GREYHOUND BASKETBALL
Greyhounds overwhelm Locust Grove, Northeast
There is anything but rest for the weary these days for Jones County’s basketball program.
After dropping a tough 58-55 decision last Tuesday to Warner Robins, the Greyhounds played this past Tuesday at highly rated Eagles Landing. Sandwiched between those two mammoth tests were a pair of games last weekend, Friday at Locust Grove and Saturday at home against Northeast Macon.
Jones County took care of business with ease in both, as athleticism in the Greyhounds backcourt combined with presence in the paint sealed both wins, 78-54 on Friday at Locust Grove and 83-60 on Saturday against a Raiders team just a short drive down Gray Highway.
That closeness created an atmosphere with plenty of buzz just before tipoff, with each team being greeted by a mix of cheers and boos as players took the floor for pregame warmups.
“We hadn’t played these guys in something like 20 years. It was a great crowd and great atmosphere,” Greyhounds head coach Buck Harris said. “It’s the kind of crowd we should have every night, the kids want to see that.”
But any thoughts of a razor-thin contests were quenched early by the Greyhounds as they were able to get up and down the court, literally slamming their way to a strong start, leading 26-18 after a quarter and 45-29 with Jaylen Sanford and Daethan Harris registering slam dunks and Sanford rousing the crowd even more with a reverse dunk in the second. By then, Jones County had worn the Raiders down with its guard play and also by being more physical than Northeast inside with Judd Anderson having 17 points. Anderson was one of four to score in double figures on Saturday with Sanford having 26 points to go with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. Harris was not far behind in scoring 18 points, and Jaden Stanley added 12.
“If the defense can turn them over and get easy buckets, everyone feels like they can be part of something,” Harris said. “It’s a total team effort.”
The scoring balance was not isolated to Saturday night. The breezy win against Locust Grove came thanks to Sanford’s 19 points and five rebounds, Harris’ 17 points, four rebounds and six assists, Stanley’s 16-point effort and Anderson having seven points and eight boards.
“Once we got going, we scored in bunches and let our defense get some turnovers for us. It was a good win for us,” Harris said.
