Yellow Jackets continue bonding this week
For the Calhoun High School basketball team, they are currently in a stretch that could go a long way towards determining what happens to them in the very near future.
With three games in three days, a stretch that began Tuesday afternoon with a contest against Excel Christian Academy, in the Tiger Christmas Clash tournament at Adairsville, the still-putting-everything-together Yellow Jackets have a real chance to bond before their 5A Region 6 schedule kicks off in less than two weeks.
The Jackets, led by head coach Vince Layson, began the season with one group playing as some key guys were still playing football. But now those guys are back, the group has been together, for the most part, at least twice on the court and this week in Adairsville may be just the ointment they need to mesh as one because they have a lot of games in a very short period of time.
The newcomers have made themselves known immediately as senior forward Peyton Law, senior forward Blaze Hamlett, freshman postman Emaree Winston, and point guard Christopher Lewis have all looked good and were especially impressive in Calhoun’s win over Adairsville.
Add in senior guard Branden Gray, and Calhoun could probably have a new starting five but senior Jaylan Harris has played very well and others have also been solid as Layson tries to put all the pieces into the perfect fit.
But three games against good teams (Excel Christian was 7-2 coming into Tuesday’s clash and details of that game were not available at press time) in a little over 48 hours will give the team a chance to come together like it has not had before.
While the new returners have been a true bright spot, the team has been without the services of its other big man as 6-foot-8 junior Dylan Faulkner has been out with an injury.
All the Calhoun fans have been anxious to see how the team would like with the twin towers of 6-foot-6 Law and Faulkner on the floor at the same time, but they will all have to wait a little longer until Faulkner returns.
In their most recent contest, a 66-62 win over Adairsville that wasn’t decided until Peyton Law made a foul shot with under two seconds
to play to give the home team a four-point lead, the Yellow Jackets had their running game and hope to continue to make it better this week as only one non-region contest remains once the New Year starts.
Prior to the season beginning, Layson said that the freshman Winston would probably start on the junior varsity team to kind of ease him in. But Winston, with his physical and fearless play and 17 rebounds in his second varsity game, has looked like a four-year starter at times with his play around the basket. On top of being a bruiser in the paint, he has also shown an ability to step outside and make shots.
And his play now has Calhoun fans wondering what a frontline of Law, Faulkner and Winston will look like. It has to make them smile and then they realize that Faulkner has one more year remaining after this one and Winston has three.
So the Yellow Jackets are still putting everything together and having all the possible pieces they need to make that happen, but this week in Adairsville, in their final non-region tournament of the winter, they have a chance to bond like they’ve not
had all season.
The Yellow Jackets entered the Tiger Christmas Clash at 4-3 overall and with a two-game win streak.