By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

LONG BEACH — Homestanding Long Beach gained revenge twice Friday night as both the Bearkittens and the Bearcats knocked off visiting Picayune in Division 8-4A prep basketball action.

The Lady Tide fell 80-58 and the Maroon Tide dropped a 66-48 decision.

Picayune swept visiting Long Beach last month in the league openers for all four teams.

In the girls game Friday, Long Beach used a 14-4 run in the second quarter to break open a close game and take a 36-24 advantage at halftime.

The Bearkittens then went on a 12-3 run to open the second half and take control.

The loss overshadowed an outstanding performance by Picayune’s Monique Brown who tallied a game high 39 points. Arrianna McGill added eight for the Lady Tide, which fell to 5-12 overall and 3-3 in league play. Picayune’s 57-51 win over Long Beach last month was the first win of the season for the Lady Tide

Long Beach had three players in double figures led by Delaina Lyons’ 18 points while Chrissy Slade added 18 and Kelly Williams 14.

The Lady Bearcats moved to 14-9 overall and 3-3 as well in league play.

• In Picayune’s 43-41 win over Long Beach in boy’s action last month, the Maroon Tide held Bearcat guard Jermille Fluker, who leads South Mississippi averaging 27 points per game, to just 10 points.

Fluker got some revenge of his own Friday night as he tallied his average, 27 points in pacing the Bearcats to the win.

The Maroon Tide, playing shorthanded after the loss of two key players in Reggie Bailey and Chris Nixon, stayed close to the Bearcats in the first half with some scrappy play.

In fact, the Maroon Tide led 13-10 after one period thanks to a 3-pointer by Vince Gable in the final seconds of the quarter.

Fluker tallied 11 points in the first half, and helped the Bearcats ease out to a 27-22 lead at halftime.

Fluker really came alive in the third period, scoring 12 points and keying a 14-4 run in that frame that helped the Bearcats take control of the contest.

“We played with intensity, and I am proud of my guys,” Picayune head coach Tom Taylor, whose team falls to 9-9 overall and 5-3 in league play said. “It’s just the little things we have to correct, and when you are as young as we are that’s a growing process sometimes.”

Gable played well for Picayune, tallying 22 points including five 3-pointers. Lloyd Hall added 10 points and eight rebounds and Darrione Stewart had nine points.

Fluker led four Bearcats in double figures as Long Beach moved to 8-14 overall and 3-5 in league play.

Picayune remains on the road as both teams travel to Bay High Tuesday.

PRC hoops

Both Pearl River Central teams were in action on the road on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, the local teams split a pair of games against St. Stanislaus and OLA as the Rocks beat the Blue Devils 72-52 and the Lady Devils beat the Lady Crescents 39-8.

In the boy’s game, league leading SSC remained unbeaten in Division 8-4A action thanks to 23 points by sophomore center Daniel Grieves.

The Rockachaws opened the game with a 10-0 run.

PRC fell to 6-11 overall and 2-4 in league play with the loss, as the Blue Devils got 17 points from Je’Barr Locure and 15 points from Josh Nixon.

“We played hard and gave them all they wanted for most of the game,” PRC head coach Austin Alexander said.

SSC moved to 17-3 overall and 7-0 in league play.

In the girls game, PRC jumped out to a 24-2 lead after the first period and never looked back.

Amberley Banks scored 12 points to pace PRC, which moved to 5-12 with the win.

On Saturday, both PRC teams traveled to Hancock for a pair of games.

The LadyDevils dropped a close 30-27 decision to the Lady Hawks, falling to 5-13 overall.

The Blue Devils, though, pulled out an exciting 73-72 win in double overtime over the homestanding Hawks.

Josh Nixon tallied a game high 33 points for the winning team, while Locure added 19.

PRC moves to 7-11 overall with the win.

The Blue Devils actually trailed 24-11 at halftime, due in part to having four key players including a pair of starters that had to sit out the first two quarters.

PRC stormed back in the second half, though, and scored 62 points in the last two quarters and the two overtime periods.

Nixon hit an acrobatic 3-pointer at the buzzer in regulation to send the game into extra sessions.

Both PRC teams travel to D’Iberville for Division 8-4A action on Tuesday.