BASKETBALL HOUNDS
TUCKER – Last week alone, the Greyhounds traveled more than 430 miles in their return to the state tournament. And after two rounds and a pair of upsets, there’s still more traveling to do on Jones County’s postseason journey.
In the playoffs for the first time in four years, the Greyhounds, seeded fourth from their region, went on the road to Hinesville last Wednesday to stun Bradwell Institute, seeded first from its region, 65-44, blowing the game wide open with a 26-6 lead after a quarter.
It turned out to be a prelude to Saturday afternoon. Traveling to Tucker, Jones County dominated from start to finish, having an answer each time that the Tigers countered, winning 64-50 to advance to the Elite Eight of the state tournament, where JCHS played Hiram this past Tuesday.
“It’s a dream come true. It feels good after all this time together to be able to do this,” Greyhounds guard Jaylen Sanford said.
That meant another long road trip, a place where the Greyhounds have thrived through time spent on long bus rides, sometimes through traffic delays in the Atlanta area.
“It’s made them grow closer. They have to spend that time on the bus together,” Harris said. “We went down to Bradwell and then had to go through this Atlanta traffic, which was crazy. It’s good time spent together.”
Jones County is in familiar company as it advances to the quarterfinals, where all four postseason teams from its region are among the teams in the AAAAA boys quarterfinals. Wins by Jones County and Eagles Landing in this week’s quarterfinals would have set them up to play in the semifinals on Friday at 4 p.m. in Carrollton.
“I think we have the toughest region in the state,” Harris said. “If we have four teams in the Elite Eight, that speaks for itself.”
One reason for the Greyhounds’ postseason surge? Getting healthy. Daethan Harris and Kaden Douglas, slowed by injuries earlier in the season, are closer to full strength at possibly the most opportune time.
“We’ve been injured and been hurt. KD had a groin injury for a while. Daethan had a separated shoulder, and he didn’t really feel like himself,” Harris said. “After the region tournament, he kind of got his confidence back and started shooting the basketball better. We’re doing it as a team. We’ve got some guys who have bought into the way we want to play.”
One element that has marked Jones County’s postseason run was again evident against Tucker – a fast start. Playing on the road, the last thing a team can afford to do is fall behind early, and Jones County eliminated that against Tucker, leading 16-8 after a period with Jaylen Sanford scoring six points in the first eight minutes and Kaden Douglas sinking a pair of three-pointers.
Both would be part of what allowed Jones County to keep a tight clench on the game’s control, with Sanford scoring 15 points despite being rendered scoreless in the second half. Douglas torched the Tigers from long distance, scoring all but two of his 20 points from three-point range to go with Daethan Harris’ 14 points, six of which were via three-pointers.
That strength from the perimeter prevented Tucker from locking down on its interior defense, allowing Judd Anderson to gain an edge on the boards.
“If we’re strong on the inside, that’ll give guys on the perimeter the ball because they have to concentrate on Judd on the inside,” Harris said.
With the all-around play, the Greyhounds were in control from the start and in the fourth, turning back some late final charges by Tucker.
The Tigers would trim the lead to 56-38 with 5:00 to play, but in a microcosm of the game, that was quickly answered by a Douglas three-pointer. He would go on to add a pair of three throws with 3:34 to go, maintaining the lead at 61-40, further helping the Greyhounds close out the win.
“We had some guys step up and make plays,” Harris said. “It was a total team effort.”
