Category Archives: Sports
County schools begin region play
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Reporter
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — After battling their ways through the first month of the season, Pickens County 
schools began their playoff push this week as they entered region play.
Daniel and Liberty High Schools kicked off region play first opening their slate on Friday night.
It was not the start to the season Liberty wanted as both their varsity teams fell to the Landrum
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Lady Lions top Walhalla
By Ian Taylor
Courtesy The Journal
itaylor@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — The Daniel High School girls’ basketball team showed its strong potential last week, 
taking down defending Western 3A champion Walhalla 63-43 in its region opener.
The Lions started strong and never let up, only briefly trailing in the first quarter before sophomore two-guard Braelin Cumbie drained a three and a buzzer-beating layup to
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Daniel downs Walhalla in region opener
By Ian Taylor
Courtesy The Journal
itaylor@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — When the Daniel High School boys’ basketball team welcomed Walhalla to Central on Friday to open region play, it was more than just one matchup.
For starters, it was a battle between two teams that like to play fast and put points up in bunches,
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Tigers outlast Kentucky in instant classic
By Will Vandevort
Courtesy The Journal
sports@upstatetoday.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Clemson’s Phil Mafah scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 17 seconds to play Friday, lifting Clemson to a 38-35 victory over Kentucky to win the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.
Shelton Lewis sealed the victory on the next play from scrimmage by intercepting the final pass of Devin Leary’s college
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Lions finish third at Christmas tourney
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — The Daniel High School boys’ basketball team had a good showing at its annual Christmas basketball tournament finishing 2-1 but fell short of its goal of a championship win.
The Lions opened the tournament with a strong 78-52 win over the Palmetto Mustangs with five Daniel players scoring eight points or more in the victory. Sophomore center Jackson Conley led the way with 16 points for the Lions.
Daniel head coach Ben Touchberry was impressed by the depth the Lions showed in the victory.
“Today was our first day that we were able to dress everybody,” Touchberry said. “Anytime you can play 15 guys, it’s
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Red Devils show growth in DWD Christmas tournament
By Bru Nimmons
Staff Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — In their first season under head coach Brenden Marcell, the Liberty Red Devil boys’ basketball team has proven to be hit-or-miss on the court and that was on full display last week as the Red Devils finished sixth in the Daniel 
Christmas tournament with a record of 1-2.
The Red Devils opened tournament play with their worst loss of the season, falling 93-35 to Seneca. Senior guard Dawson Owen proved to be the lone playmaker for the Devils in the loss with 17 of Liberty’s 35 points.
Coming off a huge win over Pickens the previous week, Marcell emphasized that the team needed to build a winning mentality to compete on a more consistent basis.
“I don’t think anyone expects us to win including ourselves,” Marcell said. “Until we change that mentality, we are not
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Clemson preps for Gator Bowl versus Kentucky
Courtesy clemsontigers.com
news@thepccourier.com
FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — The Clemson Tigers completed their first on-site practice in Florida on Sunday evening in preparation for their upcoming game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the 2023 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Friday, Dec. 29.
Clemson conducted a roughly 90-minute practice at a Jacksonville-area high school. With the Gator Bowl slated for
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Lady Lions’ freshmen shine in win
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — After losing a talented group of seniors last season, led by North/South all-star Destiny Hoover, the Daniel 
High School girls’ basketball team has had an up-and-down start to the 2023 season.
However, Friday’s matchup against Blacksburg showed just how bright the future could be, as the Lions thrashed the Wildcats 77-54 at home.
“When they go out and play Daniel basketball, they can be unstoppable,” Daniel head coach Cosandar Griffin said. “Just watching this team grow from the beginning and come together
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Liberty boys score season high in blowout win over Pickens
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — One week removed from a disappointing loss to county foe Pickens, the Liberty boys’ basketball team had a chance to settle the score against the Blue Flame on Thursday night.
The Red Devils did more than that controlling the contest from start to finish as they bashed Pickens 97-58 in their
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