Jets and Lady Jets split with Central Georgia Tech

February 7, 2018
Lady Jets Esther Adenike (24) is shown above going in for a lay-up. She had 16 points against Central Georgia Tech.
Lady Jets Esther Adenike (24) is shown above going in for a lay-up. She had 16 points against Central Georgia Tech.

MACON, GA – The South Georgia Technical College Jets and Lady Jets split with Central Georgia Technical College in Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) conference match-ups recently. The Lady Jets turned a four-point half-time lead into a 93 – 72 victory but the Jets couldn’t hold on to an early eight-point lead in the first half and ended up with a 93 – 72 loss.
The win allowed the Lady Jets to strengthen their hold on the top spot in the GCAA with a 13 – 1 record. They are now 21 – 5 overall. The Central Georgia Tech Lady Titans dropped to third place behind Georgia Highlands in the standings. Central Georgia is 9 – 5 in the conference and 16 – 9 overall. Georgia Highlands is 9 – 4 in the conference and 14 – 11 overall. A win over Andrew College Wednesday will allow the Jets to capture their second consecutive GCAA Title and allow them to host the NJCAA Region XVII tournament for a chance to advance to the NJCAA National Tournament for the second straight season.
The loss to Central Georgia Tech did not affect the Jets standings in the GCAA. They remained in second place and still one game ahead of Central Georgia Tech. Georgia Highlands is the top team in the league with a 7 – 1 record. South Georgia Tech is in second at 7 – 3 and Central Georgia is third with a 6 – 3 record. A win over Andrew College Wednesday night would give the Jets the opportunity to come into the Sophomore Nigh game against Georgia Highlands with a chance to tie them for first place with an upset.
Five Lady Jets rose to the challenge in Macon and wound up in double-figures against Central Georgia Tech. Sophomore forwards Houlfat Mahouchiza and Esther Adenike both tied for top scoring honors with 16 points each. Freshman guard Alyssa Nieves came off the bench to add 14 points, Ricka Jackson tossed in 11 points and then Bigue Sarr closed out the double digit scoring with 10 points. Cedeja James would up with five points, Dakata Toney and Fatou Pouye both added four points, Aubry Maulden contributed three points and Sceret Ethridge had two points.
Following that win, the Jets came out and jumped out to an eight-point lead in the first two minutes of the game, but then Central Georgia Tech rallied to pull ahead 45 – 36 at the end of the first half. They continued to run that lead up in the second half and took the 93 – 72 victory.
Sophomore guard Emshuan Offord came off the bench to lead the Jets in scoring with 20 points. Sophomore forward Marquel Wiggins had 13 points, Rico Simmons and DeVante Foster both added 11 points and then Dawan Bass closed out the double-digit scoring with 10 points. Adonis Greene accounted for four points and Dominique Walker had three points on the night.

The Jets and the Lady Jets play Andrew College on Wednesday, February 7th in a conference double-header. Those games will be at 5:30 and 7:30 in the Hangar on the Americus campus. Then on Saturday, February 10th the two teams will face off against Georgia Highlands College in two big conference showdowns at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The four teams are ranked one and two in the conference. This will also be South Georgia Technical College’s Alumni and Sophomore Day Event. An alumni game will be held at 10:30 featuring 48 former Jets and Lady Jets players. A Tailgating cookout will follow at 11:30 and then the conference match-ups. Admission is free to the Alumni events, tailgating, and basketball games. Free t-shirts, as long as supplies last, will be distributed to SGTC retirees, alumni, students, and faculty and staff.

Emshuan Offord (12) scored 20 points against Central Georgia Tech for the Jets.

Emshuan Offord (12) scored 20 points against Central Georgia Tech for the Jets.