Freshman JaQualis Matlock has been a strong post presence for the Motlow Bucks through the first half of the season, averaging 7.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and one blocked shot per game. Jeff Reed Photography.
The Motlow Bucks will begin the second half of their basketball season tied at the top of the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) standings with a legitimate opportunity to win the conference regular season and/or tournament title and make an appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament in J.T. Burton’s first season as head coach.
The Bucks (13-3, 6-1) ended the first half of the campaign with an 80-71 win over TCCAA rival Roane St. on Dec. 5 in Harriman. Their next conference game will be Friday, Jan. 15, when Southwest Tennessee visits Copperweld Arena for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. The Saluqis (12-3, 6-1), coached by former Motlow head coach Jerry Nichols, are tied with the Bucks for first place in the TCCAA standings.
Motlow will get one opportunity to prepare for the first-place showdown against Southwest with a non-conference home game against the Martin Methodist College JV team on Monday, Jan. 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Copperweld Arena.
The Bucks are led by sophomore Jaylen Barford, who leads the nation in scoring with a 27.8 points-per-game average. With his final bucket against Roane St. in December, Barford became only the seventh player in Motlow men’s basketball history to score 1,000 career points. The Jackson native is also fifth in the nation in steals with 46, and averages 7.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.9 steals per contest.
Barford is joined in double-figure scoring average by Darius Joell at just over 13 points per game. Jared Pearson, Stephaun Adams, Ryan Jones and JaQualis Matlock each average more than seven points per contest.
Matlock, a freshman from Hopkinsville, Ky., leads the team averaging almost nine rebounds per game with Pearson close behind at 7.8. Adams has been the top assist man for the Bucks, dishing out 6.1 per contest with Jones close behind Barford at 4.1. Adams closely trails Barford in steals with 2.7 per game, and Matlock is the team leader in defensive rejections, averaging a blocked shot each game.
As a team the Bucks are averaging 83.3 points per game offensively while only allowing their opponents to score 58.3. Motlow has out-rebounded the opposition 46.6-25.4 and has shared the ball extensively, averaging 19.7 assists per game.
One significant change that Motlow basketball fans should take note of heading into the second half of the season is the men’s and women’s starting times will be reversed during conference games, with the men tipping off first at 5:30 p.m. on weeknights and 2 p.m. on Saturdays. The women will follow at 7:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. The time swap begins with the non-conference games on Jan. 11.
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