By MONTE DUTTON

In the first quarter of Monday night’s Class 2A boys’ basketball playoffs, Landrum was on what turned out be borrowed time.

The Cardinals (15-12) outrebounded Clinton (18-8), 11-6. They went to the foul line 15 times and hit 11. They only tried eight shots from the floor, hitting three. The Red Devils hit 4/13 shots and 2/3 free throws. The score was 19-12.

Clinton, the Region 3 champion, outscored Landrum, 40-22, the rest of the way. Nyterian Smith scored 20 points as the Red Devils advanced, 52-41. Friday finds Clinton hosting the school with which it is tied for ninth place in the state coaches’ rankings, Saluda (16-7). The Tigers swamped Mid-Carolina, 66-44.

Clinton won a regular-season game at Saluda, 53-52, on Jan. 3.

“This is what we’re going to hang our hats on, especially in the third quarter,” said CHS head coach Dontavius Glenn.

The Red Devils won that period, 15-5, turning a 29-26 halftime deficit into a 41-34 lead.

P.J. McGowan scored nine points, Khyron Butler six, Owen Glenn five, J’Shon Nabors four, K.J. Vance and Zeke Murray three apiece and C.J. Jones two. Clinton hit 18/45 shots from the floor, 10/17 free throws and outrebounded Landrum, 32-28 (26-17 after the first quarter).

Clinton committed 10 turnovers and forced 14.

Noah Dodd led Landrum with 13 points. Ivan Williams added 10.

“We didn’t shoot the ball as well as I expected,” Glenn said. “They might have shot the ball better than we expected (actually just 11/38), but we made plays when we needed it the most. We were more patient in the second half, and we were able to take advantage of the baseline. They got aggressive in the zone, which you usually don’t see.

“I think their legs kind of got to them, and our style of play forced them to play a lot faster. Playoff ball is time to eliminate free baskets and eliminate easy points from anybody.”

Landrum hit 8/19 first-half shots but only 5/19 in the second.

The playoff opener marked Clinton’s 14th victory in a row. Saluda had won four of its previous five.

Coincidentally, Clinton also played Saluda in the second round of the football playoffs, winning, 35-25. Friday’s game is at 6:30 p.m.

ESPNU has selected the Presbyterian Blue Hose men’s basketball team’s home game at Templeton Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, against the High Point Panthers as its final Big South Wildcard broadcast of the season.

Presbyterian’s selection as the Big South Wildcard game marks its second time this season and its fifth all-time appearance in the ESPNU Big South Game of the Week. Earlier this season, Presbyterian’s road game at High Point was a Big South Wildcard game on an ESPNU broadcast.

This is the 13th year of the Big South’s ESPNU Wildcard series, with a total of 61 games having been played in the series that began in the 2013-14 season.

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