The Blue Tide improved their Region 2-AA record to 2-2 on Friday with a narrow 66-64 win over Charlton County. The victory didn’t come easy.
Long County was up by 6 at the end of the first period, by 5 at the half, and by 3 at the end of three quarters. But with 31 seconds left in the game, the Indians sank a three-pointer to tie it at 63.
The Tide’s Justin Boyd answered by driving down the court and drawing a foul under the net. He missed both shots at the foul line, but after the second free-throw Boyd came up with his own rebound and sank a jump-shot to put the Tide up.With 11 seconds left to play, Charlton brought the ball in but a Blue Tide defender stole it and passed to Boyd who was fouled again. This time, the senior went one for two, giving the Tide a three-point lead and the win.
The Tide’s leading scorers were Boyd with 21 points, Robert Goslee with 14 points and Donte Brown with 10.
Though his squad won, coach Deshon Brock still wasn’t pleased with the defensive performance.
"We still have to fix our defense. We’re not playing defense against anybody. We’re also playing inconsistent," Brock said. "We’re playing to the level of our opponent
and that’s not good. In our region, teams bring their best game to us. They play us hard. We’ve got to get more consistent."
The coach did point out a few bright spots, though.
"On a good note, we were able to pull out a close game. We have been on the other side of that this year, too, but tonight we did share the ball well and followed our game plan" he said.
With the win, the Blue Tide improved their overall record to 3-8 and their Region 2-AA mark to 2-2. Last night, Long County faced the Brantley County Herons in Nahunta, but results were not available by press time.
On Tuesday, the Tide faces Region 2-AA rival McIntosh County in Ludowici. The game begins at 7:30 p.m.
Lady Tide
It has been a tough season for the Long County High School girls basketball team, but on Friday the Lady Tide turned things around and picked up their first win of the season. The squad beat Charlton County 56-53.
In the first half, Long County played aggressively and led 28-25 at the end of two periods.
In the third quarter, the Lady Tide went on a 5-0 run to extend their lead, however, the Lady Indians fought back and narrowed the gap to
37-34. The Tide answered by pulling ahead further when Tashanna Livingston nailed a long 3-pointer as time expired, putting Long County up 40-34 at the end of three.
Long County’s India Gamble drove to the net for a bucket and drew a foul. She made a clutch free-throw to put the Tide up again. The Indians fought, but the Tide held on for a victory.
Top scorers for the Tide were Gamble with 18 points, Tashanna Livingston with 10 points, Rhea Rose with 9 and Miranda McDowell with 6.
"I feel like a 12-pound weight has been lifted off my back. It’s always great to get that first win of the year. I just regret that it didn’t come until after Christmas," said coach Ryan Bailey. "For the first time this season, we had everyone on the team giving extra effort. Everyone was hustling and making plays tonight."
Bailey said he was pleased with his entire team’s performance and lavished praise on a few players. "Rhea played great defensively and made some big steals and some key rebounds. India also had another great night."
With the win, the girls improved their Region 2-AA record to 1-3 and their overall mark to 1-9.
The ladies played Brantley County last night in Nahunta, but results for that game were not available at press time.
On Tuesday, the Lady Tide will take on the McIntosh County Lady Bucs in Ludowici at 6 p.m.