WEDNESDAY SPORTS: HS hoops; Clemson goes to 7-1; Furman plays tonight

In high school basketball on Tuesday, the West-Oak Warrior boys opened the season with a 67-66 overtime loss to Rabun County. The West-Oak girls also lost its opener, 65-43.

Elsewhere, Walhalla’s boys defeated Liberty 88-60, and the Lady Razorbacks were 51-5 winners. Molly Saxon led the way with 14 points.

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Clemson overcame a sluggish first half to put away SC State by a score of 65-49 on Tuesday at Littlejohn Coliseum. The victory improved the Tigers to 7-1 on the season, 5-0 at home. SC State fell to 2-6 with the loss. Devin Coleman led the Tigers with 16 points, all in the first half.

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The Furman men’s basketball team hits the road once again when it travels to New York to face the Fordham Rams on Wednesday evening at Rose Hill Gym. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Coverage on WGOG begins Wednesday at 6:30 PM.

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South Carolina Gamecock football standout Bruce Ellington will return to the hardwood Friday night when Frank Martin’s team takes on #9 Oklahoma State as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Ellington will return to football once USC’s bowl destination is known. The Gamecocks tip-off against the Cowboys Friday at 9:30 PM on ESPN.

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The Furman University Paladin Club is offering a fan charter flight package to Fargo, North Dakota, for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. ET Furman-North Dakota State FCS playoff game at the Fargodome. The charter will depart Greenville-Spartanburg airport at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and will return from Fargo immediately following the game. The cost is $650 per person and will include the plane flight and transportation to the Fargodome from the Fargo airport. Those interested should call (864) 294-3099. Coverage of Saturday’s game on WGOG will begin at 2:30 PM with the Paladin Pre-Game Show from Fargo, North Dakota.

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Ron Smith, who in the 1970s starred for Furman University in both basketball and baseball, and for the past 20 years has served as head baseball coach at his alma mater, has been selected for induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith, a native of Elkhart, Indiana and product of Elkhart Memorial High School, where he was a standout in basketball, baseball, and tennis from 1972-74, is among 12 former Indiana basketball greats slated for induction at the 53rd annual banquet, scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2014, in New Castle, Indiana.

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Free-agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who has spent his entire major league career with the Boston Red Sox, has reached a seven-year, $153 million deal with the arch rival New York Yankees, according to media reports Tuesday night. The 30-year-old Ellsbury helped the Red Sox win the World Series this past season, hitting .298 and leading the American League with 52 stolen bases