The Long County Blue Tide basketball teams went through firsts last Friday against the Groves Rebels as the girls pulled out their first win while the boys suffered their first loss.
On Tuesday, December 5, the teams hosted rival Tattnall County as the girls looked to keep their momentum going and the boys looked to bounce back. The girls fell in blowout fashion 72-22 while the boys dominated in a 69-34 win.
The Lady Tide were shorthanded as they took on the Lady Warriors. Most of their starting lineup and bench were absent from the game as they competed in the flag football state playoffs.
This played a big hand in the Tide’s loss to the Warriors as Tattnall County used three different runs to open a big lead in the first quarter. They opened on a 7-0 run, followed by a 6-0 run to go up 13-2. They closed on another 7-0 run to take a 20-4 lead into the second quarter.
The Warriors outscored the Tide 23-6 in the second quarter as they led 43-10 at the half. The Lady Tide was shut out in the third quarter as the Warriors took a 50-point lead at 60-10.
With mostly a reserve squad in the game for the Lady Tide and just one veteran player, Imani Pouncey, on the court, they fell to 1-3 on the season.
The 10th-ranked boys took the court looking to bounce back against the Warriors after their first loss of the season the prior Friday.
The Tide took a 6-3 lead early on two Keshawn Smith layups. Tattnall’s Justin McMillan hit a game-tying 3-point shot before the Tide went on a 7-0 run to go up 13-6 and lead 15-8 at the end of the first.
They never looked back from that lead after Smith’s six-point first quarter.
With a 28-20 lead late in the half, Long County’s freshman phenom Zion Thomas put back and got fouled. He hit the free throw to complete the three-point play as the Tide took their first double digit lead of the game.
With a 34-20 lead coming into the third quarter, the Tide 3s the second half with a 7-0 run to go up by 21. Chuck Anderson and Smith both hit big threes in the third as the Tide pushed their lead out to 54-28 with just seconds left on the clock.
Thomas hit a layup and Zyi Holt stole the inbound pass and connected another layup to make the score 58-28 going into the fourth, cutting time down from 8 to 6 minutes due to the GHSA mercy rule.
Thomas had two big dunks that got the crowd on their feet and the Tide moved to 3-1 on the season.
The Tide had two players score double digits in just three quarters as Anderson led with 16 points and Smith added 15. Chris Hatfield fell just one missed free throw shy of a double-double as he finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams will host Savannah Country Day on Saturday, December 9 for Toys for Tots night.