Reasons were aplenty for the Lady Greyhounds to not be up to the task last Tuesday against Locust Grove.
Having won an emotional match the week before against Union Grove, Jones County had to line up in another contest with region-frontrunning implications. Not only that, but the Lady Hounds entered Tuesday battling illness and injury.
With sole possession of first place in the region on the line, Jones County stayed with Locust Grove every step of the way, battling back in the second half to force overtime and losing 2-1 in overtime as a relentless scoring charge in the second overtime was turned away.
“I am so freaking proud of our kids for the heart that they showed. I was worried going into an emotional game like this one because we have not really played in many games like this the last few years,” Lady Greyhounds head coach Mikayla Coley said. “That was one thing that I stressed, to take the feeling that they had and use it as their fire, I feel like they showed that.”
The Lady Hounds, who on Friday beat ELCA 8-0, entered this week with a 9-2 overall record and 5-1 in the region. Depending on this week’s results against Eagles Landing and McDonough, next Tuesday’s home match against McDonough could be for second place in the region and home field in the first round of the state tournament.
“Long-term wise, games like this make a bigger difference down the road than they do today,” Coley said. “When we play Ola, it won’t be the first important game that they have played in.”
After both teams threw opening salvos at the opposing goal but were unable to get on the board, that eventually changed in the second half.
The Wildcats hit first, going up less than three minutes into the second half as a long pass was finished off into goal and 1-0 lead. The Lady Hounds had plenty of fight left, however. Less than a minute after going down by a goal, Daisy Blanton’s shot toward the net glanced off the post. It would hardly by Jones County’s final scoring chance, as with 27:53 to play, Blanton converted off a centering pass, tying the score 1-1 to eventually send things to overtime.
“They fought with all that they had, and I can’t ask for anything more,” Coley said.
The Lady Hounds fell behind 1-0 in the first 10-minute overtime with the Wildcats leading 2-1 with 2:37 left. Jones County turned up the offensive pressure even more from there, getting in position for multiple corner kicks and scoring tries, all of which were turned away in a 2-1 Locust Grove win.
“Some things went our way and some things went theirs,” Coley said, “That’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
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