On Feb. 6, at the game against McIntosh, Tide basketball standout Jimmy Bacon was recognized for being selected as a 2009 McDonald’s All American Basketball Team nominee.
The 6’4’’ Blue Tide senior currently ranks among the top 1,500 high school players in the nation, and is regarded by ESPN as one of the top recruited players in the nation.
The Blue Tide team is currently in first place in the 2-AA Region and ranked number nine in the state by the GaSports.com/GACA Coaches Poll. The Tide’s success is greatly due to the leadership and ability of Bacon, who is averaging 24.9 points a game.
Bacon was also selected in 2007-08 as a 1st team member of the 2-AA All Region team.
Last Friday, before the Tide’s game against McIntosh County, Bacon was recognized by area McDonald’s Restaurants, owned and operated by Gary Dodd. On behalf of Dodd, marketing director Kris Samuel presented a plaque to Bacon.
If Bacon is selected for the McDonald’s All-American Basketball Team, he will be one of 24 high school standouts to comprise East and West teams.
Bacon was selected for this honor by a panel of experts comprised of coaches and sports journalist.
The East-West game is sponsored by McDonald’s and will take place on April 1 in Miami. It will be televised by ESPN, and all proceeds will go to the Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, charities.
Tide
Roll Blue Tide, roll. That’s what the folks are saying in Long County, as the boys basketball team picked up their 15th win in a row Tuesday.
The Long County team played Appling County in Blackshear, but just like the previous 14 victims, the Pirates sank in a tide of offense.
Despite the Appling team putting up an impressive 78 points, the Blue boys from Long County put up an even more impressive 88.
In the game, Bacon and Justin Boyd each had double-doubles with Bacon scoring 31 and snagging 15 rebounds, and Boyd put up 19 points and got 10 boards. Bacon also had 5 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocked shots.
Other notable players for Ludowici were Norman Thompson who had 24 points, 4 assists and 3 steals, and Ricky Rivera who had 10 points.
With the win, the Blue Tide (17-5) improved their Region 2-AA Record to 13-2, and with a win over Jeff Davis County tonight, they can clinch the top seed in the region tournament.
Lady Tide
On the girls side, Long didn’t fare as well, as they lost to the Lady Pirates 46-51 Tuesday.
With the loss, the Lady Tide (13-9) fell to 11-4 in the 2-AA Region and insured the Brantley County Lady Herons the top spot for the upcoming region tournament.
The girls take on the Lady Yellow Jackets tonight in Hazlehurst, and will be hoping to bounce back as they prepare for post season play. The Lady Tide tips off at 6. The boys begin at 7:30.