Frey reaches 100 win mark with 67-58 victory over Darton State College
South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey accomplished something that many other coaches just dream about. He was able to secure his 100th win as a collegiate head coach and he reached that plateau in less than four full seasons. That win also allowed the nationally ranked SGTC Lady Jets to remain in first place in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association standings.
"The 100 wins is something that when I was an assistant coach, I didn't really think about much," laughed Frey, who worked as an assistant coach for nearly 20 years at Coastal Georgia College before coming to Americus to serve as the head women's basketball coach. "I am very honored and humbled. But a lot of the credit goes to the players who have been a part of this program and who have helped me get to this position. I also have to thank assistant coach Kezia Conyers who has been with me three of the four seasons and who has played a tremendous role in our teams reaching the national tournament the last two years. And last but certainly not least is the South Georgia Technical College administration and faculty and staff for establishing and supporting a top notch athletic program."
Coach Frey and the Lady Jets are now 11 – 2 in the conference and 21 – 5 overall. Frey posted a 20 -12 record in his first year as the Lady Jets head coach and made it to the final four in the NJCAA Region XVII tournament. The second year, the Lady Jets, won the conference title, the NJCAA Region XVII tournament and the District J title game to advance to the NJCAA National tournament. They finished that year with the best record in the history of Jets or Lady Jets basketball with a 30 – 5 overall performance.
Last season, the Lady Jets almost tied that effort. They finished second in the conference but won the NJCAA Region XVII tournament, District J title, and earned their second consecutive trip to the national tournament. They completed the year with a 29 – 8 record, the team's first ever victory at the national tournament and were ranked in the elite eight nationally.
The win against Darton put Frey over the 100th win mark in less than four seasons. The Lady Jets had the opportunity to secure that 100th win on Saturday at Georgia Highlands College, but the second ranked Lady Chargers walked away with a 69- 59 victory in Rome. "In a way, it is pretty cool that the 100th win came against Darton," said Coach Frey. "My first win as a head coach was at Darton during the Darton Classic and now my 100th win was against Darton. Obviously I would have liked to have won the Georgia Highlands game but it was good to get this win in our home gym."
The Lady Jets wound up with the victory but the outcome was anything but assured when the game began. The Lady Jets trailed 15 – 6 at the end of the first quarter but rallied in the second quarter to outscore Darton 24 – 10 and take a 30 – 25 lead at the half. South Georgia Tech was able to hang on to that lead and expand it slightly by outscoring the Lady Cavaliers 18 – 16 in the third quarter and 19 – 17 in the fourth to capture the 67-58 win.
Sophomore guard Cierra Bond was the leading scorer for the Lady Jets with 16 points including three three-point shots. Sophomore Angela Tompkins added 14 points and 10 rebounds and then freshman La'Deja James had a big game with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, and four steals. Sophomore Molly Brown closed out the double digit scoring with 11 points (three three-point shots), two assists and one steal.
Sophomore point guard Brittney Delva added seven points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal and then Mikaela Jones tossed in six points and Kendra Green had one point. Freshman Kayla Mallett from Australia who just graduated from high school in November and joined the team this semester, made her first start in an American college basketball game and had five rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal.
After the exciting women's game, the Jets faced off against Gordon State College and lost their fourth straight in a 55 – 47 decision. The Jets got behind by as many as 12 points in the first half and were down 36 – 28 at half time. They matched Gordon bucket for bucket in the second half with 19 points each to make it a 55 – 47 game.
Three Jets were in double-figures. Jalen Mitchell led the way with 12 points, Corbyn Jackson added 11 and Rico Simmons followed with 10 points. Clarence Smith tossed in four points, Keyshawn Baker and Pat Welch had three points each and then Matt McMorris and Demario Beck contributed two points each.
The Jets are in eighth place in the conference with a 3 – 9 record and a 12 – 14 overall performance. Both the Jets and the Lady Jets will now travel to Reinhardt University in Waleska, GA to take on Chattahoochee Tech on Friday, February 5th and then be on the road again to Atlanta Metro on Saturday, February 13th. The Lady Jets will host Chattanooga State Community College on the Monday, February 15th at 6 p.m. and then both teams will host Albany State on Wednesday, February 17th at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. for sophomore night.