Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down the Georgia College Bobcats in the final seconds of the game in an 83-81 final score.
The Warriors shot 42% from the field and were 30.4% from beyond the arc in their first victory of the season. Bobby Taylor led the team with 20 points and seven assists during the game. Behind him, four other Warriors posted double digits. Valdy Zephir and Will Little both had 15 points, while Jaquay Randolph had 12 and Jamarras McCray had 10.
Southern Wesleyan pulled down 43 rebounds in the match. Both Valdy Zephir and Jaquay Randolph picked up double-doubles in the game. Zephir led the team with 13 rebounds while Randolph was right behind him with 12. Zephir had three blocks. Southern Wesleyan stole the ball away seven times with both Bobby Taylor and Malachi Cooper each having three steals.
Game Vitals
Final: Southern Wesleyan 83, Georgia College 81
Records: Southern Wesleyan (1-2) Georgia College (1-2)
How It Happened
Georgia College won the opening jump ball, but seconds in Bobby Taylor stole the ball away from Aidan Kudlas and passed it down the court to Will Little. Little got up and slammed the ball into the basket for a dunk to give the Warriors the early advantage. The Warriors took a four point lead on a layup by Jaquay Randolph, but CJ Jones stole the ball away from Southern Wesleyan seconds later and passed it down to James Nichols III who dunked it into the basket. A three pointer by Kudlas and another basket by Jones allowed the Bobcats to take the lead. Georgia College pressed on as they took a six point lead after layups by Luke Krawczyk and Jones. Southern Wesleyan continued to press as Valdy Zephir knocked down a three pointer off a pass from Bobby Taylor. Seconds later, Taylor regained the ball and laid it up into the basket. He was fouled in the process to earn the and-one. Ashton Williams passed the ball out to Malachi Cooper who got up to knock down a mid-range shot. The Warriors would not relent as Jaquay Randolph and Will Little hit back-to-back three pointers to allow Southern Wesleyan to take the lead back from Georgia College. More baskets by Zephir allowed the Warriors to take a 37-35 point lead going into the locker room.
Fouls early on in the second half sent both Julian Walker and Valdy Zephir to the free throw line. Walker and Zephir each scored a basket for their respective teams. CJ Jones laid the ball up to allow the Bobcats to tie the game up. It was short lived as Bobby Taylor laid the ball up and then hit a three point shot seconds later to give Southern Wesleyan a six point lead. Georgia College fought back as Aidan Kudlas went all the way to the basket. Taylor continued to be a major presence for the Warriors as he stole the ball away from Luke Krawczyk and passed it over to Jamarras McCray. McCray slammed the ball into the basket for a dunk that extend the Warriors lead to 52-43. With just under fifteen minutes on the clock, CJ Jones laid the ball up and was fouled in the process to earn the and-one basket. Malachi Cooper stepped beyond the arc and knocked down a three pointer to keep the Warriors lead at five. The Bobcats maintained their pressure offensively as James Nichols III and Jones each got up shots. Once more Bobby Taylor stole the ball away from the Bobcats and got it down to McCray for the dunk. Three pointers by Aidan Kudlas, Mason Etter and CJ Jones put the Bobcats within one point of the Warriors with just under three minutes on the clock. With the game tied at eighty-one points each, Bobby Taylor laid the ball up to give the Warriors the advantage with four seconds on the clock. In a last ditch effort to take the lead, Jones sent the ball down the court for a hail mary shot, but it missed the basket. Southern Wesleyan claimed an 83-81 victory over Georgia College.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will travel to Dahlonega, GA on November 22 to take on the North Georgia Nighthawks at noon. They will remain on the road on November 25 as they travel to Rome, GA to open up Conference Carolinas action against the Shorter Hawks.
