By: Kendra Majors

In a back-and-forth game with two seniors battling cold and flu season, the Straughn Tigers narrowly lost in Skipperville Tuesday night.

Straughn head basketball coach Bradley Stephens said the Tigers lost to GW Long at the end 48-51.

“We had some opportunities but we missed,” he said. “We missed a good bit of shots in the fourth. It was almost like when we missed baskets there was a lid on the rim, so to speak.”

Stephens said for the majority of the game it was back and forth between the Tigers and the Rebels, and the game was tied 23-all going into the locker room at the break.

Straughn had a strong third quarter and was up 41-38 at the end.

“At one point we had a four or five point lead, and then they pulled ahead,” Stephens said.

Stephens said that two of his three seniors were “rather sick during the game.”

“That’s just a battle we have this time of year,” he said. “They are just playing through the cold and flu season.”

Stephens said overall the game was a really good one.

“Our guys played really, really hard,” he said.

Brantley Kelley had 20 points and nine total rebounds.