If the early part of the Greyhounds’ region schedule isn’t anything else, it’s at least one filled with rigor.
Through five region games, Jones County has played the region’s top two teams, Locust Grove and Eagles Landing. JCHS fell 74-52 at home to the still-unbeaten Wildcats last week, but Jones County head coach Dylan Dupree had no qualms after the loss of the value of a strong early part of the schedule.
“Those are the teams you want to play, especially early. I want our kids to understand that there is a level to where we are trying to get to; we want to play those type of teams,” Dupree said. “Locust Grove, they’re the standard right now in the region. That’s where we’re fighting to get to. They have guys that are already ready to play at the next level.”
In Tuesday’s loss, Rudy Bowden’s 14 points led the Greyhounds with 10 from Sheldon Jackson. That came during a game in which Jones County rallied from a fast Locust Grove start, with the Wildcats leading 22-7 through a quarter. JCHS closed the gap slightly by halftime, keeping the margin manageable in being behind 43-19.
Despite being up against a deeper and more athletic Locust Grove team, Jones County didn’t relent, and that carried forward, even after a loss.
“Our guys continue to fight. That’s what we’re seeing consistently, soon enough, we’ll see a difference on the scoreboard and the results,” Dupree said.
Those post-game remarks last Tuesday ended up being prophetic.
The impact of the early wringer of a region schedule showed at the end of last week, with the Greyhounds taking a pair of region wins, 64-61 against Ola and 72-66 at Stockbridge.
That evened Jones County’s record at 4-4 overall entering this week and 2-3 in the region. The Greyhounds wrap up their pre-Christmas schedule at home Friday against Hampton and Saturday at Putnam County.
