BASKETBALL HOUNDS
STONECREST – Being a fourth seed can place a team in an uphill battle going into postseason tournaments such as basketball in the state of Georgia.
Not only does it call for having to play on the road, but it also means opening the postseason against the top seed from that opposing region.
That didn’t intimidate the Lady Greyhounds, however.
Jones County pulled off a stunning win to begin the postseason, making the long drive to Waycross last Tuesday, winning 44-36. That moved the Lady Hounds to the second round at Arabia Mountain, where Jones County found itself in prime position to take control in the final quarter, tying it 30-30 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Carlie Skinner to end the third quarter.
The fourth, however, fell the way of the homestanding Rams, as a brief run, bad breaks and untimely turnovers ended Jones County’s postseason run in a 52-36 loss, a result much closer than the final score against a team with a record of 25-2.
“We went on the road as a four seed and beat a one seed, and Ware was very good team,” Lady Greyhounds head coach ChoRhonda Gwaltney-Harris said. “We turned the ball over; that’s what got us in the end. They have a special kid that did special things. We just couldn’t hold on in the end.”
JCHS, which saw Arabia Mountain go on a 6-0 run to begin the fourth, trailed 39-30 with 3:59 to play, putting the Lady Hounds in dire need of the combination of a defensive stop and score on the opposite end. Arabia Mountain would outlast Jones County, which rallied from a 22-14 halftime deficit, down the stretch.
The third quarter keyed Jones County’s comeback, as a 15-point period saw the Lady Hounds get things going from the outside, draining a combined three shots from behind the three-point arc by Skinner and Britley Johnson.
“It’s tied and then we come out and make four straight turnovers. That’s been our year,” Gwaltney-Harris said. “You take those out, and it’s a whole new ball game.”
The fourth quarter would not be as kind, however, with JCHS being held to one field goal.
Amaris Ridgeway’s seven points led Jones County with six points by Johnson and five from Skinner and Kimmya Epps.
