From STAFF REPORTS

AMERICUS – The top-ranked South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) Lady Jets captured a 73–44 win over the eighth-place Albany Technical College Lady Titans on Feb. 23 in the first round of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region (NJCAA) XVII tournament.
The Lady Jets went on to host the NJCAA Women’s Region XVII tournament semi-finals on Feb. 26 at the Hangar in Americus.
The Lady Jets took on Atlanta Metro, the fourth ranked team in the tournament for the second round of the playoffs. The results of this contest were not available at press time.
As of press time, the Lady Jets had a 26-5 record on the season.
Prior to the Lady Jets’ Feb. 23 game, the second-ranked Georgia Highlands College squad faced the third ranked Darton College Lady Cavaliers at the Hangar in Americus. The results of this match-up were also not available at press time.
The winners of those games will advance to the finals, which will be played at 3:00 p.m. on Feb. 27 at SGTC.
The Lady Jets opened the first-round playoff game a little sluggish, but still managed to pull ahead 19–10 at the end of the first quarter. They Lady Jets were up 46–24 at the half and continued to outscore Albany Tech in the final half to take the 73–44 victory.
Sophomore, Cierra Bond, was the top scorer for South Georgia Tech with 23 points in the victory over Albany Tech. Bond also had seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals in the contest.
Only two other Lady Jets hit double-figures in the playoff game. Sophomore, Molly Brown, had 10 points and six rebounds while freshman, Mikaela Jones, tossed in 10 points and brought down another six rebounds.
Sophomore, Brittney Delva, added nine points, five rebounds, six assists, and four steals while sophomore, Claudia Perez, contributed six points and three rebounds.
Sophomore, Angela Tompkins, pulled down 10 rebounds and put five points on the board. Le’Deja James had four points while Kendra Green added three.
The playoff win came nearly one week after another SGTC victory over Albany Tech.
During that match, sophomore members of the Jets and Lady Jets were recognized for their contributions to the team throughout the season.
A night of celebration was the best way to describe the Sophomore Night ceremonies on that evening as the Jets and the Lady Jets swept Albany Tech.
There were a total of nine sophomores recognized during the “Sophomore Night” presentations between the men’s and women’s games. The Jets Booster Club also recognized Lady Jets head coach, James Frey, with an autographed basketball and monetary gift for securing his 100th win at South Georgia Tech in less than four years.
Kauffman Tire Company was also featured at the last regular season double-header and they presented the SGTC Jets Booster Club with a check to help support the athletic program at the college. Fusion Cheer squad performed during the half-time festivities.
The victory over Albany Tech allowed the Lady Jets to capture the 2015-2016 Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association regular season title and earn the right to host the NJCAA Region XVII tournament.
The Lady Jets are hoping to secure the NJCAA Region XVII tournament title as well as the District J title in an effort to earn the right to attend the NJCAA National Tournament in Salina, KS for the third year in a row.
Coach Frey has now won 105 games as the Lady Jets’ head coach at South Georgia Tech.
In his first season at South Georgia Tech, the Lady Jets finished with a 20–12 record and made it to the final four in the NJCAA Region XVII tournament. In his second season, the Lady Jets won the GCAA conference title, the NJCAA Region XVII tournament and the District J title game to advance to the NJCAA National tournament. They had the best record in the history of Jets and Lady Jets basketball with a 30–5 overall performance.
Last season, Frey and the Lady Jets almost tied that effort. They finished second in the conference, but won the NJCAA Region XVII tournament, and earned their second consecutive trip to the national tournament.
Five of the six Lady Jet sophomores this season were a part of that effort. They finished the year with a 29–8 record, captured the team’s first ever win at the national tournament, and were ranked in the elite eight nationally.
There were six Lady Jets and three Jets honored during Sophomore Night. Brown, Bond, Tompkins, Perez, Delva, and Asia Smith were the sophomores for the Lady Jets. Demario Beck, Corbyn Jackson, and Clarence Smith were the Jets’ sophomores.
“Our Lady Jets sophomores are 54–12 in their two years here so far. Every one of them have dedicated themselves to SGTC both in the classroom and on the basketball floor,” said Frey. “There is no doubt that this is a special group and I look forward to seeing how they finish up this season and what the future has in store for them. We have definitely been blessed to have them as Lady Jets.”
Brown is from Douglasville and was escorted by her mother and father, Mike and Tami Brown. She is averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 39 percent from three point land, which is second in the GCAA. Brown is a returning all-conference performer. She is also on the GCAA academic all-conference team with a 3.7 GPA and is working towards her associate’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Management. She has signed a national letter of intent to attend Southern Mississippi for the next two years.
Bond is from Inkster, Michigan, and was escorted by her uncle, Herb Carver. Bond is averaging 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game. She has scored in double figures 21 times this year and has recorded three double doubles. Bond leads the GCAA in three-point percentage shooting at 43 percent and in free throw percentage at 81 percent. She has been named the GCAA player of the week twice this year. Bond is also a GCAA academic all-conference member with a 3.3 GPA and is working towards her associate’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Management.
Delva is from Tallahassee, Florida and was escorted by her mother, Shirissa Barton, and her brother, Dion Barton. Delva averages five points, eight assists, five rebounds, and three steals per game. She is first in the GCAA in assists per game, assist to turnover ratio, and steals per game. Delva also ranks in the top 20 in the country in all three categories.
Delva is also on the GCAA academic all-conference team with a 3.4 GPA as she is working towards her associate’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Management.
Tompkins is a first-year sophomore at SGTC from Punta Gorda, Florida. She is averaging 18 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and two steals per game. She leads the GCAA in field goal percentage at 61 percent. Tompkins is also averaging 42 percent from the three-point line and 75 percent from the free charity stripe. She ranks nationally in scoring, rebounding and field goal-percentage shooting. Tompkins has recorded 23 double doubles in the 29 games she has played in this year.
Tompkins has been named the GCAA Player of the Week four times this season and has scored over twenty points ten times. She has brought down over ten rebounds in 22 games this year.
Tompkins had a 3.15 GPA fall semester and is working towards her associate’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Management.
Perez came to SGTC from Zaragosa Spain. Perez is averaging six points and four rebounds per game and is shooting 48 percent from the field. She has scored in double figures nine times this season, including a season-high performance of 19 points against Chattahoochee Tech on February 11. Perez is also a GCAA academic all-conference member with a 3.6 GPA and is working towards her associate’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Management.
The sixth Lady Jets sophomore recognized was Smith, from Irwinton. Smith was escorted by her mother, Christy Smith. Smith was a member of the 2015 Lady Jets team that made a sweet-16 appearance in the National Tournament and was plagued by injuries earlier this season. She is working towards her associate’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Management.
The Jets who were honored included first year sophomores Demario Beck, Clarence Smith, and Corbyn Jackson.
“Our sophomores will be hard to replace because Corbyn, Demario, and Clarence are all major contributors to our program this year,” said first year Jets head Coach, Travis Garrett. “All of them are double-digit scorers and Demario and Corbyn lead the team in rebounds.”
Beck is a sophomore from Cochran. In his best game this season, he had 22 points, 15 rebounds, two steals, three assists, and three blocks against Gadsden State College. He is currently working towards an associate degree in Recreation and Leisure Management. He has committed to play at Coastal Carolina next year.
Jackson is from Goochland, VA. He scored 15 points, had nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in his best game this season against Northwest Florida. He has committed to play at Arkansas Little-Rock next year.
A Valdosta native, Smith was the third sophomore recognized. He had his best game this season against Combine Academy North Carolina. He had 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal. He is also working towards a degree in Recreation and Leisure Management.