A battle of the ABAs elite concluded the 2021 ABA regular season. The Jacksonville Giants concluded their season with a thrilling, 120-110, win over the #1 ranked North Alabama War Dawgs. The win will put Jacksonville at #1 heading into the ABA postseason. The Giants end the regular season undefeated.
The game started very physical and intense as both teams put forth incredible effort. The War Dawgs controlled the game a majority of the first half. North Alabama was landing shots and outplaying the Giants on defense. The War Dawgs were led by strong play from point guard Chase Studirvant and center Calvin Dade.
The Giants began to settle down in the second quarter and began to take over the game. Bernard Nugent and Calvin Warner helped the Giants finish strong in the first half. Nugent landed a big three pointer with Warner contributing on the inside shooting game. Nugent led the team with 25 points and Warner was second with 23 points. Rounding out the scoring leaders was guard Brenton Williams. Williams contributed with 20 points.
The turning point in the game was the third quarter. Jacksonville went on multiple scoring runs of 17-3 and 14-4 to close out the quarter. The multiple scoring runs showed how strong the Jacksonville bench is. Brandon Davies, Clarence Tillman, Isaiah Hill and Miguel Paul all contributed in the second half. Jacksonville went 18 of 24 (75%) from the free throw line and 14 of 33 from three point land.
Jacksonville will now turn their attention to the ABA postseason tournament in Saint Louis. The Giants will look to win their seventh ABA Championship in franchise history. For more information on the ABA tournament, check out Jacksonvillegiants.com.
-Story by Matt Potak
