Story by Matt Potak
After a grueling 10 day road trip, the Jacksonville Giants will return back to the First Coast with an undefeated record. Jacksonville edged the San Francisco City Cats 111-97. The Giants improve to 8-0 on the season and went 6-0 while playing on the West coast. The team represented the City of Jacksonville in a positive way during the long road trip.
“Words cannot describe the way I feel about how the team played,” said head coach Jerry Williams. “We played a really hard West coast schedule and won all six games.”
Jacksonville played a very physical and talented San Francisco team. Recently on the ABA Live Action website, ABA CEO Joe Newman stated that San Francisco was a current team to watch in the ABA.
“This was a championship style road trip,” said Calvin Warner. “We are going to build off of the success that we had here and continue to play Giants championship basketball.”
The Giants faced strong adversity during the San Francisco game. The City Cats came out and ready to play while finding ways to stay with Jacksonville. G. Brian led San Francisco with a team high 18 points.
“The City Cats went on a number of runs, but the team overcame adversity and came away with a great victory,” said Williams.
Despite the early deficit, Jacksonville went on some big runs of their own. The six time ABA Champions switched gears and became too much to handle. League MVP Maurice Mickens had another amazing day. Mickens scored 26 points with Miguel Paul adding 22 points. The strong offensive play put Jacksonville over 100 points, as a team, for the 8th time this season.
Bernard Nugent (18 points), newcomer Travis McConicco (15 points), and Calvin Warner (14 points) all were the top scorers for the Giants. The offensive balance kept the San Francisco team unsure. Coach Williams continued to mix up the lineup.
Giants vs San Francisco Game Box Highlights
Star of the Game:
ABA MVP Maurice Mickens was the player of the game. Mickens scored a team high 26 points and continues to lead the offense as the point guard. Whenever Jacksonville needed an explosive play they turned to the veteran Mickens.
Turning Point:
Midway though the fourth quarter the Giants were able to disrupt the San Francisco comeback attempt and go on a scoring run of their own. Mickens, Miguel Paul, and Nugent landed some key jump shots to maintain Jacksonville’s double digit lead. Calvin Warner player physical inside and converted a powerful slam dunk to seal the win.
On Defense:
Miguel Paul and Travis McConico we’re named defensive players of the game by Coach Williams. The duo contained the opponent’s from start to finish. Paul led the team in defensive rebounds, while McConico led the team in steals and blocked shots. Both players were able to energize the Giants throughout the game.
Upcoming Home Games: The Giants return home from their West Coast trip and will be in action on Saturday, December 21st, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. against the 305 Ballers at the University of North Florida.
The Giants will celebrate their 2019 championship with Champions Night on Saturday, January 25, 2020, at the Veterans Memorial Arena where they will host a championship rematch and have their championship ring ceremony and banner unveiling.
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