GREYHOUND BASKETBALL
When preseason rankings were unfurled two months ago, four other teams from the Greyhounds’ region were placed in the top 10 with Jones County missing.
Jones County is proving that it belongs in that select company. The Greyhounds remain unbeaten early in their region slate after Friday’s 80-60 win against Locust Grove and entered the week with a record of 9-2, good enough to be ranked in the top ten of at least one state-wide ranking.
“No wins are bigger than a region win, but to beat two teams picked ahead of us in the region, that gives us a lot of an edge,” Greyhounds head coach Buck Harris said. “To get a win like that, it shows a lot of toughness.”
A 3-0 start to region play heading into this week was nice for JCHS, but not as satisfying as what happened last Tuesday at the JCHS Gymnasium when the Greyhounds rallied from being down by 14 points at the half to stun Warner Robins 73-71 when Geo Wade’s steal in the closing seconds set up Jaden Stanley for the game-winning shot on a night where Stanley led JCHS with 18 points.
“You have to be a little lucky sometimes and I think we were in a lot of cases, we had some guys step up for us,” Harris said. “One thing I told them, ‘we have to stay together,’ Warner Robins is a very good basketball team, and we’re not at 100 percent.”
The Demons led 44-30 at the half, but that’s when the Greyhounds adjusted, slowing Warner Robins down. With the Demons off-rhythm, a door of opportunity was cracked open for the Greyhounds, and they slowly crashed their way in, chipping away piece by piece in the second half.
Near the end of the third quarter, Kaden Douglas, who had 15 points, drained a three pointer just before Stanley converted a free throw. Just like that, JCHS was down 57-52 going into the final quarter. The Demons extended their lead out, but the Greyhounds answered time after time in the fourth quarter. A three by Stanley cut the lead back to 59-55, and hard-driving layup by Jaden Tolbert, one of multiple Greyhounds to step in with starters unable to go 100 percent due to injuries, kept the deficit at four as JCHS trailed 65-61. Ahead of Tuesday’s game, Stanley was coming off an illness, Douglas was dealing with a back bruise and Tyler Wold was ailed by a high ankle sprain.
“Tolbert was huge,” Harris said. “I think he had five points for us, but the defensive rebounds he got, that showed a lot of toughness.”
The long-range shooting was not finished from the Greyhounds with Stanley drawing the Demons lead to 65-64. Even when Warner Robins led 69-66 with 55 seconds to go, Jones County did not roll over, tying it on a Tay Lattimore three pointer combined with two Jaleel Jordan free throws after he drew a foul off a defensive rebound. Jordan had 9 points for the Greyhounds with Wade having 16 points.
After JCHS missed a chance to go ahead, Wade’s steal off the inbound set up the game-winning play for the Greyhounds.
“We gambled a little bit, and it paid off for us,” Harris said. “We just have to continue to stay together and take it one day at a time.”
Jones County followed up on the win against Warner Robins to beat Northside 80-46 on Thursday behind Stanley’s 16 points, Jordan’s 15 and ten from Wade.
Friday’s 80-60 victory against Locust Grove was led by Jordan’s 17 points, 16 from Stanley and Wold.
