Harrell benches four starters at tournament

Local Sports

November 29, 2008

Chris Whitaker

DECATUR — Lady Jets coach Brandan Harrell thought his team could leave this weekend’s Thanksgiving Classic at Georgia Perimeter with a 6-2 record.

Instead, they are 4-4, leaving Harrell pretty frustrated.

South Georgia Tech lost on Friday to Spartanburg (S.C.), 50-35, and then on Saturday to Neosho County (Kan.), 64-52.

Friday’s game led him to bench four starters — Dee Smith, Shonketta Christian, Shanai Williams and Kristene Walker — putting them on notice.

“Until we get some effort and they start being productive, they’re not playing,” he said. “They’re not productive and not playing hard. We got a much better effort (Saturday) with another group on the floor. The rest are going to have to work their way back in.”

Dee Smith and Mercedes Smith led the Lady Jets in Friday’s loss with eight points apiece. Jenny Nixon scored 11 to pace the team on Saturday while four others had eight, including Porsche Lampkin who also had eight rebounds.

SGT shot 36 percent in the game and held Neosho County to 29 percent. The difference came from behind the arc where Neosho made 11 3-pointers compared with one for the Lady Jets.

Six of the Lady Jets’ next eight games will be against ranked opponents, including No. 3 Gulf Coast on Dec. 29.

“We’ve had our best players giving second- and third-best efforts,” said Harrell. “We’re going to change some things around, and we’re trying to find out who can play and who’ll be there in the end and who’s going to lead.”

The Lady Jets host Chattahoochee Valley Tuesday with a women-men doubleheader.