SGTC’s Lady Jets move up to 7^th in nation in NJCAA poll

     The South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets climbed two spots into 7^th place in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division I women’s basketball poll released this week.  The Lady Jets opened the season at 5^th in the nation but a loss to the nationally ranked Gulf Coast Lady Commodores dropped them to 12^th.  They moved up to 11^th, 9^th, and are now only two spots back from their pre-season ranking.  

   Trinity Valley remains in first place with a perfect 9 – 0 record.  Blinn is second at 7 – 0 on the season and Chipola is third with a 5 – 0 record.  Northwest Florida State, 6 – 1, and Gulf Coast State, 7 – 0, close out the top five spots.

   Jones is currently ranked sixth in the nation followed by South Georgia Tech with a 9 – 1 overall record.  Eastern Florida State, Southern Idaho and Moberly Area close out the top 10 spots.  SGTC is still the only Georgia college listed in the top 25 teams in the nation.

   In addition to moving up in the top 25 national poll, the SGTC Lady Jets also had four players to be recognized for their individual efforts on the court.  The SGTC Jets have dropped out of the national rankings after falling to 3 – 3 on the season, but two of their players are also currently ranked nationally for their skills on the court.

   The four Lady Jets featured in the national rankings include: sophomore center Fanta Gassama, sophomore Loes Rozing, sophomore Alexia Dizeko, and freshman Veronika Palfi.  The Jets included in the individual recognition are: sophomore guard Semaj Henderson and freshman guard Deonte Williams.

    Gassama, 6’ 1” center from Mataro, Spain, is currently listed as fifth in the country in total rebounds with 110.  The leader has 149.  She was also included in two other categories.  She is 17^th in defensive rebounds per game with 7.6 and 19^th in total rebounds per games with an average of 11.0.

    Lady Jets sophomore guard Alexia Dizeko, 5’ 11” from Sion, Switzerland, is currently ranked 46^th in the nation in field goal percentage shooting.  She is making 57.9.7% of her attempted shots and is averaging 15.2 points per game.

   Freshman guard Veronika Palfi, 5’ 6” from Pecs, Hungary and sophomore point guard Loes Rozing, 5’ 10” are tied at 19^th in three-point percentage shooting.  Both of them are making 50% of their three-point attempts.  Rozing is also listed as 35^th in the nationl in assists per game.  She is averaging 4.7 each game.

   The Jets who earned individual honors included sophomore transfer guard from Chicago, Il, Semaj Henderson.  He is currently listed as 10^th in the nation in assists per game averaging 6.3.  He is also tied for 23^rd best in steals per game with a 2.7 average after six games.  His teammate, freshman guard Deonte Williams, 6’ 8” from Sydney, Australia, was listed as 46^th in the nation in field goal percentage shooting.  He is hitting 65.9 of his attempts.  

    The Jets will face the 4^th ranked Chipola Indians on Tuesday, November 29^th at 7:30 p.m. following the college’s Light Up Your Future Drive through event.  The Jets lost to Chipola earlier this season in Florida.  Following that game, they will travel to Melbourne, FL to take on Eastern Florida State College and Dayton State College in the Eastern Florida Classic on December 2^nd and 3^rd before returning home for a 7 p.m. December 6^th matchup against Action Sports Academy.

   The Lady Jets will be back in action on December 5^th against Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix City, AL at 6 p.m.  They will host East Georgia State College on December 9^th at 5:30 p.m. and then face Albany Technical College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 10^th.