Playoffs! Lady Royals host Chipley…

The Jay Lady Royals’ playoff journey begins on Thursday as they host Chipley (21-6) at 7:00pm. Jay (18-3) is hosting the first round of the playoffs as the winner of the district championship against Paxton last Friday, 52-32.

“We are so excited to be playing at home and need a raucous environment,” head coach Jorey Diamond said about the game.

Jay is riding high on a six game winning streak since losing to Central in mid January. Through the streak, Jay’s youngsters have really stepped up and matured on the court. This year’s squad is young to say the least; Presley Hawthorne (8th), Aubreigh Nelson(8th), Kaley Gilbreath (9th), and Carleigh Baker (10th) are the top four scorers for the Lady Royals, respectively.

While those underclassmen are leading the way in the statistical column, the leadership from the lone senior and captain in Jaylen Routley has not been overlooked. “Jaylen does a great job of helping our girls understand the environment to prepare,” Diamond said of his senior player. “She has done a great job leading our team this year.”

“We are very excited about this opportunity,” said Routley. “This team wants to make the most of it and go out with a bang!”

Chipley lost in their district championship game against Ponce de Leon last week, 39-25. Winners of two of their last five games, Chipley will be visiting Jay with the ability to score; the Tigers have scored more than 45 in 12 of their games this season. Point guard Kelcy Cooper is the leading scorer for Chipley, averaging just under 13 points a game.

“Chipley is an excellent squad with good skill and length.” Diamond stated. “It’s going to be a good matchup.”

The two teams had no common opponent this season.