By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
LCHS beats Blue Tide in basketball action
Panthers play BI today; Tide off until Saturday
RheaRose
Rhea Rose, No. 33, sinks 2 of her 8 points in Saturday’s game against Liberty County. The Lady Panthers defeated the Lady Tide 79-40. - photo by Photo by Mike Riddle

Panthers roar past Lady Tide

The Lady Panthers defeated the Lady Tide 79-40 Saturday in Ludowici.

The girls from Liberty came out on fire and assumed control of the game early with a 7-2 run. They led 22-9 at the end of the first period.

In the second period, their dominance continued as they outscored the Ludowici ladies to go up 31-11. However, the Lady Tide didn’t give up. They managed a 5-1 run to narrow the score to 16-32. Despite the effort, the Lady Panthers were up 40-16 at the half.

After the break, the Tide came out strong and played great defense through the first five minutes of the period. They scored nine points to narrow the gap, 25-42. The Lady Panthers found a rhythm and pulled off a 15-2 run with one quarter left.

In the final period, the Lady Tide had a three-pointer on their first possession, followed by a lay-up by India Gamble. They couldn’t manage much more than that, however, and the Lady Panthers won decisively.

The Lady Tide’s leading scorers were Caela LaRochester with 7 points, Rhea Rose with 8, and Tashanna Livingston and India Gamble with 12 points each.

The Panthers leading scorers were Kourtney Alexander with 27 points, Diamone Johnson with 14 points, Miata Askew with 13 and Catherine Scaggs with 12.

Lady Tide head coach, Ryan Bailey had nothing but praise for the visiting Panthers. "They played at another level. They were in high gear and we were in medium gear."

He added, "We played hard, with Rhea (Rose) and Caela (LaRochester) having a pretty good game, but they just outplayed us."

The win improved the Lady Panthers record to 2-0, while the Lady Tide fell to 0-2.

Liberty County takes on Bradwell Institute today in the Joe Green Tip-Off Tournament. The Lady Panthers take on the McIntosh County ladies Saturday in Darien.

Long County will play the Lady Yellow Jackets of Wayne County on Friday in Jesup.

The Long County High School boy’s basketball team came out strong during Saturday’s game against Liberty County High School, but couldn’t contain Panthers Jordan McRae and Rion Brown. The two seniors led the Panthers to a 90-74 win over the Blue Tide.

On Liberty’s first possession, McRae took the ball and completed an "alley-oop" pass to Brown for two points. The Tide retaliated and standout Justin Boyd took the ball down court, sinking a long three-pointer.

Through the first five minutes of the game, the teams appeared evenly matched. The Tide, led by Boyd and Norman Thompson, were up 19-16. However, the Panthers managed a 10-2 run late in the quarter to go up 26-21.

In the second period, the Tide were outscored and the Panthers led 52-41 at the half.

Going into the third period, the Panthers had a 21-point lead, but the Tide stepped up its game. With solid defensive play, Long County narrowed the gap to 56-71.

The Tide pulled off a 9-3 run during the first four minutes of the fourth period, but, in the end, the Panthers earned 90-74 victory.

The Panthers’ leading scorers were Brown with 28 points and McRae with 23. For the Tide, Thompson had 16 points and Boyd had 36.

Despite the win, Panther head coach Willie Graham said his team still needs to improve its defense. "We have a long way to go, and have to do a lot of work. We can score, but hopefully we’ll get better on our defense," he said.

Blue Tide head coach Deshon Brock had both positive and negative comments for his squad. "Free-throws killed us. We were 9 for 22, and against a team with that kind of talent we have to make those shots. But I’m pleased with the effort. We did play hard," he said.

With the win, Liberty County improved its record to 2-0. The Blue Tide fell to 0-2.

The Panthers played Savannah High yesterday in the Joe Greene Tournament, but results for that game were not available at press time. LCHS takes on Bradwell Institute today in the tournament. The Courier will publish results as they become available.

The Blue Tide is off until Saturday, when they take on the Wayne County Yellow Jackets in Jesup.

 

Sign up for our e-newsletters