Statesboro’s season started in a rut, but as of late has been on the highest of highs after the team won their 15th region title in the Lee Hill era.
    Saturday night was supposed to be just another game for a team with such high aspirations, and on paper at No. 4 seed Jones County (13-14) didn’t seem like much of a threat.  Jones County did its best to stay competitive, but Statesboro advanced to the second round with a convincing 64-50 victory.
    Considering the kind of first quarter Statesboro had, it seemed unfathomable Jones County would ever have a shot. Statesboro opened the game on a 12-0 run, forcing Jones to miss their first six shots and turn the ball over four times.
    At 6-0 Marcus Kirkland would hit one of Statesboro’s seven three’s in the game to make the score 9-0, then Cam Harvey would follow behind with a triple of his own to make it 12-0. Even as Jones would break the run with a putback off a missed layup, Harvey would come back down the floor and hit another three.
    “I wasn’t surprised to see us shoot that well considering how we practiced this week,” Hill said. “I told them if we keep it up it’ll translate over to the game.”
    Harvey wasn’t done though, after his 3, he stole the ball away from Jones and come back down the floor to convert a layup. Two possessions later he hit yet another 3-pointer to follow up a triple from Daniel Cooper. At that point it was 23-7, and Statesboro would end the first quarter up 30-11 for their highest scoring first quarter of the season.
    The Blue Devil’s shot 65 percent from the field and 75 percent from long range, all led by Harvey’s 13 first quarter points. As early on as it was, the game seemed all but over for Jones County — but the Greyhounds had a bigger run in them than expected.
    Nick Singleton and Dennis Woolfork — Jones County’s free-wheeling back court — started to hit the wild shots they were missing in the first quarter. The duo combined to shoot 5-of-9 with 11 points between them as Jones County would go on to score 20 points in the second quarter.
    “They beat Eagle’s Landing with those kind of shots,” Hill said. “That’s how they’ve played all year, so we knew we might have to withstand a barrage tonight.” 
    The problem for Statesboro was the absence of point guard Tray Burns, who had to sit after picking up his second foul early in the second quarter following a charge call. This forced Tyler Goodman into the point guard role, who committed four turnovers in the second quarter as Statesboro recorded just six points. This cut the deficit to 36-31 at halftime, silencing a formerly raucous crowd at Statesboro’s gym.
    “People don’t understand, just because Tray doesn’t score points doesn’t mean he isn’t important,” Hill said. “He’s our director, and makes things happen for our offense.” 
    However with Burns back on the court, Statesboro’s offense woke back up to hit a 16-6 run going into the fourth quarter — officially putting a sizable gap between them and Jones for good. Statesboro would survive 30 combined points from Woolfork and Singleton, thanks in part to the 26 points Harvey would finish with.
    Even after cooling down significantly, Statesboro shot 49 percent from the floor and 50 percent downtown. Burns would finish with eight assists and three rebounds, while Jordan Wright was second in scoring with ten points for Statesboro.
    The Blue Devils (19-9, 7-1) will now face Cedar Shoals (22-4), a very strong No. 2 seed from Athens, who beat Jackson 64-47 in its first round matchup. The second round game will be in Statesboro, but the date and time are still to be determined.