Long County High School had to travel to Darien Tuesday to take on McIntosh County in a big 2-AA showdown.

The Blue Tide beat the Bucs, but the Ludowici team needed a double-overtime to win.

Long County fell behind by 10 in the first OT, but fought back to once again tie the game, forcing a second extra period. In that final period the Long County team pulled away, and won 87-80.

"I think we showed a lot of character after failing to close them out in regulation," head coach Deshon Brock said. "We played hard and showed a lot of heart being down in the first overtime to come back and tie, forcing another period."

The coach added, "Coach (Terrance) Haywood is a heck of a coach and his team always plays hard and will never give up."

Brock also praised his players’ effort.

"Denzel Richardson played great defense in the second half before fouling out. He and Ricky (Rivera) did a great job defending (Darius Robinson) #23".

"I thought Jimmy Bacon stepped up big as a leader, and became more vocal as a leader, rallying his troops together to victory."

In the game, Bacon had 32 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 4 steals. Justin Boyd had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.

Rivera added 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, with Eli Guest putting in 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.

With the win, the Blue Tide (7-5) moved into a five way tie for second place in the 2-AA Region with a 4-2 region. The other four teams are Appling County (11-2), Benedictine Military Academy (8-3), McIntosh County (9-4) and Jeff Davis County (8-5).

Still on top in the region is Tattnall County with a 10-5 overall record, and a 7-1 region record.

Tonight the Blue Tide is back at home, against Appling County. The Pirates are averaging 63 points a game, while giving up 45 points.

Long County is on top in the 2-AA Region, averaging 71 points a game, but giving up 63 points.

The game tonight starts at 7:30.

Lady Tide

The Lady Tide picked up their fourth win in a row Tuesday against the McIntosh County Lady Bucs 36-32.

"It was the worst possible game we could have played, and we won," girls head coach Ryan Bailey said. "I was proud of the ladies for that. We are learning how to win.".

Shareka Turner, who led the Long County team in scoring with 14 points, also got praise from the coach.

"Sharika Turner is one of my hardest working players on and off the court. In many games she gets overshadowed by great performances by Brittany (Mills) or Shanetra (Quarterman), but she is one of the players that I can count on night in and night out," Bailey added.

The girls held the Lady Bucs to 32 points, which was the Lady Tide’s best defensive performance of the year.

"Caela LaRochester played a heck of a game (on defense). She had several blocked shots and was a major rebounder all night," Bailey said.

With the win the Lady Tide now are in second place in the 2-AA Region, tied with Pierce County.

The top five region teams are Brantley County (12-1) at 6-1, Long County (6-6) and Pierce County (7-4) at 5-1, Jeff Davis County (9-4) in fourth with a 4-2 record, and Appling County (5-8) at 3-3.

Tonight the girls are back in the friendly confines of Long County High School, taking on Appling County.

The Lady Pirates are averaging 40 points a game, while giving up 43 points. The Blue Tide girls are averaging 46 points a game, which is fourth in the region, while giving up 53, which is the second highest average in the 2-AA.

The game tonight starts at 6.