AMERICUS – The South Georgia Technical College Jets and Lady Jets intercollegiate basketball teams scored over 200 points on Jan. 28 in impressive wins over the East Georgia College Bobcats and Lady Bobcats in Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association games at the Hangar in Americus. 

    The Lady Jets opened up with a 103-58 victory over the Lady Bobcats in the first game of the double-header. This was the Lady Jets sixth consecutive conference victory and put them in first place in the GCAA with a 10–1 record. They are currently 18–4 overall.

    Darton State College and South Georgia Tech were tied for first place in the GCAA with identical 9–1 records but Darton lost to Georgia Highlands on Wednesday in a 69–65 decision to slip into second place with a 9–2 record.  SGTC’s win over East Georgia lifted the Lady Jets into the first place spot for this week. 

    Following the Lady Jets impressive 100+ point showing, their second this season, the Jets came back and scored 103 points in a 103–94 win over the East Georgia Bobcats. This was the Jets fifth consecutive conference win and put them in third place in the GCAA with a 6–5 performance. They are 13–8 overall. 

    “The Lady Jets played awesome,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and head coach James Frey. “We were able to execute and work the ball around to get good shots. I was very pleased with their overall performance and hope that we are now ready for [Jan. 31] when we host Georgia Highlands who just beat Darton College.” 

    Four Lady Jets were in double figures in that big win. Sophomore TaQuandra Mike of Savannah led the team in scoring with 25 points, but she was paced by freshman Cierra Bond who tossed in 22 points. Deanna Williams scored 19 points and Alexis “Bre” Armstrong closed out the double digit scoring with 18 points. Freshman Claudia Pelencio scored eight points on the night and hit the two free throws that gave the Lady Jets their 100th point. 

    The Jets were not going to be outdone by the Lady Jets, so they rallied to score 103 points of their own in the 103-94 win over East Georgia. “The score was a little closer than I would have liked,” said Jets head coach Douglas Byrd. “I thought the guys did a good job of scoring, but we definitely need to play better on defense and not give up 94 points. It is hard to beat a team when they score 94 points.” 

    The Jets were up 53–38 at the end of the first half. They led by as many as 21 points before the East Georgia Bobcats rallied in the second half to pull within nine points at the buzzer. 

   Six Jets scored in double-figures in that conference match-up.  Sophomore guard Christian Nobles led the way with 24 points and then Tim Straughter added 22 points. Deriece Parks was four of six from beyond the arc and wound up with 14 points. Eric Gooden scored 12 points, Brandon Jackson added 11, and then Trey Mitchell closed out the double digit scoring with 10 points. Straughter also pulled down 10 rebounds and Nobles had six assists.

   Both the Jets and the Lady Jets will be at home on Jan. 31 when they face Georgia Highlands at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.  In the earlier contests this season with Georgia Highlands College, the Jets lost 87–69 and the Lady Jets won a close one in a 51–47 match-up. The Georgia Highlands men are currently second in the conference and ranked 14th in the nation. The Lady Chargers are ranked fourth in the conference but upset the formerly top-ranked Darton State College team this week.