Lady Saints drop opener to Mars Hill
STAFF REPORTS
      Mars Hill College defeated Limestone 84-61 in women's basketball action on Wednesday night at the Timken Center. Limestone starts the season with a 0-1 record as the Lions improve to 3-0. Tierney Burdett scored a gamehigh 19 points for the Lady Saints. Blanca Gonzalez recorded 16 points and 5 rebounds.
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BRIEFS
      Directions to Sumter game Take Highway 76/378 East from Columbia to Sumter. From Jim Hudson GMC proceed 33 miles. As you approach Shaw Air Force Base, look for Highway 441 South (You will see a small strip mall on your right with a Food Lion as an anchor store.) Turn right onto Highway 441 South.
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Indians feeling confident
GHS holds 10-1 edge in series record
By LARRY HILLIARD Ledger Sports Editor larry@gaffneyledger.com
      Will the Gaffney Indians get the best of Sumter - again? The Indians, who hold a 10-1 edge in the overall series, travel to Sumter today in a second-round Class AAAA Division I playoff matchup. The teams met in the second round last year with the Indians coming away with a 21-14 victory.
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Limestone to add men's volleyball team next year
STAFF REPORTS
      Limestone College's Director of Athletics Mike Cerino has announced the addition of men's volleyball as a varsity sport for the 2009-10 academic year. The squad will begin competition in the spring of 2010. Approximately 80 institutions sponsor men's volleyball at the collegiate level.
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LEDGER FOOTBALL EXPERTS
     
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Steelers defense controls Bengals
ASSOCIATED PRESS
      PITTSBURGH - The Steelers honored defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau with a pregame ceremony for his 50 years as an NFL coach and player. His league-best defense found the best possible way to pay tribute to him.
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Class AAAA Football
     
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Kenseth signs extension
ASSOCIATED PRESS
      CONCORD, N.C. - Matt Kenseth signed a multiyear contract extension Thursday with Roush Fenway Racing to continue driving the No. 17 Ford. The deal comes at the end of one of Kenseth's most disappointing seasons: He failed to win a race for the first time since 2001, and his 11th-place finish in the standings was his lowest since that season.
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Big not always better
Twenty years ago, Bill Elliott proved that little guys can come out on top
By RICK MINTER Cox News Service
      Jimmie Johnson's third consecutive Sprint Cup title was the 14th time that the winning crew was part of a powerful multi-car team based in the NASCAR hub north of Charlotte, N.C. The streak started in 1995 with Johnson's teammate Jeff Gordon, who was teammates that year with Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader.
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NUMERICALLY SPEAKING
      23 The number of years between major NASCAR championships for Johnny Benson (Nationwide in 1995 and Trucks this year), a NASCAR record. 20 Different winners of the Nationwide Series title now that Clint Bowyer has joined the list.
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Old points format results in close finishes
      The Chase-for-the-Sprint-Cup format didn't end up producing as close of a points battle for NASCAR's elite series as the old season-long format did for the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series.
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FINAL 2008 SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
      1. Jimmie Johnson 6,684; leader 2. Carl Edwards 6,615; behind: -69 3. Greg Biffle 6,467; behind: -217 4. Kevin Harvick 6,408; behind: -276 5. Clint Bowyer 6,381; behind: -303 6. Jeff Burton 6,335; behind: -349 7.
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Rick Minter's OBSERVATIONS
Story lines as NASCAR's season comes to a close.
      Testing mandate to ease economic woes To help its financially struggling race teams, NASCAR has suspended testing in 2009 for its Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Camping World (now Craftsman) Truck, Camping World East and West Regional series at tracks that host any of those events.
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