Two Lady Jets named to GCAA-NJCAA Region XVII All-Tournament team
South Georgia Technical College sophomore point guard Mio Sakano was selected as the GCAA-NJCAA Region XVII Most Valuable Player for her performance in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) – National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XVII tournament recently. Freshman Kaiya Carter was also named to the All-Tournament team for the Lady Jets.
“I am very proud of both Mio Sakano and Kaiya Carter,” said SGTC Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach Jason Carpenter. “They were both very deserving of this honor.”
In addition to Sakano and Carter from South Georgia Tech, Region XVII runner-up East Georgia State College’s Caylee Simpson and Kennedy Snead were selected to the All-Tournament team. Ja’Kia Little from Albany Technical College and Braniya Baker of Andrew College closed out the All-Tournament nominations.
Mio Sakano and three other Lady Jets were selected for the GCAA regular season All-Conference accolades. Freshman Jamaiah Gregory was named the GCAA regular season Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Sophomores Mio Sakano and Enola Papin and freshman Stephanie Salumu were also first team All-Conference. Salumu was nominated as Co-Defensive Player of the conference as well. This was the first time that four Lady Jets had earned first team All-Conference recognition.
The Lady Jets captured the NJCAA Region XVII title and the chance to advance to the NJCAA Division 1 women’s national basketball tournament in Casper, Wyoming after defeating Andrew College and East Georgia State College in the semi-final and final rounds of the tournament held at the SGTC home court in Americus, GA. SGTC was the top-ranked team from the GCAA regular season and earned the right to host the tournament.
Sakano, a sophomore guard from Yamanashi, Japan, was the leading scorer for the Jets with 24 points in the 84 – 61 championship win over East Georgia in the tournament finals. She also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals. She made three of 10 three-point attempts and was three of four from the foul line.
Kaiya Carter scored 18 points in that same game. The freshman guard from Houston, TX, was five of 11 from the three-point line and one of two from the foul line. She also contributed 10 rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
In the semi-final game, the Lady Jets defeated Andrew College, 96 – 50. Mio Sakano had 13 points in that game including three three-point attempts and had three rebounds, four assists, and three steals. She also had two blocked shots. Carter posted 14 points in that game, including three three-pointers. She also wound up with four rebounds, one steal and three blocked shots.