LUBBOCK, TEXAS - The 2019 South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets basketball team is headed to the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas, for the third consecutive year and for the fifth time in six years under Lady Jets head coach James Frey and Assistant Coach Kenzia Conyers.
The Lady Jets are joining an elite group of women’s basketball teams that are making the trip a regular occurrence and hundreds of fans are expressing their support of the Lady Jets through donations to the Jets Booster Club and through congratulations and well wishes on social media channels.
The Lady Jets drove to Atlanta and flew to Lubbock, TX with a short stop-over in Dallas-Ft. Worth. It is a long trip and South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford along with coaches James Frey and Kezia Conyers wanted to thank the Jets Booster Club and the fans for helping make this post-season trip possible.
“This is an expensive trip,” said Coach Frey. “We are very fortunate to have strong community and college support for this program. These young ladies work hard in the classroom and on the court and it is a testament to them that we earned the right to compete at this level. I would also like to thank every individual who came to the games, joined the Jets Booster Club, or supported our team this season in any way. We thank you and we want to represent our community well at the national level.”
The 19th seeded Lady Jets will match-up against 14th ranked Trinity Valley at 11 a.m. EST on Tuesday, March 19th. The game can be heard on WISK-FM 98.7 or viewed online at www.njcaatv.com. The winner of the South Georgia Tech vs. Trinity Valley game will face the third seeded Shelton State AL team at 6 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 20th.
The Lady Jets are one of 14 of the 24 qualifying NJCAA Division I women’s basketball teams in the national tournament this year who have made three or more consecutive appearances at the big dance. The 14-teams that are making three-peat trips include: 19th ranked South Georgia Technical College (30 – 3), 16th seeded Cochise (AZ) (28 – 3); fifth place Odessa (TX) (23 – 7); 23rd Harford (MD) (31-1); 15th Walters State (TN) (28 – 4); 2nd place Gulf Coast State (FL) (23 – 5); 20th Western Nebraska (29 – 3); 21st Salt Lake (UT) (25 – 5); 3rd place Shelton State (AL) (29 – 3); ninth Jones (MS) (27 – 2); top-ranked Wabash Valley (IL) (31 – 0); 13th Hutchinson (KS) (30 – 3); seventh place Seward County (KS) (30 – 3); and 14th Trinity Valley (TX) (26 – 4).
“It is a pretty common occurrence at the NJCAA Division I women’s tournament for teams to come back over and over again,” said Richard Webster of the NJCAA organization. “It is definitely more common that most people imagine.”
This year 58% of the teams that qualified for the National Tournament are making three or more consecutive trips. “We are very excited to be headed back to Lubbock and the NJCAA National Tournament,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey. “It is an honor to get to the national tournament but we want to do more than just go. We want to let our opponents know that South Georgia Technical College from Americus, GA earned the right to go by playing good aggressive basketball. We also want to make a good showing for our community and our fans.”
Only two of the 24 teams in the tournament have unbeaten records. Top-ranked Wabash Valley (IL) is currently 31 – 0 this season and 18th seeded Miles College (MT) has the best overall record of any team with a 33 – 0 performance. Twenty-third ranked Harford (MD) is the only team in the tournament with one loss and they are 31 – 1. The only team with two losses is Jones (MS) and their overall record is 27 – 2.
South Georgia Technical College (30 – 3) along with third place Shelton State (AL) (29 – 3); fourth place Angelina (TX) (30 – 3); seventh ranked Seward County (KS) (30-3); 13th Hutchinson (KS) (30 – 3), 16th Cochise (AZ) (28 – 3); 17th Florida Southwestern (29-3); 20th Western Nebraska (29 – 3); 22nd NOC-Enid (OK) (28 – 3); and 24th Three Rivers (MO) (27 – 3) all have three losses this season.
South Georgia Tech’s opponent, Trinity Valley, is currently 26 – 4 and is heading to the national tournament for the 24th time. The Lady Cardinals finished as the NJCAA National Runner-up for the past three years. Last year they lost to Tallahassee Community College 69 – 51 in the championship contest, in 2018 they lost to the top ranked Gulf Coast State team 87 – 63, and in 2016, they lost to Gulf Coast 63 – 47.
On paper, the Lady Cards and the Lady Jets seem to match-up pretty evenly. Trinity Valley is 26 – 4, averages 79.5 points per game, shoots 41.5 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from the three-point line, and hits 68.1 percent of their free throws. They pull down an average of 42.5 rebounds and have 16.4 assists per game. The Lady Jets are 30 – 3, average 81 points per game, hit 44.3% of their field goals, 35.9 percent of their three-point shows and 69.5 percent of their free throws. They average 47.6 rebounds and 18.8 assists each game. It will now all boil down to who plays the best after the whistle blows.
Individuals who would like to share comments or support online for the South Georgia Technical College can post to the South Georgia Technical College Facebook page or the Jets Booster Club Facebook page or through Twitter or Instagram. For more information about donating to the Jets Booster Club contact Athletic Director James Frey at 229-931-2039 or Terri Battle at 229-931-2719. Membership fees can also be mailed to South Georgia Technical College, Attn: Jets Booster Club, 900 South Georgia Tech Parkway, Americus, GA 31709.