From the standpoint of the region slate, the Lady Greyhounds’ next handful of games will determine much for the road ahead. The top seed for next month’s region tournament, a regular-season title, and a state tournament berth will all be for the taking for Jones County, which hosts Stockbridge on Friday and plays at Woodland on Tuesday in a battle of the region co-leaders.
So perhaps it was by design when Lady Greyhounds head coach Takeo Gray laid out the schedule before the season to have a stern test ahead of this crucial stretch. Eighth-ranked JCHS got just that on Saturday in Lamar County, ranked in the top five in GHSA Class A-D1. The Lady Hounds turned away a secondquarter charge by the Trojans before pulling away in the second half, winning 65-51.
“Last year they were an Elite 8 team, so we want to find teams that are going to test us,” Gray said. “It was a good matchup for us, and we rose up to the challenge.”
It was a much greater challenge than the two region games earlier in the week as Jones County rolled over Eagles Landing 74-31 and Locust Grove 90-19.
Against Eagles Landing, JCHS held the opposition to single digits in three out of four quarters, while against Locust Grove, the Lady Hounds led 36-0 through one quarter.
As expected, Saturday was tougher, a challenge that was welcomed by Jones County, as its early double-digit lead was trimmed to six thanks to Lamar County finding shreds of offensive success. That’s when Jones County, notably Kamiyah Adams, took over. She went on a 6-0 run on her own, giving the Lady Hounds a 32-19 lead. After a layup coupled with a free throw, another single foul shot plus a layup off a steal extended the Jones County lead, and it would be all JCHS from that point forward.
“She’s just a ‘hooper.’
You see someone in the park hooping, that’s her.
She has that ability to score six to eight points by herself. She’s a difference maker,” Gray said. “She’s been more locked in. She’s started new diet and has challenged herself to go to another level.”
Adams finished with 34 points for Jones County, and she put points on the board throughout the contest, getting 10 points in the second, 11 in the third and fourth quarters. Desirae Dumas added 14 for Jones County, which now gets a revenge game on Friday against Stockbridge, the only team to defeat the Lady Hounds in region play the last two years.
“We talk to them about playoff environment every game and not overlooking anyone because everyone is gunning for Jones County,” Gray said.
“Everyone thinks they can get us, so we have to be ready.”
