The Long County Blue Tide boys basketball team dominated rival Wayne County this past Saturday and improved their record to 2-0.
In the first half, the Blue Tide outscored the 3-AAAA Yellow Jackets, 33-14, and from there they never looked back.
In the second half, Wayne County played better, but the boys from Ludowici were still too much for them as the final score ended up being 62-37.
Center Lazarus Baggs led the way with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Shooting guard Jimmy Bacon had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, while point guard Ricky Rivera had 11 points, 4 assists and two steals.
Robert Gamble and Justin Boyd each had 5 rebounds and 2 steals, while Prince Moody had 4 steals and 8 assists.
“We are still learning how to play together as a team. We must learn to rotate faster and not reach so much when we are on defense,” head coach Deshon Brock.
When asked where he rates the team at this time, the coach said, “I rate us about a five or six on a 10-point scale right now. We need lots of improvement in a lot of areas for us to get to where we want to be.”
Brock also said the two areas where the team needs to improve are rebounding and free throws.
He also said, “We cannot afford to let our intensity slip while playing defense.”
The boys took on another 3-AAAA team Tuesday when the Glynn Academy Terrors came to town. The score wasn’t available at press time.
Lady Tide split wins
The Long County girls basketball team played two archrivals recently picking a win and a loss.
This past week, they traveled to Reidsville and took on the Tattnall County Battle Creek Warriors.
Going into the half, Long County had a narrow three-point lead, as they were up 29-26. But in the second half they out shot the Warriors and won the game 54-46.
In the contest center, Caela LaRochester had 8 points, point guard Brittany Mills also had 8; and the big, all-around player was Shanetra Quarterman who had 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Second game
This past Saturday, the girls didn’t fare as well, losing a tight one at home to the Wayne County Yellow Jackets.
The Lady Blue Tide kept the game close against the 3-AAAA team. They only were down 19-21 at the end of two periods, but couldn’t quite close the gap and lost 51-54.
“We missed too many shots from outside. We did good under the basket and our fast break was working, but we just missed to many from the outside,” head coach Julie Daffron said.
The Blue Tide girls were only able to make seven of 20 free-throw attempts and Daffron said, “That hurt us a lot. You can’t miss that many free throws. But we also have to do better with our field goals. On those, we hit less than 50 percent.”
But even in the loss, Daffron was pleased with several areas of the team’s performance.
“Our defense was wonderful, phenomenal. I can’t ask for a better effort on defense,” Daffron said.
The coach was especially pleased with the defensive play of Mills, LaRochester, and Angel Wilson.
For individual statistics, La Rochester had 7 blocked shots, Quarterman had 14 points and 9 rebounds; Mills had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists; and Shareka Turner added 9 points and 6 rebounds.
“Overall, I am pleased with the girls so far. They are working hard. We are going to work on our outside shooting and try a few more offensive sets and then see where we are,” Daffron said.
The Ladies played Glynn Academy on Tuesday in Ludowici, but results for that game were unavailable at press time.
In the first half, the Blue Tide outscored the 3-AAAA Yellow Jackets, 33-14, and from there they never looked back.
In the second half, Wayne County played better, but the boys from Ludowici were still too much for them as the final score ended up being 62-37.
Center Lazarus Baggs led the way with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Shooting guard Jimmy Bacon had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, while point guard Ricky Rivera had 11 points, 4 assists and two steals.
Robert Gamble and Justin Boyd each had 5 rebounds and 2 steals, while Prince Moody had 4 steals and 8 assists.
“We are still learning how to play together as a team. We must learn to rotate faster and not reach so much when we are on defense,” head coach Deshon Brock.
When asked where he rates the team at this time, the coach said, “I rate us about a five or six on a 10-point scale right now. We need lots of improvement in a lot of areas for us to get to where we want to be.”
Brock also said the two areas where the team needs to improve are rebounding and free throws.
He also said, “We cannot afford to let our intensity slip while playing defense.”
The boys took on another 3-AAAA team Tuesday when the Glynn Academy Terrors came to town. The score wasn’t available at press time.
Lady Tide split wins
The Long County girls basketball team played two archrivals recently picking a win and a loss.
This past week, they traveled to Reidsville and took on the Tattnall County Battle Creek Warriors.
Going into the half, Long County had a narrow three-point lead, as they were up 29-26. But in the second half they out shot the Warriors and won the game 54-46.
In the contest center, Caela LaRochester had 8 points, point guard Brittany Mills also had 8; and the big, all-around player was Shanetra Quarterman who had 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Second game
This past Saturday, the girls didn’t fare as well, losing a tight one at home to the Wayne County Yellow Jackets.
The Lady Blue Tide kept the game close against the 3-AAAA team. They only were down 19-21 at the end of two periods, but couldn’t quite close the gap and lost 51-54.
“We missed too many shots from outside. We did good under the basket and our fast break was working, but we just missed to many from the outside,” head coach Julie Daffron said.
The Blue Tide girls were only able to make seven of 20 free-throw attempts and Daffron said, “That hurt us a lot. You can’t miss that many free throws. But we also have to do better with our field goals. On those, we hit less than 50 percent.”
But even in the loss, Daffron was pleased with several areas of the team’s performance.
“Our defense was wonderful, phenomenal. I can’t ask for a better effort on defense,” Daffron said.
The coach was especially pleased with the defensive play of Mills, LaRochester, and Angel Wilson.
For individual statistics, La Rochester had 7 blocked shots, Quarterman had 14 points and 9 rebounds; Mills had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists; and Shareka Turner added 9 points and 6 rebounds.
“Overall, I am pleased with the girls so far. They are working hard. We are going to work on our outside shooting and try a few more offensive sets and then see where we are,” Daffron said.
The Ladies played Glynn Academy on Tuesday in Ludowici, but results for that game were unavailable at press time.