When a basketball team runs six deep, it can ill afford to lose one of those players, much less two, but that was the predicament that appeared to be facing the Jones County High girls’ basketball team last week.

The Lady ’Hounds (16-5 overall, 9-2 in sub-region 4B-AAAA) were headed into their match-up with Westside, Jan. 29, minus both of their starting post players with their sub-region lead on the line.

Jessica Roderick was sick and unable to play, and Samerian Pitts had suffered a knee injury just three days earlier.

But about two hours before tip-off Tuesday, Pitts received the results of an MRI and she was cleared for action, and she was a big part of a 48-44 win in Macon.

She had 11 points and a number of big rebounds down the stretch – 12 in the second half – as the Lady Greyhounds held a marginal lead over the Lady Seminoles for the majority of the contest.

Brandi Jones led Jones County with 16 points, and Kiswanna Ross had 10.

The visitors were also aided by key minutes from Raven Rawlings, who was thrust into a starting role due to Roderick’s absence, as well as bench players Chelsea Brantley and Kristen Carr, who played significant minutes.

After Jones’ three-pointer just 36 seconds into the third quarter gave the Greyhounds their largest lead at 36-27, Treanna Smith and Brittany Ferguson brought the Seminoles back within striking distance.

Smith single-handedly outscored the visitors 6-2 over the last four minutes of the quarter, and Ferguson scored four of the first six points of the fourth quarter.

With 5:27 to play, the home team only trailed 42-39.

Though the Lady ’Hounds couldn’t make their free throws down the stretch – missing eight of 12 attempts – the Lady Seminoles couldn’t capitalize on these opportunities.

Despite the missed free throws, the visitors were able to stretch their lead to seven over the final five minutes before Faren Harris’ meaningless buzzer-beating three-pointer set the final difference at four points.

The fault of Westside’s attack may have been that it was too limited, as Smith and Ferguson combined for all but seven of the team’s points.

Jones County followed the victory up with another sub-region win three days later against Dutchtown, 75-54, in Gray.

Jones had her best game of the season, netting 32 points and making 15 of 17 free throws, and Ross added 20 points as eight players contributed points for the Lady Greyhounds.

Though the home team trailed 19-12 in the first quarter, it gained a 32-30 edge by halftime and won the contest in the third quarter.

Jones had 11 of her points in that crucial eight-minute span, as the Lady ’Hounds held the Lady Bulldogs to just one field goal and outscored them 25-4.

Jones County head coach Kurt Greene was pleased that his time survived a second dangerous game in the week.

The Lady Bulldogs (12-12, 4-7) established themselves as an upset threat after likely costing Baldwin a shot at a sub-region title by beating the Bravettes, 45-40, Jan. 22.

“I told the girls that right now we are the No. 1 team in the sub-region. We control our own destiny. If you can’t get excited about that, no matter who you are, you probably don’t deserve to be a No. 1 team,” the coach said.

Greene’s team was set to host Northside, Tuesday, for senior night, but more importantly for a sub-region title.

The line is drawn for the ’Hounds with the outcome being clear on one side and not-so-clear on the other.

If they were to win Tuesday, they would receive a bye in this weekend sub-region tournament and play the number-four seed from sub-region 4A-AAAA in next week’s region tournament at Stockbridge High in a game that would determine state playoff qualification.

If they were to lose to the Lady Eagles, Baldwin, Jones County, and Northside would all be tied atop sub-region 4B-AAAA with a list of tiebreakers going into effect to determine who would come out first, second, and third in the sub-region.

A second- or third-place finish would mean the Lady ’Hounds would host either the sixth- or seventh-place team in Friday’s sub-region tournament.

But Greene and his team hoped to avoid such confusion with a win against a Northside team that defeated Jones County 46-36, Jan. 11.

“I really believe that the last two ballgames we’ve been playing some really good team ball,” Greene said. “That’s something we haven’t had in a while with this team. Hopefully they’re going to keep playing team ball and keep getting better.”