No. 14 ranked Augusta will host Georgia College at 2:00 P.M. today as the Jaguars will try to win their third straight game. The start time is ninety minutes earlier than a normal Saturday to accommodate the soldiers who will be in attendance for Military Appreciation Day.
The Jaguars (18-3, 9-2) took sole possession of first place in the Peach Belt Conference standings after defeating No. 21 North Georgia 80-76 Wednesday. Tyshaun Crawford, the leading scorer in the conference, led Augusta with 23 points, and Miguel Arnold, who is third in the conference in scoring, added 20. But key contributions from sophomore Ja’Queze Kirby and junior David Viti were essential in helping Augusta earn its most important win of the season to date.
After Crawford picked up his third foul three minutes into the game, he was forced to sit for all but four minutes of the rest of the first half. Kirby proceeded to score 11 first half points, including 3 made three pointers, to help the Jaguars stay within one point of North Georgia at halftime. And in the second half, Viti scored 8 points, including a three pointer that gave Augusta a 64-61 lead with 8:47 remaining, and another triple that put the Jaguars ahead 71-67 with 5:56 left in the game.
In an interview before Augusta’s practice Friday afternoon, Viti described why he and Kirby are able to make key shots when their number is called.
“We’re getting shots up every single day,” Viti explained. “So you put in the work and everything like that, and you trust that when your teammates find you that you’ll be able to hit them in big time situations.”
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Along with four seniors who have been with the program for between four and six seasons, Viti and Kirby form a strong core of talented and proven winners who have internalized the lessons taught by nineteen year head coach Dip Metress. This much was evident during our interview Friday when Kirby echoed Metress’s recent “next play” mantra when Kirby explained why he gives so much effort on the court.
“It’s because of the team, really,” Kirby started. “We stay on each other and keep each other uplifted so we can continue on to the next play and do what we can do. Move on to the next play and do what you can on the next one.”
Kirby’s extra effort created one of the most impactful plays of the game during Wednesday’s win. After Arnold scored a layup to give Augusta a 60-58 lead with 10:13 remaining, Crawford got tangled in traffic and fell to the floor in pain before he could get back on defense. That immediately created an easy opportunity to score for North Georgia on the other end. Except Kirby came out of nowhere to erase the layup high off the glass and give possession back to Augusta. The Jaguars would never trail again.
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“It was an easy bucket,” Kirby said. “I couldn’t let him get an easy bucket. So I got up there and blocked it.”
During our interview, Viti sang the same “next play” tune that he, Kirby and their teammates have been hearing from Metress. The mentality helped him stay ready to make the key three pointers in Wednesday’s second half after he missed four shots in the first half.
“I just have to move on to the next shot, and know that I’m going to get another one, another opportunity,” Viti said. “It all goes into working hard outside of the game and trusting that all your hard work will pay off.”
Augusta defeated Georgia College (7-13, 3-8) exactly one month ago in Milledgeville by a score of 87-64. But the Bobcats are coming off their most impressive victory of the season, an 89-88 road win over Flagler Wednesday.
Augusta’s Lady Jaguars (13-8, 6-5) will face Georgia College (12-9, 4-7) at noon.
The following ticketing information was provided by Augusta University’s Comminications and Marketing department:
All active duty, retired, and veteran military personnel are admitted for free with a valid military ID or DD214 form. Ticket Prices are $10 for general admission; $7 for non-AU students and senior citizens; and free for AU students, faculty, staff & retirees with their ID as well as for children 6 years old and under.
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports.
