SGTC Jets upset nationally ranked Northwest Florida State
Niceville, FL – Will Johnson, a 6’ 2” freshman point guard from Sydney, Australia, scored 32 points to lead the South Georgia Technical College Jets and interim head coach Chris Ballauer to their first victory this season in an intense 77 – 73 win over the 23rd nationally ranked Northwest Florida State College Raiders. The Jets are 1 – 2 in non-conference play.
“This was a great team win,” said Jets interim head coach Chris Ballauer. “The guys bounced back from the previous night when we struggled to score in the second half against Chipola. I am so proud of the way the guys fought all night. Our bench did a really great job helping keep the energy up. Northwest Florida State is a super talented team that will win a lot of games. But last night we were able to make plays down the stretch to win.”
South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey congratulated the Jets and Coaches Ballauer and Jaren Harris on the victory. “This was an incredible win! It is a potential program changer. Now we just have to keep that momentum up and the guys have to keep working hard.”
The Jets got behind early but with 10 minutes left in the first half, they were able to tie the game. They pulled ahead briefly but the two teams battled for the lead and the half ended with Northwest Florida State up 35 – 33. The Jets came back in the second half and outscored the Raiders 44 – 38 to take their first win of the season and secure Chris Ballauer’s first win as a head coach.
“I was very pleased with the win and I am so proud of the entire team for the way they played and kept the momentum positive even when we were down. This was a great team effort,” continued Ballauer.
SGTC’s Will Johnson was the leading scorer for both teams with his 32 points. He played 36 minutes of the 40-minute game and did the lion’s share of handling the ball up and down the court for the Jets. He was five of nine from the three-point line including two baskets in the final minutes to help the Jets secure the lead and capture the win. He was 11 of 12 from the foul line and made eight field goals in 21 attempts. He also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Three other Jets were in double-digits on the night. Jordan Stephens, a 6’ 5” sophomore guard from Macon, GA, came off the bench to score 13 points. He also had six rebounds, and three steals on the night. Sophomore Tobais Long, a 6’ 5” forward from Conyers, tossed in 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while Marvin McGhee, a 6’ 4” freshman guard from Atlanta, closed out the double-digit scoring with 10 points.
Jalen Reynolds, SGTC’s 6’ 7” sophomore forward from Darien, Ga, got into foul trouble, but sank two free-throws in the final minute of the game to allow the Jets to pull ahead by four points and hang on for the victory. He was only one of six from under the basket and three of six from the foul line, but came through when it counted.
Freshmen Joshua Pain, 6’ 3” from Sydney, Australia, and Keundre Campbell, a 6’ 3” guard from Preston, GA, closed out the scoring for the Jets with four and two points. Pain had one rebound, two assists, and one block and Campbell came up with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
The win moved the Jets to 1 – 2 overall and Northwest Florida State fell to 2 – 1. The Raiders defeated Daytona State College and Miami Dade College. The Jets lost their first two games on the road to the 3rd ranked team in the nation, Tallahassee Community College, and Chipola College, which was an honorable mention in the NJCAA national poll.
In the match-up with Chipola, the Jets lost 81 – 58. Freshman guard Marvin McGhee, a 6’ 4” guard from Atlanta, GA, was the leading scorer with 23 points. Sophomore guard Jordan Stephens from Macon, closed out the double digit scoring for the Jets in that game with 11 points.
The Jets trailed Chipola 43 – 35 at the end of the first half. Chipola came back in the second half and outscored the Jets 38 – 23 to take the 81 – 58 victory.
“We battled really good in the first half,” said Coach Ballauer. “The second half we struggled to generate any offense and against a good team like Chipola that won’t work.”
The Jets travel to Walterboro, SC, on Saturday, January 30th to play USC Salkehatchie at 4 p.m. and then go to Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, FL on Monday for a 7 p.m. match-up. Their next home game will be Saturday, February 6th at 3 p.m. against USC Salkehatchie in the hangar.