VALDOSTA, Ga. - After a brief hiatus from Gulf South Conference action, league play resumes this weekend, starting with a conference showdown against the Montevallo Falcons on Saturday at The Complex and following up with West Alabama at home on Monday night.
The Blazers (7-2, 0-1 GSC) will enjoy a return to their home court after a bump in the road on Tuesday at Fort Valley State, where the Blazers fell to the Wildcats in a rare shooting drought that produced just 22 field goals and 68 points. The offensive effort was truly an uncharacteristic night for Head Coach
Mike Helfer's squad, as the team is currently averaging 93.3 points per game, a number which leads the Gulf South Conference and places the Blazers 8th nationally among all NCAA Division II basketball teams.
Valdosta State will go to work on Saturday against Montevallo, a team that returned to the GSC at the beginning of the current athletic season. The Falcons (6-5, 1-1 GSC) have made waves already this year, particularly in an 80-56 rout of Alabama-Huntsville on November 29th. The victory marked the Falcons' only conference win of the season thus far, and came by way of the performance of Jamaar Taylor. The 6-4 senior out of Milwaukee, Wisc., who is currently averaging over 20 points per game this season, shot 10-15 during the game en route to a 31-point performance. UM's only other conference matchup came in a loss to North Alabama.
On Monday night, the Blazers will turn around and face West Alabama (9-2, 3-0 GSC), one of the league's hottest teams. The Tigers are currently riding a six-game winning streak, which includes convincing wins over North Alabama, Alabama-Huntsville, and Mississippi College. The Tigers feature Charles Eaton, a 6-3 guard out of Selma, Ala., who currently leads the GSC in scoring with an average of over 27 points per game.
The Blazers will aim to counter with weapons of their own, including
Tyrone Sam and
Beau Justice, who currently rank 6th and 7th in the league with an average of 18.6 and 18.1 points per game, respectively. Furthermore, Valdosta State will see the home debut of
Justin McBride this weekend. McBride is a 6-11, 350 lb. senior transfer from the University of Central Florida, who is expected to have a positive impact on the already successful 2017-18 season. McBride made his first official appearance as a Blazer on Tuesday night against Fort Valley State and delivered eight rebounds, eight points, and three blocks.
Saturday's contest can be heard live on Talk 92.1 FM in Valdosta or on www.talk921.com. Links to all other available forms of coverage, including live video coverage, can be found prior to the game via links available right here at www.vstateblazers.com.
