Jags Recap: SoCal Playoff Edition - First Round

The Jaguars go on the road and defeat the Santa Monica College Corsairs, 90-70. Led by guard Ayden Lockett's 27 points, the team punched their ticket for a second round Saturday night showdown against Fullerton College, the No. 1 seed in Southern California. 

Baron Noble started the Jags scoring with a three and so followed the rest. At the first timeout, the Jags had a 10-point lead, but foul trouble creeped in. Despite the early fouls, the team continued their strong offensive game and closed the first half with a 16-point lead. 44-32. The second half was about maintaining poise and closing the game out strong. The offensive dominance carried into the second half, and defensively the team stepped up. They did an excellent job of staying out of foul trouble and maintained a massive lead throughout.

Final Score, 90-70 Jaguars.

Wing Devin Dunn put on an outstanding performance, finishing the game with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and shot an efficient 6-8 from the field.  "I wanted to get the dub!" Dunn said postgame. "We can play with anybody, score with anybody, and as long as we get stops on the defensive end, no one can stop us."  

After three weeks on the bench recovering from an injury, Julian Soares returned to the starting lineup, and it was like he never left. He finished the game with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.  "Being on the court with this group of guys in this situation, it felt great," Soares said. "It was a big team win. Everyone played well and everyone did what they were supposed to do."

Ayden Lockett had the hot hand last night, leading all scorers with 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.  "It was exciting," Lockett said. "We all came together, swung the ball. We had a lot of assists. I had 6, Tay (Jartavious Jackson) had 5. We were passing it." 

Coach Tyrone Shelley celebrated his first playoff win at Southwestern College but is already focused on Saturday's match up.  "The guys were ready to play, they came out and gave it their all," Shelley said. "As soon as I get back on the bus, I'll be watching film for the rest of the night to study Fullerton."  The team returns back to The Den to prepare for Saturdays round two match up at Fullerton.