The Blue Hose, men’s basketball variety, are rolling. After an uneven opener against Navy, Presbyterian has won three games straight. The latest was Monday night’s 63-61 victory over Georgia State in Atlanta, Ga.

It was another game, another hero. Junior guard Carl Parrish, scored 22 points, including the game winner at the end.

“I’m really proud of the guys, said PC head coach Quinton Ferrell. “I challenged them at halftime. They knew they weren’t playing their best. Georgia State was athletic and physical. … In the second half, I thought we did a masterful job.”

“We were doing some good stuff in the first half. That’s why we were only down 10."

Jonah Pierce, the reliable foundation, had 14 points and seven rebounds. Erik Taylor added 11 points while passing out six assists. Jaylen Peterson 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

The Blue Hose came back from a 10-point deficit, in part by shooting .520 (13/25) from the floor in the second half.

The Blue Hose began the latter half on a 7-0 scoring run behind baskets from Taylor, Peterson and Pierce, trimming Georgia State's lead to three 

With Presbyterian (3-1) leading 61-56 at the 2:40 mark, Georgia State scored five straight points, tying the score at 61 with 22 seconds left. After a timeout, Parrish took the ball from the top of the key toward the baseline, where he floated a runner over the hands of a Georgia State defender into the basket with two seconds on the clock.

The Panthers’ only double-figures scorer was Joah Chappelle, who scored 23 points on 8/13 shooting, 2/4 in three pointers.

Each team collected 30 rebounds. Chappelle and Christian Beam each had six for Georgia State (0-3).

The Blue Hose outscored the Panthers, 38-26, in the second half, limiting Georgia State to 6/22 three-pointers.

Presbyterian continues its five-game road swing at South Carolina on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Take a look at the stats here.

Elon swamped Presbyterian (1-2) in women’s basketball on Monday morning, 93-48.

Allie Sykes scored 13 points, hitting 4/10 shots overall and 3/7 from beyond the arc. Amana Williams added nine points. Ja’Cia Cunningham had eight.

Five Phoenix players scored in double figures, led by Tamia Watkins with 15 points. Elon (2-1) shot .649 (37/57) from the field and outrebounded the Blue Hose, 35-20.

Take a look at the stats here.

Clinton’s Javen Cook rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns – in just nine carries – in the Red Devils’ 56-7 victory over North Central (Kershaw) in the first round of the Class 2A football playoffs.

As a result, Cook is the Laurens County Touchdown Club’s Player of the Week. He won it for the third time.

 “Week in and week out, Javen Cook has been consistent in his work ethic and performance. He is a tremendous athlete and person,” said his head coach, Corey Fountain.

The next meeting is on Nov. 20 noon, with School District 56 serving the meal and the food service line opening at 11:45 am.

The meeting previews the South Carolina-Clemson game with Rick Sanford representing the Gamecocks and former offensive-line coach Robbie Caldwell representing the Tigers. 

Tickets can be purchased at the door for $15.

Last week’s winner was Laurens High running back Nehemias Fernandez, who rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders’ 23-7 loss to Emerald (Greenwood).

Head Coach Greg Porter stated, “Nemo did whatever was needed for the team this season. He gave 100 percent on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively.  Nemo’s leadership and Christian character will be a building block for the team in the future.”

Cook, “Zoom,” and Fernandez, “Nemo,” are to be honored along with whoever wins the award for his play this Friday night.

Saluda (6-5) and Clinton (8-3), who are playing at Wilder Stadium in the second round of the Class 2A football playoffs on Friday night, have one common opponent. Newberry defeated the Red Devils, 41-12, and the Tigers, 35-7.

All of Clinton’s non-region opponents were in 3A and 4A. The Tigers opened with victories over Crescent, Ridge Spring-Monetta and Chester, then lost to Southside Christian (28-0) and Newberry.

Saluda went 2-3 in Region 2, defeating American Leadership Academy (48-0) and Pelion (51-7) before losing to Ninety Six (28-27), Strom Thurmond (20-14) and Batesburg-Leesville (35-34 in overtime).

Clinton breezed through Region 1, defeating Liberty (49-6), Chesnee (50-29), Landrum (56-14) and Blacksburg (48-7).

In round one, the Tigers defeated Mid-Carolina (33-13) while the Red Devils were eliminating North Central (56-7).

The winner plays either Andrew Jackson (7-4) or Fairfield Central (8-3).

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