By MONTE DUTTON

On Tuesday evening, the Clinton High boys’ basketball invaded the lane and attacked the backboards.

The Red Devils played at home. Had it been the side of a barn, Clinton (27-2) couldn’t have hit it. Landrum (20-8).  Delaney Caldwell scored 24 points. Katie Fortner added 12. The Cardinals ended Clinton’s winning streak at 15 games, dominating, 63-37.

The game drew a big crowd. Most stayed to the bitter end.

The Cardinals built an 18-point lead, 25-7, at the end of the first quarter. The Red Devils never got closer than 13 points again. It was 35-16 at halftime and 49-28 after three periods.

Landrum’s victory was its third straight and fifth in the past six games. Andrew Jackson of Kershaw takes on the Cardinals in the Upstate Class 2A finals on Saturday.

Clinton’s inability to score was startling. In the first half, the Red Devils got 3/26 shots (.115) to pierce the nets. In the game, they were 12/53 (.226). They hit 10/16 free throws. No one scored in double figures. Allenson Cook scored nine, Mylayja Thompson seven, McKenzie Clark six, Emma Patterson five, Amirah Hill three, Symiah Floyd three, Nahshia Wright two and Kemaria Shelton two.

A lot scored, just not many. Make sense?

Landrum connected 26/53 shots (.491). It took the same number and hit 23 more. The Cardinals won on the boards, 40-36, and forced 20 turnovers. They did, however, make just 5/14 free throws.

The evening was one of Clinton taking good shots and hitting hardly any.

“Giving up 25 points in the first quarter doesn’t help,” Clinton head coach John Gardner said. “It was backbreaking. We allowed them to make the hard shots that were contested. We took easy shots around the rim and couldn’t get them to fall.

“Making the hard shots and missing the easy ones is a recipe for disaster.”

The low point, among many, was at the end of the third quarter when Clinton in-bounded by rolling the ball up the floor to save the final five seconds. Landrum was pressing, picked up the loose ball and scored again to pull 21 points ahead.

Clinton teams have lost in the third round in football, girls’ basketball and boys’ basketball.

The Laurens Academy girls (24-2) remained alive, advancing to the SCISA Class A penultimate round against Cross Schools (21-7) by defeating Cathedral Academy (15-14), 63-45, on Monday. The semifinals are Thursday. The final is Saturday at Sumter Civic Center.

Clinton opened boys’ tennis season by trimming Chapin, 4-3.

# 1 Singles   Matthew King defeated Walker Brice  7 – 5, 4 – 6, (12 – 10). # 2 Singles Edwin Orr defeated William Appleby  6 – 2, 1 – 6, (10 –  7). # 3 Singles Jacob King defeated Tyler Hance  6 – 2, 6 – 0. # 4 Singles Jake Meyerholtz lost to Thomas Ricks  6 – 1, 6 – 0. # 5 Singles Ethan Wargo lost to Grant Gill  6 – 1, 6 – 1.

# 1 Doubles     M. King & J. King defeated W. Appleby & T. Nance 6 – 4, 6 – 2. # 2 Doubles    Malakye Brewer & Cooper Stinson lost to Brady Grimaud & Owen Steele 6 – 3, 6 – 4.

The Red Devils visit Spring Valley on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

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