The ballgames played against type this weekend.
The college reaped the dividends. The high schools took the lumps.
While Presbyterian College was laying waste to Radford’s homecoming in Virginia, Laurens Academy was falling in Sumter at the SCISA girls’ basketball state title game, and Clinton was ending its boys’ basketball playoff run on Friday night in Spartanburg.
Radford brings out the best in PC’s Kobe Stewart. He scored 28 points against the Highlanders on Jan. 25 in Clinton, a game the Blue Hose lost, 82-69. This time Stewart, a fifth-year player from Augusta, Ga., pumped in 26 as Presbyterian (12-17, 5-9 Big South) upset Radford (17-12, 7-7), 80-73.

Stewart wasn’t alone. Kory Mincy (13 points, 6 assists), Carl Parrish (12 points) and Kaleb Scott (10) also scored in double figures, and Iverson King paired eight points with eight rebounds.
Presbyterian overcame an eight-point first half deficit while limiting the Highlanders to 30 second-half points.
David Early led the Highlanders with 22 points, and Brandon Maclin added 19.
Stewart scored Presbyterian’s first eight points of the second half. The Blue Hose cut Radford’s lead to one point several times in the first three minutes. With 15:33 on the clock, Jamahri Harvey hit two free throws to give PC a 48-47 lead it never relinquished. The lead reached double digits (68-57) with 5:30 left.

Radford cut Presbyterian’s lead to five points a couple of times, but clutch free-throw shooting from Parrish, King, and Jaylen Peterson during the final minute closed out Presbyterian’s victory.
PC has won only three times on the road all season, two of them in the Commonwealth of Virginia, where they also beat Longwood a week earlier.

Paige Kindseth (PC photo)

Another distinguished PC senior, Farmington, Minn.’s Paige Kindseth, led a women’s upset that was even more stunning, scoring 28 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in PC’s 78-71 triumph. It was a career best in points and tied her high in boards.l
The double double was her eighth of the season.
Shelby Fiddler connected on five 3-point field goals on her way to 17 points. Kishya Anderson added 11.
Joi Williams led Radford (12-15, 9-5) with 16 points. Presbyterian (6-21, 4-10) ended a three-game string of losses and eight setbacks in the previous nine.
Wednesday finds the women at home against UNC Asheville while the men visit the Bulldogs.

Cross Schools, which is in Bluffton – the SCHSL has a public school in Cross – stopped Laurens Academy, 45-29, in the SCISA Class 2A title game at Sumter Civic Center.
Defense keyed the Stingrays’ title as they limited the Crusaders (18-8) to .143 (7/49) shooting.
Laurens Academy led 11-7 after a quarter, but Cross (19-10) took a 34-24 lead into the fourth quarter.
Freshman Sadie Bruyere led the Crusaders with 10 points. Ryan Mauers scored a game-high 17 points to lead Cross, while Carolina Wheat added 11.

The Clinton boys’ season ended, but the final game, an untidy affair, didn’t.
High Point Academy’s 67-48 victory ended with 2:42 still on the clock.
The Grizzlies (25-3) led by only four, 34-30, in the third quarter and 47-39 at its end. Then mayhem ensued. Reportedly, four Clinton players were assessed technical fouls, and head coach Dontavius Glenn, athletics director Louie Alexander and at least three Red Devil fans were ejected.

The embattled officials went to the scorer’s table and opted to remove their whistles and leave the gym, bringing an end to the proceedings.
Clinton (15-9) also lost to the Grizzlies, 68-64, on Jan. 4.
In the first three minutes of the final period, three Clinton players – Devin Swindler, Zy Butler and Owen Glenn – fouled out. The Red Devils were whistled for 32 personal fouls to 17 assessed High Point.

The leading scorer in the game was Clinton’s Tushawan Richardson with 16 points. Butler added 12.
J’Sean Sanders scored 15 for the Grizzlies.
Still alive are the Clinton girls, who face Region 3-2A opponent Fairfield Central, in the third round on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Bowling Green, wedged into the Presbyterian baseball schedule between games against Le Moyne, made the best of the arrangement by defeating the Blue Hose, 11-4, on Saturday.

Mikah Conner, Ryan Ouzts and Eli Lazio all had extra-base hits in a losing cause for the Blue Hose (3-3).
Bowling Green (4-1) took control with five runs in the top of the first inning.
The Falcon second baseman, Sam Seidel, went 4/5, and first baseman Brady Birchmeier drove in three runs. Lazio was 4/4 for the Blue Hose and is batting .588 after six games.
The Blue Hose wrap up their weekend series on Sunday at noon against Le Moyne.

Mallory Fletcher’s walk-off double enabled PC softball to split a doubleheader. PC defeated Cleveland State, 2-1, after falling, 2-0, to Monmouth in the first game.
Maryland Eastern Shore faces the Blue Hose (6-5) on Sunday.
By the way, I was in Spartanburg on Friday but drove home after eating dinner. It may have been my favorite upset stomach ever. I’m glad I wasn’t there for the Clinton-High Point debacle.

Words can ill express my appreciation for the assistance I’ve been getting from lifelong friends and acquaintances in regard to my recent health struggles. I am deeply touched at the concern of people I’ve known for most of my life.
The coming months will bring more change, and I don’t know yet what shape it will take.
From time to time, I have thought it a shame that people don’t often know what others think of them while they are alive. I’ve had a rough go of it recently, but I know that others respect, appreciate and support me.

Thanks for reading my stories, overlooking my flaws and indulging our differences.
My books, most of them fiction, are available at Amazon and on other bookseller sites. If you’d like to sample my fiction, try Longer Songs, a collection of short stories, all derived from songs I’ve written.
Thanks for putting up with me.