We have all heard the countless number of sayings that show how important home-court advantage is. The Jacksonville Giants have proven these all true, as this past weekend they improved their record to 8-0 with a 144-117 win over the Jackson Showboats. High flying slams and deep 3 pointers propelled the Giants to their 4th straight home win to open up the season, as the home crowd continuously leaves the game with smiles on their faces.
The Jackson Showboats may have been on the road, but they played an inspiring first half, as they held up with the defending champs through the 1st quarter. Once the arena safely filled up, the Giants captivated their electric home crowd with a dazzling performance on both ends of the floor. The game may have been neck and neck early on, as we stood at a 1 point contest halfway through the 2nd quarter, but that was when the Giants flipped the switch and took a 9 point lead into half.
Before the second half, we saw star point guard Bernard Nugent propose to his longtime girlfriend at center court. The newly engaged Nugent took that happiness and exemplified the reason he is the reigning defensive player of the year and the team’s leading assist man this year. Diving for loose balls and tossing alley-oops down low, Nugent led the Giants to a dominant 2nd half as they ran away with the game and sunk those Showboats by a whopping 27 points. Now, standing at 7-0, your Jacksonville Giants are back home this weekend to host the revenge-seeking St Augustine Glory this Saturday at 7pm at Ridgeview High School.
-Jared Gravel