Clinton sweep marred by fight, ejections
The Clinton Red Devils’ basketball teams each won their varsity contests Friday night against Broome, but the girls’ victory was spoiled by an ugly incident late in the fourth quarter.
In Clinton’s 47-36 victory over Broome that all but assured the girls a spot in the state tournament later this month, Red Devil Terriauna Bennett and Broome’s Mackenzie Mahoney were involved in an altercation after both went after a loose ball, with Bennett being called for a foul with 3 minutes, 21 seconds left and Clinton up 37-30. The incident quickly escalated with both players throwing punches, with Mahoney suffering a bloodied mouth in the process.
Both players were ejected from the game, which was delayed by about 20 minutes before it was finally completed.
Bennett will be suspended for at least the final game of the regular season against Woodruff on Tuesday, and could face further discipline from the SCHSL following a review of the video of the incident, likely on Monday.
As for the game, DeShanti Watts had 24 points to lead the Red Devils, who scored the final eight points to thwart a last-minute comeback attempt.
In the boys’ game, Clinton rallied from an early 12-3 deficit and outscored 26-13 over the final 9:03 to pick up a 59-48 victory over Broome and stay in a tie with Newberry for first place in the Region 3-3A standings.
If Newberry and Clinton end in a tie, a tie-breaker game will be played to determine the region champion next week.
Laurens: The Laurens girls got a Sandajah Vance basket with 1.2 seconds to go to give the Raiders a 41-39 victory over Riverside. Vance finished with four points, while Qua Fortson led the Raiders with 10.
The LDHS boys were not as fortunate in their game, falling 49-47.
Laurens Academy: The LA girls rolled past Newberry Academy, 68-16. Taylor Campbell hit five 3-pointers and finished with 33 points, while Ruthie Moore scored 22.
The LA boys, meanwhile, suffered a 45-38 loss to NA. Noah Moore had 19 points.
Editor’s note: In an earlier version of this story, a Broome player involved in an altercation was incorrectly identified. This edited version provides the correct name of the Broome player. The Laurens County Advertiser regrets the error.
