to win a state championship. Clinton, which opened the Class 2A girls’ basketball playoffs with a 67-29 victory over Liberty Monday night, could run up against an opponent that’s much taller, or one that just shoots the lights out.
The Red Devils aren’t going to be outworked, though. Not this year.
Coach John Gardner’s charges left no corner of the CHS gym floor untouched, turning the already frenetic pace of the game into a perpetual-motion machine. Liberty (5-19) eked into the playoffs and quickly out of town.

Mylayja Thompson penetrates the paint.

Clinton (21-5), began wide open and gradually picked up the efficiency. In the first quarter, the Red Devils tried 16 shots and made five. In the second, they hoisted up 12 and made six. In the third, they were 9/13. Leading 51-17 by that point, they cooled their jets in the fourth, going 6/13.
“This is the best shooting team I’ve had,” said Gardner. “Lately, we’ve been shooting on the road better than at home, but this was a great way to get started in front of a home crowd in the playoffs.”

The Red Devils popped 10/16 free throws, outrebounded their like-named foes, 37-23, and forced them into 24 turnovers while committing 11.
Few expected a cliffhanger, but Clinton granted few liberties to the visitors.
Eight Red Devils scored, led by Bryanna Belton’s 17 points. Three more – Nah’shia Wright (13), Mylayja Thompson (12) and McKenzie Clark (10) – joined the double-figures party.
Natalie White led the other Red Devils with 11 points, seven of them in the fourth period. Clinton limited Liberty to 10/34 (.294) shooting.

Next up for Clinton is a home game on Thursday against Landrum.

While the Clinton girls were improving to 21-5, Laurens’ bid for a 20th victory was falling just short in the first round of the 4A boys’ bracket.
Berea won via a buzzer beater by Destin Eichelberger on the Raiders’ home floor, 60-58.
Laurens trailed, 34-30, at halftime but came back to lead most of the second half, albeit by a narrow margin. The Raiders led 58-56 in the final minute when the Bulldogs forced a turnover that they converted into the tying basket. Two missed free throws prevented LDHS from retaking the lead.
Berea (12-12) ravaged the Raiders with 11 three-pointers, seven more than Laurens (19-8). TyJ Jones led the Raiders with 19 points, followed by R.J. Brewster-Snow and Will Thompson, each with 12.
The Laurens girls (12-13) face Camden (16-6) Tuesday at the Bulldogs’ home venue.

Laurens Academy successfully began its participation in the SCISA 2A playoffs with a 49-43 victory over Charleston Collegiate at Cardinal Newman in Columbia.
Sadie Bruyere set the Crusader pace with 20 points. Braylee Burke added 15.
Thornwell (7-12) takes on Lee Central (18-4) of Bishopville in the Class A playoffs on Tuesday night.

The Blue Hose baseball team swept a season-opening Friday doubleheader, 7-6 and 6-5, over the Hoyas, who saved some face on Saturday by defeating PC, 5-1.
In game one, Brody Linker’s triple spurred the Blue Hose in the third inning. Georgetown had the lead, though, when Matthew Rollison’s two-run triple put PC back on top. The Hoyas’ Kavi Caster homered in the fifth to tie it.
Back on top went the Blue Hose in the sixth on Andrew Albertus’s single followed by Trey Fenderson’s triple. It was tied again when Ryan Ouzts homered to put PC up, 6-4.
It was tied again in the ninth when Fenderson’s bases-loaded walk provided the game winner.

Amman Dewberry broke up the nightcap with a homer to right, and Jacob Fields earned a save in his Blue Hose debut with 2-1/3 innings of relief.
Fenderson collected three more hits on Saturday, but the Blue Hose couldn’t hold an early after Hugus’s RBI single in the second inning.
The Hoyas took the lead for good when Tristan Head homered in the fourth. Georgetown added two more in the seventh and another in the ninth.
The Blue Hose take their first road trip of the season on Tuesday, visiting Elon at 4 p.m.

It was a big day for the Blue Hose in Farmville, Va., because the PC men’s basketball team has won on the road only twice, and Saturday’s 77-68 victory over Longwood was one of them.
Qadir Pettaway scored a career-best 18 points as Presbyterian (11-16, 4-8 Big South) finished off a season sweep of the Lancers (16-11, 5-7).
Pettaway was a perfect 6/6 from the free-throw line. Kobe Stewart scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Carl Parrish scored 11 off the bench. PC shot .591 in the second half.
Presbyterian returns to Templeton Center to play Winthrop on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Not so fortunate were the PC women, who fell to the Lancers, 71-60, at Templeton Center despite a double double from Paige Kindseth.
Before the game, the Blue Hose honored seniors Kindseth and Sonia Sato, as well as junior Natalie Herrin, who is graduating this spring.
Kindseth scored 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for PC (5-20, 3-9 Big South), while Kiki McIntyre and Amor Harris both scored 13 for the Lancers (17-9, 8-4).
The Blue Hose visit Rock Hill to play Winthrop on Wednesday.

After dropping three of four in opening weekend play, Presbyterian softball has a four-game win streak going, having polished off East Tennessee State (4-2) and Maine twice (6-5 and 3-2) over the weekend.
Another scheduled game against the Buccaneers was canceled by rain.
With a Wednesday game at Wofford already postponed, the Blue Hose are next in action when Valparaiso visits on Friday at 4:45 p.m., followed by other games against Monmouth, Cleveland State and Maryland Eastern Shore, all next weekend.

I was good to be back at the gym Monday night, snapping photos and tallying stats. I’m getting around better, but I’m not full speed. I’ve still got a few too many moving parts in my walk.
In the aftermath of my month-long hospital stay, staffing games at The Well has become logistically challenging. I’m getting better but not that much. I’ve been thinking about going to Spartanburg for the Furman-Wofford game at regular season’s end.
I’m strapped financially, stemming from some medical bills that aren’t covered, a month without much income and some unexpected household expenses. If you have any interest in buying a 1996 Ford truck – six-cylinder, four-in-the floor, two-tone red and silver – contact me.

I’ve written a number of books over the years. You can find them at Amazon and other online bookseller sites.
I’ve no desire to retire. Writers don’t retire. Someone just finds them, head down on a keyboard, X’s streaming across the screen. I’ve got a novel, The Graduate Transfer, for which I’ve thus far I’ve been unable to find a publisher. It’s my 10th. My next project is rewriting it.
Thanks for putting up with me.