Jets lose to St. Petersburg in overtime in Thanksgiving Classic

The South Georgia Technical College Jets dropped a tough 82 – 80 over-time decision to the St. Petersburg Titans in the Jets Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, November 25th. The Jets fell to 5 – 4 overall after that narrow loss.

In the first game of the tournament Chipola College defeated Roane State and then in the second match-up, the College of Central Florida squeaked past East Georgia State 68 – 65. The action starts again at 12 noon Saturday with Roane State playing St. Petersburg. East Georgia State will face Chipola at 2 p.m. and then the Jets will take on Central Florida at 4 p.m. The Lady Jets will open their classic at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The Jets were up 35 – 33 at the end of the first half in a tight match with St. Petersburg. Returning sophomore guard Pat Welch from Pembroke, New Hampshire, had a hot hand in the first half with 14 points. He was four of four from the three-point line and had one two point shot. He only took three shots in the second half and came up empty to end the game with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.

The Jets built a 15-point lead in the second half, but strong three-point shooting from St. Petersburg allowed the Titans to come back and tie the game at 72 – 72 at the end of regulation play. The Titans outscored the Jets 10 – 8 in overtime to take the 82 – 80 victory.

Ed Jones, a sophomore transfer from Jacksonville State came off the bench, to be the top scorer for the Jets with 18 points. He was followed by Mike Boone, a freshman guard from Charlotte, NC, who added 17 points. Welch was the only other Jet in double figures.

Both teams had a total of 33 of their 80 and 82 points from the three-point line. The difference seemed to be in the second chance points. St. Petersburg scored 12 points compared to the Jets two-points in second chance put backs. St. Petersburg also outrebounded the Jets 42 – 31.