Jets Fall to No. 11 Ranked Florida SouthWestern, Broward in Weekend Games
The South Georgia Tech Jets basketball team went 0-2 over the weekend after traveling to play in the Florida Southwestern Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla.
The Jets (1-3) opened the classic against the host and #11 nationally ranked team, Florida SouthWestern State University, on Friday night. The Jets and Bucaneers battled for much of the first half, sharing five lead changes, but it would eventually be the Bucs that would take a 37-24 lead into the half.
The Bucs (4-0) would go on to drive that lead even further, closing out the game with an 84-54 win after a strong overall performance from the Bucs.
Despite the final score, Jets guard Justin Johnson felt comfortable in his home state, scoring 21 points on the night. The freshman Ft. Lauderdale native was the only player to score in the double digits. On defense, the 7-foot-0 returning sophomore Sam Matice played a big role, garnering nine defensive rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
As a whole, the team drained 18 of 50 from the field (36 percent), including 6 of 19 from behind the 3-point line (31.6 percent) and hit 12 of 21 free throws on the night (571. percent).
GAME 2
The team’s stats improved the next day when they played their final game of the classic against Broward College, but ended with a similar result.
The Jets and Seahawks (2-3) played almost identically throughout the first half of the game, but the favor went the Jets’ way when they entered halftime up 48-40.
Broward overcome the deficit to rally and eventually win the game 98-92 with a major contribution from the Seahawks’ 28 points off free throws (28-38).
Justin Johnson had a similar night on offense for the Jets, leading the scoring with another 21 points for the team (8-14 field goals, 3-5 3-pointers, 2-3 free throws), and also played a bigger role on defense, gathering six rebounds and one steal.
Nick Cummings, freshman from Eastman, scored 15 on the night, brought down three rebounds, posted one assist and grabbed one steal. Dijon Brown, freshman from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., scored 12 on the night, bringing down four rebounds and hitting five assists. Returning sophomore Durand Green from Brunswick closed out the double digit scoring for the Jets, scoring ten points off the bench and also posting one rebound and one assist.
On the night, the Jets’ stats improved from their previous game – the team went 34-66 from the field, including 11-27 from behind the 3-point line, and hit 13 of their 18 free throws.
NEXT UP
The Jets will hold their home opener on Nov. 16 and 17 with the annual Jets Classic. The Jets will host USC Salkahatchie (Friday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 PM) and Tallahassee Community College (Saturday, Nov. 17 at 3:00 PM) before the Lady Jets take over the Hangar at 5:00 PM for a matchup against Central Georgia Tech. The Gordon State men’s basketball team will also play in the classic, facing TCC at 5:30 on Friday, Nov. 16 and USC Salkahatchie at 1:00 on Saturday Nov. 17.
The cost of admission is $5 with several exceptions. South Georgia Tech employees and students, Georgia Southwestern students (with ID) and children under 10 attend for free.