AU men take down No. 11, PBC leader Lander, 75-67
By Justin Gray | Sports editor
It was an epic night Wednesday, Jan. 25, at Christenberry Fieldhouse as the Augusta men took down No 11 Lander, 75-67, in a Peach Belt Conference men’s basketball game.
The Jaguars had lost their previous three games coming into this one, but they played like a completely different team against the league-leading Bearcats.
Augusta (2-5, 9-8) got off to a phenomenal start going up 12-5, eight of those points coming from the hot hand Ja’Queze Kirby.
Lander (6-1, 14-3) then went on a 16-8 run to take the lead. The Jaguars, resilient all night, stormed back and regained the lead, going on a run of their own to make it 34-22.
The Jaguars kept up their pace and held a 39-28 lead at the break. AU shot it 55 percent from the field in the half and 83.3 percent from behind the arc. Their best shooting half they’ve had all season.
This didn’t get easier in the second half, as the talented Lander team fought back and made it a 55-52 game. This game, the Jaguars just weren’t going to lose as Max Amadasun threw up a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to stop the Bearcats’ run.
After Amadasun hit that shot, the Jaguars were able to extend their lead to 12 and cruise to a victory—and a sweet victory it was.
“Proud of our guys; we only had seven guys practice the last two days,” said AU Coach Dip Metress. “We knew they had some little, really quick guards, and when they drove it and we had Max and Kirby down at the rim, we felt like we could contest most of their shots.”
This was a complete team performance. All five starters scored in double figures, Demitri Gardner (17), Kirby (14), Amadasun (14), David Viti (13) and John St. Germain III (13).
This was the Jaguars best performance of the season, because they dominated on both ends of the court. They blocked 10 shots in the affair and had six steals, elite defensive numbers. AU held Lander to a 40-percent shooting night and outrebounded the Bearcats 35-27.
Amadasun and Kirby had four of those blocks each.
“I loved that one,” Kirby said. “We needed that one. We got a little more aggressive with them and they didn’t expect it.”
St. Germain has stepped up big for the Jaguars in conference play, scoring in the double digits in five of the seven games. Tonight, he played 35 minutes and totaled eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. All of which were his career highs.
“The amount of work I put in, every day coming in and doing my job, has led me to this success,” said the Freshman from Charlottesville, Va. “Dip told us to just play loose, and we dove into that mentality.”
Noah Dunn led Lander in points with 15. Phillip Burwell and Tommy Moore added 10 each.
For a Jaguars team that has struggled in Peach Belt play, a win of this caliber helps not only their résumé, but also their confidence as a team.
If the Jaguars can play this well again, they will have a chance to pull off another upset this Saturday, Jan. 27, as they welcome No. 10 North Georgia into Christenberry Fieldhouse. Tipoff will follow the conclusion of the women’s game.
Onto the women’s game Wednesday evening, and the Jaguars fell just short to Lander, 60-52.
Augusta (5-2, 11-6) started the game playing well, exiting the first quarter with a 16-11 lead.
Things changed quickly as Lander (7-0, 14-3) dominated the second quarter, outscoring AU, 18-7, and they took a 29-23 into the half.
In the third quarter, the Jaguars needed to get it close, but they couldn’t pull any closer trailing, 42-36 going into the fourth.
It was a loud and energetic quarter for the Jaguars as they went on a run cutting the Lander lead to just one-point. They could never make the shot to give them the lead, and Lander was able to put the Lady Jaguars away with free throws.
The Jaguars were led by Yamani Paul, who dominated the paint, she had 14 points in the losing affair. Mone Florence and Autumn Phillips added nine. Kennedi Manning led the Jaguars in rebounds with six.
The Jaguars’ kryptonite was shooting from beyond the arc as they only shot 15.4 percent on 3-pointers. They have to get better in that area to rack up some more wins.
Their next opportunity will be Saturday, Jan. 27 at Christenberry Fieldhouse against North Georgia. Tipoff will be at 1:30 p.m.
Contact Justin Gray at jusgray@augusta.edu.
Ja’Queze Kirby drives the lane for the Jaguars on a night when he had 14 points, six rebounds and four blocked shot. At the top of the page, AU point guard John St. Germain III contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists. (photos by Paula Toole, AU Athletics)
