Liberty County’s boys basketball team improved to 2-0 with a 76-65 win over Long County on Saturday.
Dion Brown led the Panthers with 28 points. Teammate Jordan McRae added 27.
“We made some mistakes early, but in the second half we came out a little better,” Liberty County coach Willie Graham said. “They’re a good team. That’s why we scheduled them”.
Added Graham: “We made a lot of transition mistakes, but we’re getting there. It’s still early in the season, but I’m pleased with the team’s effort.”
The Blue Tide came out on fire, taking a 6-0 lead on the shooting of Jimmy Bacon, but Brown started to warm up and gave Liberty a 17-14 first-quarter lead.
McRae scored seven second-quarter points to give the Panthers a 36-31 halftime advantage.
In the third period, the only weapon the Blue Tide seemed to have was Bacon, who tallied nine of his team-high 28 points, as Liberty held a 55-45 lead heading into the final quarter.
Liberty seized a 16-point lead – 68-53 – with 3 minutes left, but Long went on a 9-0 run to cut its deficit to 68-62 with less than two minutes remaining.
The Blue Tide never got any closer.
When asked what he thought the difference in the game was, Blue Tide coach Deshon Brock said, “Defense and rebounds. They rebounded better than us, and they wanted it more. We can score with anyone, but we have got to play defense. You shouldn’t score 60 points and lose”.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 2-0. They opened the season with a 54-45 win over traditional Savannah power Beach last Friday.
In Saturday’s junior varsity game, Long County beat Liberty 57-56.
Dion Brown led the Panthers with 28 points. Teammate Jordan McRae added 27.
“We made some mistakes early, but in the second half we came out a little better,” Liberty County coach Willie Graham said. “They’re a good team. That’s why we scheduled them”.
Added Graham: “We made a lot of transition mistakes, but we’re getting there. It’s still early in the season, but I’m pleased with the team’s effort.”
The Blue Tide came out on fire, taking a 6-0 lead on the shooting of Jimmy Bacon, but Brown started to warm up and gave Liberty a 17-14 first-quarter lead.
McRae scored seven second-quarter points to give the Panthers a 36-31 halftime advantage.
In the third period, the only weapon the Blue Tide seemed to have was Bacon, who tallied nine of his team-high 28 points, as Liberty held a 55-45 lead heading into the final quarter.
Liberty seized a 16-point lead – 68-53 – with 3 minutes left, but Long went on a 9-0 run to cut its deficit to 68-62 with less than two minutes remaining.
The Blue Tide never got any closer.
When asked what he thought the difference in the game was, Blue Tide coach Deshon Brock said, “Defense and rebounds. They rebounded better than us, and they wanted it more. We can score with anyone, but we have got to play defense. You shouldn’t score 60 points and lose”.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 2-0. They opened the season with a 54-45 win over traditional Savannah power Beach last Friday.
In Saturday’s junior varsity game, Long County beat Liberty 57-56.