Caleb Bailey, Sports Editor
The Armstrong Pirates men’s and women’s basketball team saw a ton of success over the Thanksgiving break as the former won all three of their games to extend their win streak to four, while the latter won three of their four games to get to 3-4 on the year.
The men’s team started their week of excitement with a thrilling 81-78 victory over the Saint Leo Lions that saw senior Jamison Jeffers nail a last-second three pointer to pull out the victory. Junior Montrel Goldston had a big day off the bench with a game-high 28 points while also pulling down four rebounds.
The Pirates also went undefeated in the Horne Thanksgiving Classic with wins over Livingstone Friday, Nov. 25 and Fayetteville State Saturday, Nov. 26. In the latter game, a 75-64 victory, Armstrong got a boost from their starters with all five Pirates recording double-digit points, including junior KJ James’s team-high 19 points.
The Pirates are now 4-2 on the year and look to keep their winning ways going as they open the month of December with a big road game against former in-state rival Valdosta State Thursday, Dec. 1.
The women’s team saw their equal share of success over the break as they won three straight games after starting the year 0-3. Their three wins included a big overtime victory over Barton College Friday, Nov. 18 as part of the 3rd Annual BJ Ford Classic on the Armstrong campus.
In that game, senior Brigitta Barta had a big game with a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double. Junior Machala Raymonville had a big night for the Pirates as well, leading the team with 22 points off the bench.
The Pirates also competed in the 2016 Nova Southeastern Thanksgiving Classic over the weekend and opened it up with a dominant 84-73 win over Palm Beach Atlantic. Their three-game win streak came to an end when they dropped a game to tournament host Nova Southeastern Saturday, Nov. 26.
The Pirates look to get back on track this week when they take part in the 2016 Heritage Bank Classic in Morrow, Georgia with a match-up with Shaw Friday, Dec. 2 and another Saturday, Dec. 3 against Chowan.