Free throws lead Warner Robins past Jones County

WARNER ROBINS -- Jones County was doing what head coach Dennis Woolfolk wanted.

The Greyhounds were, as usual, hustling, and they were executing the offense, which meant some one-on-one situations that led to trips to the free-throw line.

That was the good news, and that was the bad news.

The Greyhounds' season-long struggles at the free-throw line continued, and played a large role in Jones County falling 76-68 on Friday to Warner Robins in a matchup of GHSA Region 2-AAAAA leaders.

The Greyhounds (12-8, 2-1 Region 2-AAAAA) missed four straight free throws during a stretch in which they finally took the lead, going up 63-60 with 4:35 left after Devin Wooten scored on a layup and, ironically, added a free throw.

The lead was four until Tracey King scored on an off-balance shot in the lane, missed a free throw, and then went back to the line after Donovan Brown rebounded that miss, and got it back to King, who was fouled again.

He made both to tie it at 65, and then Brown's tip-in of King's miss with 2:31 left - after the Greyhounds had a hustle-filled trip that ended up empty - gave Warner Robins the lead for good.

Wooten's two free throws pulled the Greyhounds within 69-68 with 68 seconds left, but Jones County couldn't counter Warner Robins' points after that.

The Greyhounds finished 10-for-19 at the line to 9-of-17 for the Demons, who made their final five free throws and were 9-of-12 in the second half.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Nelson Phillips: The Demons' sophomore guard seemed destined to lift his team to a big win when he got on a roll of hitting long jumpers. His three 3-pointers in the second quarter helped the Demons to a 42-35 halftime lead.

Wooten: Jones County's do-everything senior had a game-high 27 points and added nearly a half-dozen assists and rebounds, plus a few steals as the Demons tried to corral him.

Brown: Foul trouble hovered over the Demons' senior post after he got his second and third a second apart early in the third quarter and stayed in. He finally got No. 5 with 4:48 left in the game, which was tied at 60 at the time, after scoring 20 points.

Landravious Bowden: The senior wing had a height disadvantage, but gave the Greyhounds their first lead and then a four-point lead in the fourth quarter, finishing with 22 points.

TURNING POINT

King scored in the paint to pull Warner Robins within 65-63 and was fouled. He missed, Brown got the rebound, King got it back, and went to the line again, making both to tie it. The Greyhounds then stripped the Demons of defensive rebounds on the ensuing trip but couldn't convert and eventually turned it over on a charge. Brown scored on a tip-in on the next trip.

OBSERVATIONS

Not so free: Both teams struggled at the free-throw line in a game where the tempo wasn't overwhelmingly fast nor the inside overly physical. The Greyhounds lost chances to put more pressure on the Demons, who did come up strong at the line at the end.

Making teams work: Jones County doesn't have much height on its roster, and the philosophy is to gang rebound. The Greyhounds did fail to convert on several second-chance opportunities, but helped tire out the Demons with hustle and winning the 50-50 balls.

WORTH MENTIONING

Missing the game: The Demons were without starting guard Marquez Callaway, who head coach Jamaal Garman expected to start again and delay until Saturday departing for a football recruiting trip. Callaway instead left on Friday, and Warner Robins adjusted.

ALSO FRIDAY

Warner Robins struggled and Jones County didn't in the first half, the Greyhounds leading by one at the break. But the Demons regrouped in the second half and took control for a 59-40 win in the girls game. Shaniya Jackson's 21 points led the Demons, who outscored the Greyhounds 20-6 in the third quarter. Jackson had 11 points in that quarter. Travis Rawlings topped Jones County with 13.

THEY SAID IT

Woolfolk on the free-throw woes: "We have two problems going into the season. That was rebounding and free throws. Rebounding, we pretty much corrected, gang rebounding. But free throws .... and it's everybody, not just one or two people."

Garman: "They did everything we expected them to do. Knock down shots, be excellent at one-on-one basketball. They're just scrappy."

Woolfolk on the free throws: "I told them, 'They're not going to keep shooting the ball outside as well as they have been.' I knew they were going to start missing some of those shots outside. When we went to our open set, that kind of took the big guys out of the game a little bit. We got out of executing as well as I wanted, but we were still getting fouled and we went back to shoot free throws. ... It's like missing a layup. It's like missing a wide open shot."

Garman on Jones County winning 50-50 balls: "There's no 'kinda won' about it. They won them every single time. One time, I called a timeout and I got on Tracey's behind becasue the ball bounced twice (on a miss). That tells me we're not hustling. Once is terrible. But they don't stop."

WHAT'S NEXT

Jones County hosts Houston County on Friday; Warner Robins visits Veterans on Saturday.

This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 12:59 AM with the headline "Free throws lead Warner Robins past Jones County ."