Lady Royals reel Dolphins

Tuesday-The Jay fans that traveled to Gulf Breeze didn’t know what to expect when their Lady Royals (17-4) lined up for the tip against the 16-7 Dolphins. After all, Jay had just lost a hard fought game to their rivals at Central. The week before that, Gulf Breeze defeated that same Central team, 52-15. The Dolphins were also riding high on a four game winning streak. So it was completely understandable for the Jay faithful to feel a little uneasy when they went to “The Tank.” Those fears would soon subside, for most of the night at least, for the fans of royal blue and white.

From the tip of Gulf Breeze’s senior night, the Lady Royals showed that there was no hangover from the Central game. Jay raced to a 14-4 lead before Gulf Breeze would call their first timeout. Presley Hawthorne would hit a three and convert on a fast break to score five in the first quarter as Jay ended the period with a 16-8 lead.

Jay would take the eight point lead into halftime, as both squads only scored six in the second quarter.
Early in the third, Jay would extend their lead to 11 before the Dolphins would go on a run of their own and tied the game up, briefly, for the first time of the night.
A gutsy defensive performance by the Lady Royals held Gulf Breeze to only seven in the fourth as Hattie Locklin battled underneath for six points in the final quarter of play.
“Really proud of our team tonight. Played extremely hard,” head coach Jorey Diamond stated after the game.

Hattie Locklin led Jay with 10 points while Carleigh Baker added 9.

The regular season comes to an end for Jay as they host PCA on Friday night. The team will be honoring their lone senior, Madilyn Grimes.

JHS 16 6 11 11-44

GBHS 8 6 17 7-38

(P. Hawthorne 7, A. Nelson 5, C. Baker 9, C. Gilbreath 5, H. Locklin 10, M. Grimes 2, D. Locklin 1, G. Lewis 5)