Jaguar men dominate Reinhardt in their final hoops tune-up
Justin Gray | Sports writer
The Augusta men’s basketball team held its first-ever Columbia County Education Day game on Monday, Dec. 18, at Christenberry Fieldhouse, and it was a success as the Jaguars took down Reinhardt University 86-64.
It was a different starting lineup than usual as John St. Germain III, Oliver Lucas and Timmy Sellers all got their first starts of the season. They were joined by regulars David Viti and Demitri Gardner.
This one stayed close until the Jaguars went on a 7-0 run, capped off by a Ja’Queze Kirby alley-oop from Zyere Edwards to take an 18-10 lead.
At halftime, the Jaguars led by a score of 36-26. The leading scorers in the first half were Carson Seemann and Gardner.
In the second half, it was all about securing the lead and letting the younger guys get some playing time. The Jaguars did that and played well all around, extending the lead to even 30 at one point.
Augusta, which has won four straight, had things its way all day, including efficient shooting (49 percent) and flashy alley-oop dunks. The Jaguars played with positive energy, especially on defense, holding Reinhardt to a 32-percent shooting game.
One player who had his best day as a Jaguar was Seemann. The sophomore guard had a career-high in points with 10 as well as in minutes with 21.
“Feels good,” said the Cincinnati, Ohio native. “All the work you put in, in the summer, coming here practicing with the guys, and getting ready for these types of games—it's always to get in a rhythm before conference play.”
Seemann is going to be big for the Jaguars in his role, so getting 10 points out of him is beneficial for the team.
Someone who isn’t shy of putting up points is Gardner, who led the Jaguars in scoring once again with 17 on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the line. He’s been the key to success for the Jaguars (6-2) so far, and he will continue to be going into conference play.
“Sticking to my routine, doing the same things every day,” said the shooter who hails from Winchester, Va. “We have a shooting machine, and I come up here every single day and do the same thing, when I’m back I’m in the gym every single day.”
The 22-point win is the Jaguars’ largest victory this season, and it couldn’t come at a more perfect time.
“I was happy that we got to let a lot of guys play today,” said AU Coach Dip Metress. “I was glad the 2,500 kids from Columbia County got to come out as well. This was the first year doing that for them.”
David Viti added 14 for Augusta, while Max Amadasun totaled 13. Kirby had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Tayden Owens led Reinhardt with 15 points. The Eagles (4-9) also got 14 from Nate Louis.
The Jaguars will get a few hours of rest and will be back on the court for a tough game Tuesday night, Dec. 19, against Emmanuel, another non-conference opponent but one AU is quite familiar with. The Lions hold a 9-3 record and have already taken down two top-25 teams, including Northwest Missouri State. They lost to USC Aiken 67-65 and beat Georgia College by 15. Emmanuel has won four in a row, as well.
AU’s Metress had praise for the upcoming opponent.
“Emmanuel is a Peach Belt-type team,” Metress said. “They have an all-American type player in KJ Jones II. They have no holes in their lineups.”
It is a community game, meaning that it is free to the public. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Christenberry.
Contact Justin Gray at jusgray@augusta.edu.
AU’s Ja’Queze Kirby (3) goes up for two of his nine points as Reinhardt’s Nekhi Fisher (32) defends. At the top of the page, Carson Seemann (4) goes up in traffic for the Jaguars as he scored a career-high 10 points. (photos by Paula Toole, AU Athletics)
Demitri Gardner (2) drives to the basket for Augusta, as teammates Oliver Lucas (13) and Timmy Sellers (21) watch. Gardner led all scorers with 17 points. (photo by Paula Toole, AU Athletics)
