Courtesy of the timeline that came from renovations to the JCHS gymnasium, both the Greyhounds and Lady Greyhounds spent most of the first half of last year on the road, being unable to use a homecourt advantage to set an early tone in the region standings.
Now, those fortunes have reversed.
The benefits of an overhauled gym are fully in favor of both teams, who will play all but one of their first 10 region games in Gray. A season ago saw both teams play the first nine region games of the season on the road.
Jones County, which opened region play on Tuesday in hosting McDonough, hosts Eagles Landing Friday prior to Locust Grove and Ola next Tuesday and Friday.
Aside from Dec. 13 at Stockbridge, JCHS won’t play on the road in a region game until Jan. 10.
The Greyhounds are highly conscious of the opportunity at hand as part of their drive to be within the region’s top four by the end of the season.
“The first half of our season is mostly home games. Last year, we kind of saw the domino effect of gym renovations,” Greyhounds head coach Dylan Dupree said. “So this year, basically the first half is at home.”
It goes beyond that for the Greyhounds, a team led by three seniors and an influx of others working their way into larger on-court roles. Playing well can help firm up early-season momentum, and being able to do so in a home gym can be a big ally.
“It’s essential that we kind of find our identity and get this thing going on the right foot,” Dupree said.
In the case of the Lady Greyhounds, the start to the region serves as a time to set the tone. Last year, JCHS rolled over the region slate with an 18-0 record en route to a region tournament title. One key driving point to begin region play for Jones County? To show that it’s still the barometer for everyone else to target. By the time early January rolls around, there’s a chance to go unbeaten against the rest of the region in the first half of the schedule. It’s an opportunity that the Lady Hounds are primed for.
“You definitely want to win those games early, you don’t want to split games,” Lady Greyhounds head coach Takeo Gray said. “We want to make a statement that ‘we’re still region champions and we have a goal to repeat again. That’s our goal, to go 18-0 in the region again.”
