Category Archives: Sports
Liberty’s Sutherland to lead 2025 SC Shrine Team
LIBERTY — Liberty High School head football coach Paul Sutherland has been named the head coach of the South 
Carolina team for the 2025 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, according to an announcement last week by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association.
The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, established in 1937, is the nation’s oldest high school football all-star game, pitting top players from South Carolina against their
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Southeastern Championship Bullriding at T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena
Despite a Friday cancellation due to winter storms in the area, Southeastern Championship Bullriding returned to the area last weekend at Clemson University’s T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena. Saturday. The T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena will be hosting the Clemson Monster Truck Wars on Saturday of this week.
Coach, players celebrate anniversary of Central Wesleyan’s 1984 tourney title
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
sports@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — Whether it was the 1987 movie “Hoosiers” about an Indiana high school team’s improbable run at a state championship, or the 1983 N.C. State or 1985 Villanova NCAA Tournament titles, basketball has produced its share of Cinderella stories through the years.
Locally, Central Wesleyan College — whose name was changed to Southern Wesleyan University in the mid-1990s — earned that magical status twice within a five-year span. In 1979 and again in 1984, the Warriors won the District 6 basketball
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Flame outlast Tigers in OT
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — Taking a 12-3 lead in the opening minutes of its matchup with Southside on Wednesday, the Pickens girls’ basketball team seemed to be on its way to a big win when the offense went stagnant.
Slowly, the Tigers inched closer and closer until they took their first lead in the fourth quarter and had Pickens on the ropes with 15 seconds to go, up 37-34. With lead guard Gabi Sanchez fouled out, the Blue Flame quickly pushed the ball down the
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Jackson nabs first win with Devil girls
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — After a first half slugfest, the Liberty High School girls’ basketball team came out of the locker room with a 
purpose as it attempted to pick up its first win of the season in its region opener against Greenville Tech last Tuesday.
A Reagan Swofford three-pointer opened the quarter as the Red Devils went on a 13-3 run on the strength of their defensive intensity putting them out of reach of the Warriors and allowing them to pick up a 36-29 victory, their first under head coach Pat Jackson.
“We’ve been battling this and that, but I have an awesome coaching staff that told me to just hold on, it’s coming,” Jackson said after the win. “All those losses before, they hurt but we played hard, and we battled. My favorite saying is ‘Let’s go put on for the city’ and I said let’s go put on for Liberty.”
The Red Devils did just that, taking the lead in the opening quarter on a putback by eighth grader Madison Henderson and never relinquishing the lead the rest of the way despite multiple comeback attempts by the Warriors.
While Kameria Paul led the Devils in scoring on the night with 11 points, it was the play of senior guard Trinity Garrett that made arguably the biggest difference for Liberty. The senior guard finished with eight points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals, including back-to-back, coast-to-coast layups off steals all while battling numerous injuries.
“I was super proud of how Trinity Garrett stepped up,” Jackson said. “She’s been dealing with a bunch of issues with her ankle and shoulder, but she played hard.”
With the win, the Devils (1-6, 1-0 Region 1-2A) got off on the right track in region play and had a chance to keep it going on Friday against Blacksburg with results unavailable at press time.
Liberty boys survive GTC to open region
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — Overcoming a slow start, the Liberty High School boys’ basketball team jumped ahead by as many as 17 points 
during the third quarter of its region opening contest against Greenville Tech last Tuesday.
However, the Red Devils struggled to maintain their big lead letting the Warriors battle back in the fourth before the Devils put them away in a 54-49 victory for Liberty.
“I want to be able to say I’m pleased with how we played minus our two leaders (Logan Smith and Kendrick
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Pickens comeback falls short against Southside
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — In the midst of a five-game losing skid, the Pickens High School boys’ basketball team hosted Southside on 
Wednesday night hoping to get back on the right track before the Christmas holiday.
Instead, the Tigers’ press forced the Blue Flame into way too many early turnovers leading to a 17-2 first quarter run that Pickens was just never able to overcome despite a late comeback attempt in a 61-53 loss.
“We had a bad start,” Pickens head coach Jeff Harrelson
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Wave douse Flame
It proved to be Easley’s night on Friday against Pickens as both the Green Wave’s boys and girls basketball squads picked up wins over Pickens. Below: Easley’s Josalynn Gamble puts up a shot over a Pickens defender in the Wave’s 33-25 win. Above: Easley’s R.J. Stack defends a layup from Pickens’ Riley Owens during the Green Wave’s 76-57 win. Kerry Gilstrap/Courier
