The Long County High School boys basketball team fell to Glynn Academy on Tuesday, 54-73, in a game that proved to be a serious struggle for the Tide.
By the end of the first period, the Tide was behind 14-9, and things just got worse. In the second quarter, Long County managed only 6 points. The Red Terrors, on the other hand, put up 23 points in the quarter, taking a 37-15 lead at the half.
In the third period, the Brunswick team outscored the Tide 20-12 to go up by 30.
In the final quarter, with the score 57-27, Long County’s players got their heads in the game. Justin Boyd, Robert Reed and Norman Thompson led the team in scoring, putting up nearly as many points in the last quarter (26) as they did in the other three combined. When time ran out, the Tide had narrowed the gap slightly, but couldn’t avoid a loss.
Thompson and Reed had 10 points apiece and Boyd put up 22.
The loss dropped the Blue Tide’s record to 1-6 overall and 1-1 in Region 2-AA. Glynn Academy improved its record to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Region 2-AAAA."I don’t know what happened to our team tonight," Tide assistant coach Ryan Bailey said. "We came out slow and couldn’t turn it on. It (the loss) was a combination of taking on a good team and us just never getting our game going."
The Blue Tide won’t play again for two weeks, and they have only two more games before their region schedule picks up. Bailey has ideas about what the squad can do to get ready for the region matches.
"Defense first and foremost," he said. "We can score with anybody in the state, but for us to be successful, we have to improve our defense. We also have to improve our free-throw shooting. We’re making a conscious effort to improve on this in our practice, but we have to execute them when we’re on the court."
The Tide’s next game is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, in Brunswick — a rematch against the Red Terrors.
Lady Tide
The Lady Tide basketball team lost 81-30 on Tuesday to the Red Terrors of Glynn Academy.
The Brunswick girls shot passed the Ludowici team with a 24-2 run to open the game. By the end of the first half, the Lady Terrors had extended their lead to 37-13.
In the second half, the Tide played tough, racking up 17 points, but they were outmatched. The Lady Terrors added 44 more points to earn a victory.
For the Lady Tide, Jamika Boyd put up 8 points, India Gamble added 7 and Tashanna Livingston had 4. For Glynn Academy, Sequoya Aldridge accumulated an impressive 26 points and Shara Davis had 15.
As the winless squad heads toward region play, Lady Tide head coach Ryan Bailey is looking to keep his team motivated.
"Well we’re still missing one of our best players, so that is definitely hurting us," Bailey said.
Caela LaRochester has not been cleared by doctors to play.
"We’re going to keep playing hard and practicing. I hope that if we do this now, by the end of the season, when the region tournament is here, we’ll be playing good ball."
The loss dropped the Lady Tide’s record to 0-6 overall and 0-2 in Region 2-AA. Glynn Academy improved to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in Region 2-AAAA.
The Lady Tide face Metter High School tonight in the Screven County Christmas tournament. Metter brings a 3-3 record into the game, and they are averaging 35 points on offense and defense. The Lady Tide is also averaging 35 points on offense, but they are allowing 67 on defense. The game starts at 4 p.m.