Cuthbert, GA – The South Georgia Technical College Jets overcame a seven-point deficit in the final nine minutes of play against Andrew College to pull ahead 74 – 73 with 22 seconds left in the game. But the Fighting Tigers roared back in the final seconds to take a 77 – 74 win over the Jets in a Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) contest. The Lady Jets scored first in the opening game of the conference double-header and never really looked back as they captured a 106 – 58 victory over the Andrew College ladies.
The Jets dropped to 8 – 9 overall and 1 – 2 in the conference after their second straight conference loss in the last seconds by three points. They are currently ranked sixth in the GCAA behind Albany Tech (3-0), Central Georgia Tech (2-0); Georgia Highlands (1-0); South Georgia State (2-1); and Andrew College (1-1). The win over Andrew College, left the Lady Jets in first place in the GCAA with an 8 – 0 record and they are currently 18 – 2 overall and ranked 17th in the nation.
Sophomore forward Yasriyyan Wazeerud-Din from Decatur, GA led the Lady Jets in scoring with 29 points on the night. She also had three assists, three steals and seven rebounds. She hit seven of nine three-point attempts in the match-up and four of her eight foul shots. Sophomore Shamari Tyson was close on her heels with 21 points, four assists, one block, one steal and three rebounds.
Sophomore Anna McKendree was the only other Lady Jet in double figures with 14 points. She was four of nine from the three-point line and had five rebounds, eight assists and three steals on the night. Flore Ngasamputu scored eight points for the Lady Jets and Femme Sikuzani added seven points. Niya Goudelock, Veronica Charles, and Amara Edeh each had six points, Oumy Gueye scored four, Moe Shida added three points and Hope Butera hit a free throw to close out the overall scoring.
The Lady Jets were up 56 – 29 at the end of the first half and then continued to outscore Andrew College to take the 106 – 58 victory. The loss dropped Andrew to sixth in the conference with a 1 – 6 GCAA record and left the Lady Jets in first place followed by Georgia Highlands, East Georgia, Central Georgia Tech, and Albany Tech.
After the Lady Jets win, the Jets took to the court and went up 34 – 33 at the end of the first half. Andrew College came out and took the lead in the second half and were up by seven points in the final nine minutes of play until the Jets took the lead following successful three-point shots from sophomore’s Toriano Lewis and Brice Paster.
The Jets were up by one point in the final 22 seconds. Andrew was able to convert and take a 75 – 74 lead. The Jets had an opportunity to go ahead when Justin Johnson drove the length of the court and went up for lay-up. He was called for charging and Andrew sank both shots to take a 77 – 74 lead. The Jets still had several seconds to try to tie the game but a failed three-point attempt left them with a 77 – 74 loss on the night.
Johnson was the top scorer for the Jets with 19 points and he was followed by Denari Garrett who added 10 points. Sophomores Toriano Lewis and Brice Paster both had eight points, Austin Hadden was close behind with seven points, Lamont Sanders added six, and Jalen Reynolds scored five. Tabais Long added four points followed by Merdy Bata, Jarius Carroll, and Emanuel Nwaneri with two points each.
The Jets and the Lady Jets travel to Rome on Saturday, January 11th to face a conference double-header with Georgia Highlands. The ladies play at 2 p.m. and the men follow with a 4 p.m. tip-off. The Jets and Lady Jets return home and will host Southern Crescent Technical College in Americus at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 18th. The Jets will host South Georgia State College on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7 p.m. and then the two teams host Albany Technical College on Saturday, January 25th at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Hangar on the SGTC Americus campus.
Justin Johnson, 5, goes up for a layup for the Jets.