Category Archives: Sports
Daniel girls see season end with third round loss to South Pointe
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — With a trip to the Upper State championship on the line, the Daniel High School girls basketball team hosted South Pointe on Monday night.
Early turnovers mounted for the Lions and they were unable to stop the Stallions’ all-state tandem of Kaleigh Lucas and JaNyia Cunningham throughout the game, falling 77-52.
“Not taking care of the basketball really hurt us,” Daniel head coach Cosandar Griffin said. “When we went into halftime we were only down by 12, I thought we had a chance. 
It was just so hard to take care of the ball and try to guard those posts.”
The undersized Lions put an emphasis trying to stop Cunningham down low, but even with everything Daniel threw at her at the 6’1” junior she still found a way to put up 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
“She’s just a dominant player,” Griffin said. “She can play small, she can play big and she just knows how to get position down low in the paint.”
With Cunningham’s gravity down low, the floor open up for Lucas as well as she scored a game-high 28 points with four made three-pointers.
“(Cunningham and Lucas) really stepped up and played,” South Pointe head coach Stephanie Butler-Graham said. “They sealed the deal for us.”
The Lions were hot to start the night with Lila Mann, Janiyah Wilson and Braelin Cumbie all hitting three-pointers to keep things tight midway through the first quarter. Cunningham proved to be too much though with 10 of her 27 points in the opening quarter.
Trailing 23-15, the Lions tried to match the Stallions with Cumbie and Shala Williams stepping up on offense. However, the South Pointe continued to get easy buckets in transition because Daniel’s 18 first half turnovers, giving the Stallions a 37-25 lead at the half.
Lucas scored eight straight to open the half for South Pointe but the Stallions were unable to pull away as Williams and Campbell Epting hit big shots for Daniel to make it a 54-40 game after three quarters.
Lucas and Chamberlain continued to roll combining for 55 total points in the contest as the Stallions put the game out of reach in the final quarter for a 77-52 win.
The loss was final game for the Lions three-member senior class of Braelin Cumbie, Madeline McAlister and Carly Webb. Griffin was effusive when talking about her senior class especially Cumbie, a four-year player who saw the Lions go from missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons as a freshman to winning 66 games over the next three years.
“She improved so much from freshman year to senior year,” Griffin said. “She’s basically the backbone of our program. She keeps everybody together.”
While the Lions will miss their graduating class, expectations remain high with the return three all-state players in Campbell Epting, Lila Mann and Shala Williams as Daniel returns to Class 3A next season.
“We have a great core coming back and we look forward to going back down to 3A,” Griffin said. “It’s still going to be tough with teams like Walhalla but we’re just ready to get back in the gym.”
South Pointe 77, Daniel 52
SPHS 23 14 17 23 — 77
DWD 15 10 15 12 — 52
Daniel (52) — Williams 15, Mann 14, Cumbie 13, Wilson 7, Epting 3.
South Pointe — Lucas 28, Cunningham 27, Rowan 14, Coleman 3, Phillips 2, Young 2, Hardy 1.
3-point goals — Daniel 11 (Williams 4), South Pointe 6 (Lucas 4). Rebounds — Daniel 20 (Mann 5), South Pointe 36 (Cunningham 14). Assists — Daniel 9 (Epting 3, Wilson 3), South Pointe 15 (Cunningham 5).
Swann propels Lions to Class 4A quartefinal
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — Looking to advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2023, the Daniel high school boys’ basketball hosted Fountain Inn on Saturday night in round two of the Class 4A playoffs.
With a three-pointer to cap a career-night for Will Swann and a pair of late free throws 
giving them a 12-point lead with 1:54 left, the Lions seemed well on their way to pulling out the victory before the Fury ramped up their pressure defense.
The pressure proved to be effective with the
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AWL returns to Pickens with ‘4EVER’ anniversary event
Screenshot
PICKENS — Excitement is building as the American Wrestling League storms back into Pickens this Saturday, Feb. 28, for its second local event of 2026. The Market at the 
Mill, located at 225 Pumpkintown Highway, will host “AWL: 4EVER,” the organization’s high energy four year anniversary show.
The Market at the Mill has quickly become a hotbed for mat action, with fans packing the building during January’s Rumble at the Mill. Now, anticipation is running high for round two — another night of hard hitting, family friendly
Lady Lions clinch third straight region title with win over Tigers
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
TIGERVILLE — The Daniel High School girls’ basketball team traveled to Blue Ridge 
on Feb. 10 looking to secure a third straight region championship.
The Lions took control in the first half and never let up, relying on a stellar two-way effort from senior guard Braelin Cumbie as they clinched the Region 2-4A championship with a 61-34 win over the Tigers.
“Their commitment, their energy and their competitiveness has shown all year,” Daniel head coach Cosandar Griffin said. “I thought they brought toughness tonight. They played hard, they played together and they finished the job.”
No player exemplified the toughness and the competitiveness of the Lions more than Cumbie. The senior finished with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, but impressed Griffin the most with her play on the defensive end as she hounded Blue Ridge all-state guard Opal Maralit, holding her to less than 10 points.
“Braelin is one of the best defensive guards in the state of South Carolina,” Griffin said. “She’s disciplined, she listens, she’s coachable and she can pretty much guard anybody. She’s an assassin out there on the court.”
While Cumbie knew it would be a challenge to try to slow down the Tigers’ leading scorer, she said she approached the matchup just as she would any other.
“It’s tough, but honestly I feel like I just try and play the same way I do against anybody else,” Cumbie said. “At the end of the day, I just have to do my job.”
Maralit proved how dangerous she could be with a three-pointer to open the night, and the Tigers looked like strong challengers for the Lions as they built a 7-3 lead over the first three minutes. Daniel forward Shala Williams responded with a standout stretch, scoring eight of the Lions’ next 12 points before assisting Cumbie on an and-one basket to put Daniel ahead 20-11 after one quarter.
Makes from Lila Mann and Campbell Epting kept the Lions going into the second quarter before Blue Ridge’s Kaydin Sullivan stopped a 13-0 Daniel run with just under four minutes left in the half. The Tigers got the lead back down to single digits, only for Williams and Cumbie to add two more baskets and put Daniel ahead 32-19 at the half.
Daniel showed no signs of slowing down to start the second half, with another and-one basket from Cumbie and a three-pointer by Mann kicking off the second-half scoring. The Lions went on a 17-2 run to open the quarter before Blue Ridge’s Macie Hanley added a pair of free throws to end the drought. The Lions got the last laugh though, with a three-pointer from Mann and consecutive baskets by Williams putting the lead at 56-23 going into the fourth quarter.
“We knew we needed to finish the job,” Griffin said of the Lions’ transcendent third-quarter effort. “We knew we had to come out and be a little more aggressive and work a little more together against a very good Blue Ridge team. I’m extremely proud of this team.”
With the large lead heading into the fourth, the Lions slowed down their offensive onslaught, with Cumbie adding the team’s only field goal of the period. Even with just one make, the Lions were still able to cruise to the 27-point win and secure the region championship
“It was very fun to see the result of all the work we have put in and finally not having a close game against them,” Cumbie said. “We pulled through and really played together as team.”
The Lions finished out the regular season with a win over Seneca on Thursday night before taking down Berea 66-44 on Monday night in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.
Winners of 23 straight contests, the 24-1 Lions will look to keep their win streak going on Friday night at home against the 16-8 A.C. Flora Falcons.
“We’ve just got to continue to work on getting better, working on ourselves, being confident and stressing defense,” Griffin said after the win over Berea. “I think if we do those things, we’ll be OK.”
Daniel 61, Blue Ridge 34
DWD 20 12 24 5 — 61
BRHS 11 8 4 11 — 34
Daniel (61) — Mann 15, Williams 15, Cumbie 14, Epting 13, McAlister 2, Wilson 2.
Blue Ridge (34) — Maxwell 10, Maralit 8, Heaton 6, Sullivan 5, Bosken 2, Hanley 2, Santana 1.
3-point goals — Daniel 4 (Mann 3), Blue Ridge 2 (Maralit 2). Rebounds — Daniel 35 (Cumbie 11), Blue Ridge 30 (Maxwell 10). Assists — Daniel 19 (Mann 7), Blue Ridge 9 (Maralit 4).
Pickens girls fall to Wren in round one
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
PIEDMONT — Returning to the playoffs after a down season in 2025, the Picken High 
School girls’ basketball team traveled to Wren on Monday night looking to play spoiler against the higher-seeded Hurricanes.
While the Blue Flame gave Wren a battle in the opening quarter, the hot-shooting Hurricanes pulled away behind a standout performance from star sophomore Hailey Burgess to end Pickens’ season with an 80-51 loss.
“It was just inexperience, nerves, and we got in
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County athletes sign to compete at next level
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Two local athletes took the next step in continuing their academic and athletic careers earlier this month, signing letters of intent with colleges on National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
Liberty High School’s Holli Gaffin and Pickens High School’s Emerson McCall signed at
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New coach Ruff introduced at Liberty High School
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — In front of a gathered crowd at Liberty High School on Monday night, new 
Red Devil head football coach Bobby Ruff was introduced to the community and gave a peek into his expectations for the program.
Ruff was introduced by Liberty High School athletic director Jonathan Dilworth, who said that the Red Devils’ new coach stood apart from his peers as they narrowed their large pool of applicants that included coaches from the high school and collegiate ranks throughout
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Red Devils fall in round three
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CHESTER — With their season on the line, the Liberty High School wrestling team travelled to Chester 
on Saturday for the third round of the Class 2A wrestling duals playoffs.
The Red Devils battled hard over the course of their third-round matchup with region foe and second seeded Chesnee, ultimately dropping the contest 32-28.
“I felt like our kids fought their tails off; we just didn’t get the results we wanted.” Liberty head coach Derek Harris said. “You can sit here and look at a bunch of different things, but at the end of the day they were the better team. Still, 26-4 is a heck of a season and I’m proud of our kids. Now, we’re just
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Lady Lions take down county foe Pickens for 18th straight victory
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — After blowing by county foe Pickens in their first matchup this season, the Daniel High School girls’ basketball looked to use the same formula to take down the Blue Flame on Wednesday night.
While the Lions didn’t have quite the same success offensively in just their second game since Jan. 20 due to the recent winter storms, their tenacious defense and control of the glass helped them complete a season sweep of the Blue Flame with a 57-37 win.
“We definitely came out a little rusty,” Daniel head coach Cosandar Griffin said. “The snow days put us
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Daniel boys bash Pickens
By Bru Nimmons
Sports Editor
bnimmons@thepccourier.com
CENTRAL — Looking to remain unbeaten in Region 2-4A play, the Daniel High School boys basketball team hosted Pickens on Wednesday night.
A three-pointer gave the Blue Flame the game’s first points before the Lions mauled their county foe with a 31-2 run over the next 10 minutes of game action on their way to 60-37 win.
“It’s a whole lot easier to play defense when the ball is going into the basket on the other end,” Daniel head coach Ben Touchberry said. “The guys shot it well
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