The Jacksonville Giants may be in St. Louis for the 2021 ABA playoffs, but the change in city and venue did not affect the defending champs. They took down the Silicon Valley Panthers in an impressive 131-102 victory on Friday night.
Showing ferocity and intensity from the tip, the Giants simply meant business. The team used their elite sharpshooting and strong defensive presence to propel themselves into the Final Four of this year’s playoffs. A lights out opening quarter by Brandon Davis and Miguel Paul established the tone early, as the two bucketed 7 combined threes in the first quarter. Brent Williams provided a big spark off the bench in the 2nd quarter as he poured in 15 points and Isaiah Hill had the play of the game with a posterizing dunk over the defender.
Calvin Warner, Bernard Nugent, and Charles McRoy II rounded out the starting 5, as the three combined for 20 points to go along with Davis and Paul’s 18 each. The Giants lived up to their status with a great opening to an exciting playoff tournament, but their focus will now shift towards the Steel City Yellow Jackets, as the two will battle it out tomorrow night for a chance to play in Sunday’s championship game.
-Jared Gravel