LUDOWICI -- The 2021 Long County Blue Tide basketball season is underway, and fans got their first look at the team on Wednesday, Nov. 10 when the teams hosted the Bryan County Redskins in a scrimmage game.
The Lady Tide took the court first against the Lady Redskins, consistently one of the better teams in the area over the last few years. The first half took over an hour to complete due to over 40 fouls being called between both teams, which led to a high-scoring affair.
The Lady Redskins jumped out to an early lead, going up 12-4 in the early stages of the game. They led 19-7 going into the second quarter as it looked like they would cruise to an easy win.
The Lady Tide, however, did not let up that easily. Amiyah Simpkins hit a big three point shot in the second quarter that bolstered her team.
They outscored Bryan County 12-5 in the first three minutes of the second quarter to make the score 24-21. However, it was a Bryan County 10-6 run down the stretch that gave them the 34-27 lead going into halftime.
It was another back-and-forth affair in the third quarter, but with them already trailing by seven, it did the Lady Tide no favors. Late in the period, the Redskins went on an 8-0 run to make the score 44-33.
Bryan County led 50-36 going into the fourth quarter after holding the Lady Tide to just three points over the final three minutes of the period.
In the past, the game probably would have been over with it being a 14-point deficit for the Lady Tide. However, this team is different as they went on a 12-3 run to open the fourth to make the score 53-48 with 4:40 left in the game.
While the Lady Tide never could get the lead in the game, they fought hard and fell 60-58. One thing the Tide will likely have to work on before the regular season tips off is free throws.
The team was 21-51 from the line for a 41.1 percentage. In the fourth quarter, however, the team was 7-21 from the line for just a 33.3 percentage.
Simpkins had a great game in her Tide debut, scoring exactly half of her team’s points with 29. Makayla Raimer added 12 points in the second half.
The boys’ game moved much quicker than the previous game, but that also led to a lower-scoring affair in the first half.
The Blue Tide seemed to want to live by the three-point shot in the first half as they shot a total of 13 attempts from beyond the arc and made just two.
The Tide led 15-10 at the end of the first quarter in a back-and-forth affair. The second quarter saw a three-minute scoreless stretch between the two teams before the Tide began to pull away from the Redskins.
Led by Cameryn Johnson’s 11 points, the Tide led 32-14 going into halftime.
The Tide struggled to get much going in the third quarter and the Redskins took advantage of that. With a 42-25 lead, the Tide seemed to be in control, but the Redskins went on a 9-0 run into the fourth quarter to make the score 42-34 early in the final period.
The Tide got a little help from Khaleel Anderson’s second three point make of the night as the Tide began to pull away with a 50-35 lead.
However, it was the Redskins’ turn to run again as they scored nine straight to make the score 50-44 with four and a half minutes left.
Despite their best efforts, the Redskins could not get back with a single possession of the Tide’s lead. The Tide pulled away, closing the game on an 11-3 run to win 61-47.
The Tide were paced by Johnson’s 24 points while big man Trinity Gray added 14 points and seven rebounds.
The Blue Tide will look to improve on their three-point shooting as they finished 3-15 for 20 percent.
The regular season opener is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Nov. 19 against Claxton. However, a win by the Blue Tide football team in this Friday’s playoff game would lead to the game being rescheduled.