Lady Jets clinch 3rd consecutive GCAA title with clean sweep against Andrew College

The South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets clinched their 3rd consecutive Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) conference title with a 79 – 40 victory over Andrew College in the Hangar recently. Then the Jets roared out in the second half of the GCAA double-header to make it a clean sweep with an impressive 83 – 55 win over the Andrew College Fighting Tigers.
“I am really proud of these young ladies,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey, after the Lady Jets locked up the GCAA title with three more conference match-ups remaining in the regular season.
“We reached our first goal by capturing the GCAA title, but now, we have to win the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XVII Tournament Title and the District J play-in game in order to return to the national tournament again this year,” said Frey. “Right now, it is even more important for us to remain focused if we are to achieve our goal of returning to the national championship. Because once we enter the tournament play, it is one loss and you are done.”
The Lady Jets have advanced to the NJCAA national tournament twice in the past three years. In 2014 – 2015, the Lady Jets finished second in the conference but came back and defeated Darton in Albany to win the NJCAA Region XVII title and advance to the District J tournament and the National Tournament. The Lady Jets won the GCAA regular season conference title in 2015 – 2016 but lost to Georgia Highlands in the NJCAA Region XVII end of the season tournament and missed out on a trip to the nationals. The Lady Jets bounced back in 2016 – 2017 to win the GCAA title as well as the Region XVII tournament, the District J play-in game and a trip to the National Tournament in Texas where they finished among the top 16 teams in the nation. They are hoping that this GCAA title in 2017 – 2018 will lead them back to Texas to the NJCAA national tournament for the third time in four years.
As the GCAA champions, the South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets will host the NJCAA Region XVII tournament. The quarter-final game will be on February 27th with the semi-final and final games set for March 2nd and 3rd.
Sophomore forward Esther Adenike was the top scorer for the Lady Jets with 21 points. Guard Ricka Jackson and sophomore forward Sceret Ethridge tied for second place honors with 12 points each. Freshman Fatou Pouye closed out the double digit scoring with 10 points. Dakata Toney added nine points, Alyssa Nieves tossed in five points, Houlfat Mahouchiza scored four points, Kayla Holmes, 3; Bigue Sarr, 2; and Aubrey Maulden, 1.
The Lady Jets are now 13 – 1 in the conference and 21 – 5 overall. Last season, the Lady Jets tied the record for the most wins in the season at 30 – 5 overall. Georgia Highlands is currently second in the GCAA with a 10 – 4 record and those two top teams will face off on Saturday during SGTC Sophomore/Alumni Day at 1 p.m.
The Jets followed the Lady Jets winning ways in the second-half of the double-header with assistant coach Chris Ballauer at the helm. Head coach Travis Garrett was not at the game, traveled to Florida to be with his son for Senior Night.
Freshman guard Isaac LeCompte from Wilmington, DE, joined the Jets in January and made a big impact with 19 points to lead the team in scoring. Sophomore forward Marquel Wiggins was next with 16 points and sophomore guard Mike Boone and Rico Simmons added 12 and 11 points respectively to close out the double-digit scoring. Malik Wilson scored nine points, Durand Greene and Sam Matice both had seven points, and Dominique Walker followed with two points to close out the scoring.
The Jets were up 41 – 27 at the half and stretched that lead to 83 – 55 at the end of the buzzer. The Jets are currently in second place in the GCAA with an 8 – 3 record, two games behind Georgia Highlands which is 8 – 1. South Georgia College is the only team that has beaten Georgia College this season and there are currently in third place with a 6 – 3 record.
The Jets will have the opportunity to gain a game on Georgia Highlands on Saturday, February 10th when the Jets and Lady Jets will face off against Georgia Highlands in two big conference showdowns at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. This will also be South Georgia Technical College’s Alumni and Sophomore Day Event. An alumni game will be held at 10:30 featuring 48 former Jets and Lady Jets players coached by former SGTC coaches. A Tailgating cookout will follow at 11:30 and then the conference match-ups. Admission is free to the Alumni events, tailgating, and basketball games. Free t-shirts, as long as supplies last, will be distributed to SGTC retirees, alumni, students, and faculty and staff.

Lady Jets Esther Adenike (24) is shown above. She had 21 points against Andrew College to help the Lady Jets clinch their 3rd consecutive GCAA title.