SGTC Lady Jets travel to South Carolina for District J game

The nationally ranked South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets travel to Spartanburg, SC to face Spartanburg Methodist in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) District J Championship game on Saturday, March 10th at 2 p.m. The winner of that game advances to the NJCAA Division I women’s national basketball tournament in Lubbock, Texas, March 19th – 24th.
The Lady Jets earned the right to advance to the NJCAA District J game after they defeated East Georgia State College in a 61 – 52 semi-final round of the NJCAA Region XVII end of the season tournament. The Lady Jets then took a 2 – 0 victory over Central Georgia Technical College in the championship game when Central Georgia Tech forfeited. Central Georgia Tech defeated Georgia Highlands 78 – 74 with only four eligible players in their semi-final match-up. A team cannot start a game with four players so Central Georgia Tech was forced to forfeit the championship game to South Georgia Tech.
Two South Georgia Technical College players were singled out for their accomplishments in the NJCAA Region XVII tournament. Freshman forward Ricka Jackson from Ewa Beach, HI, was selected as the Most Valuable Player for the Tournament. She had 17 points and five rebounds.
“Ricka “Maka” Jackson has been consistently good for us all year. She plays with a lot of poise for a freshman and never lets the moment get too big for her. I never hesitate to put the ball in her hands in a tight situation because I have confidence she will make a good decision,” said Lady Jets head coach James Frey. “Friday night at halftime I challenged her to not be average but to be the best player on the floor and in the second half of the biggest game of her life, she dominated. She was great both offensively and defensively. We are extremely lucky to have her for another year.”
Sophomore forward Esther “Nike” Adenike was the other Lady Jet to earn the All-Tournament Team honors. Adenike had 20 points and nine rebounds in that game. She was the GCAA Player of the Year for 2017 – 2018, a GCAA first team selection and was just recently named as an All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
“Esther “Nike” Adenike has been our go to player on the inside all season long. She has truly made the most of her opportunity here and I am very proud of her and can’t wait to see what the future holds for her,” added Frey.
The Lady Jets are currently 27 – 5 on the season and this would be Lady Jets head coach James Frey’s fourth trip to the national tournament in five years and the fifth trip for the Lady Jets in nine years if South Georgia Tech defeats Spartanburg Methodist.
Coach James Frey has been at the helm of the Lady Jets for six seasons. He has been selected as the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) Coach of the Year four times in those six season, won five GCAA regular season titles, four NJCAA Region XVII tournaments and three NJCAA District J championships. He is hoping that his team is able to convert this latest NJCAA Region XVII championship into his fourth trip to the nationals with the Lady Jets in six years. During his six years at SGTC, Frey has put together 20-plus winning records each season. His record at SGTC is 162 – 40. The Lady Jets have finished in the NJCAA Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight in their national tournament trips with Coach Frey.
Lady Jets Assistant Coach Kezia Conyers has been with Frey and the Lady Jets for five seasons. She has been a part of 141 of those 162 wins and has only 27 losses in her tenure. She has also helped coach at three of the Lady Jets four national tournament trips.
Only the top 24 teams in the nation qualify for the NJCAA National Tournament which is held in the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, Texas, March 19th – 24th. The NJCAA will release the 2018 Division I men’s and women’s basketball championship seeding and at-large bids vis livestream on the NJCAA Selection Show on Monday, March 12. The women’s show will air at 11 a.m. and the men’s show will air at 12:30 p.m. on www.njcaatv.com.