Another solid defensive effort and selfless offense were the keys to a fifth-straight Mariner victory, as College of Coastal Georgia Men’s basketball teams trounced visiting Florida State College – Jacksonville, 96-72, on Saturday in the Coffin Gymnasium.
“I feel like we moved the ball pretty well tonight,” said freshman guard Jaren Harris (Tennille, Ga./Washington Co.), who dished out six assists to go along with eight points. “When more than one or two guys score in double digits, we’re pretty tough to stop.”
Harris along with freshman guard Johnny Walton (Columbus, Ga. Muldenburg Co.) filled in nicely for starting point guard Antonio Tribble, who sat out the contest for a violation of team rules.
“I was impressed with how we came out in the first half,” Mariners head coach Gerald Cox said. “We played hard, intelligently, played together and moved the ball around. After the game, [FSCJ’s] coach was amazed that we were so good without Tribble playing tonight.”
On Saturday, the Mariners (5-7) blew the game open with a 20-0 run in mid-way through the first half and finished the night with six players in double figures.
Freshman guard Earnest Fuller (Brunswick, Ga./Brunswick High) was hot from behind the arc, knocking down four three-pointers en route to a 14-point night. Freshman guard Tray Pearce Ashburn, GA (Turner Co.)contributed 12-point while freshmen Don Eason (Brunswick, GA (Glynn Academy) , Aaron Gittings Brunswick, GA (Glynn Academy)and Eric Martin Lilly, GA (Dooly Co.) added 10 points apiece.
Finally feeling healthy, forward Johathan Brooks ( Macon, Ga./ Rutland) had a productive night for the Mariners, scoring 14-points and pulling down six rebounds.
Foot and wrist injuries suffered early in the season have hampered Brooks, a sophomore transfer. On Saturday, he finally looked like the same player who garnered Second-Team All-Conference honors at Northwest Florida State.
“Those injuries have been affecting me,” Brooks admitted after the game. “I haven’t been able to run up and down the court and play like I’m capable of on both ends. My shot was falling tonight and that was good to see because it hasn’t been so far this season.”
The 6-foot-7 Brooks even handled the ball well on several occasion, showing flashes of the versatility that makes him a difficult player to defend.
“Johnny had best night yet,” Cox said. “He played well, played hard, played intelligent and you can’t ask for much more than that. And he didn’t get in foul trouble. For Johnny that’s a miracle.”
Cox, in his 28th season at the helm, was also pleased with the team’s defense, which held the Stars to just under 36-percent from the field and forced 50 defensive stops.
“We executed on defense really well,” Cox said. “We got a little sloppy late, but overall we played pretty good defense.
“We played better longer tonight than we have yet, and that’s the whole goal at this stage in the season.”
The Mariners have three away dates before hosting Albany Tech on Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Aiken Tech on Jan. 9 at 3 p.m. General admission is $5, but is free for students and staff with a valid CCGA ID and children 12 and under.
For a complete schedule, roster and updates, visit www.ccga.edu/athleticwww.ccga.edu/athletics .