Lady Jets drop to 3 – 9 after losses in Shelton State Classic

Tuscaloosa, AL – The South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets dropped back to back losses and their fourth consecutive loss in the Shelton State Women’s Basketball Classic in Tuscaloosa, AL.  The Lady Jets dropped a 29-point decision (70 – 41) to the ninth nationally ranked Three Rivers College on December 13^th and then fell to the 12^th nationally ranked Shelton State Lady Bucs 84 – 51 on Sunday to fall to 3 – 9 on the season.

   Three of the Lady Jets’ last four losses have been to National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 top 12 nationally ranked teams.  The Lady Jets lost to Chipola College (Ranked 2^nd in the nation), 84 – 61 and then dropped a 70 – 41 loss to Three Rivers College, ranked 9^th, and an 84 – 51 loss to 12^th ranked Shelton State.

   Unfortunately, the chance to get back on the winning track looks tough as the Lady Jets face St. Petersburg College on Sunday, December 28^th, second ranked Chipola College on December 29^th and Eastern Florida State College on December 30^th as part of the Lady Jets Holiday Classic in the Hangar.  The Lady Jets have already lost to Eastern Florida and Chipola this season.

  There were no individual stats available for the Lady Jets in the 70 – 41 loss to Three Rivers on Saturday.  But Three Rivers jumped out to a narrow 19 – 12 lead at the end of the first quarter and were up 34 – 15 at the end of the first half.  Three Rivers held SGTC to only two points in the second quarter.

   The Lady Jets were outscored 36 – 26 in the second half to lose 70 – 41.  Three Rivers had three players in double-digits.

   Then 12^th ranked Shelton State Bucs came from behind to defeat the Lady Jets 84 – 51 on Sunday, December 14^th.  The Lady Jets were up 15 – 13 at the end of the first quarter but then Shelton State outscored the Lady Jets 27 – 13, 23 – 19, and 21 – 4 in the next three quarters to coast to the 33-point victory.

   Freshman Ja’Niya Broome led the Lady Jets in scoring with 22 points in that match-up.  Jaidyn Elam tossed in 16 points and Taja Bennett closed out the double-digit scoring with 11 points.  Jada Jones was the only other Lady Jet to score with two points.

   The Lady Jets return to the court on December 28 when they face St. Petersburg at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Hangar.  On Monday as part of the Lady Jets Holiday Classic, St. Petersburg plays Shelton State at 4 p.m., East Florida takes on Cleveland State at 6 p.m. and the Lady Jets play Chipola College at 8 p.m.

   On Tuesday, December 29, Cleveland State matches up with St. Petersburg at 3 p.m., Shelton State plays Chipola College at 5 p.m. and the Lady Jets take on East Florida at 7 p.m.  The tournament winds up on Wednesday with Eastern Florida and Shelton State facing off at 1 p.m. and Chipola College and Cleveland State matching up at 3 p.m.