Tony Stockton scored 29 points to lead Hamilton County past Jefferson County. 

JASPER, Fla. — For Hamilton County guard Tony Stockton, it was just a matter of playing faster. 

After a somewhat sluggish start that was amplified by shooting 1 of 12 from the foul line in the first half, the Trojans turned the second half of Tuesday’s district semifinal against Jefferson County into a track meet.

Stockton led the charge as Hamilton County sprinted to an 87-67 home victory, earning a spot in the District 5-Class 1A Championship. Stockton finished with 29 points and 12 assists as HCHS outscored Jefferson 57-29 in the final two quarters. 

“We had to pick up the tempo and get more ball movement,” said Stockton, who also had three 3-pointers and four steals. 

The Trojans took their first lead of the second half on a Dharan Hawkins layup with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter. A minute later, Stockton nailed a 3-pointer to give his team a 46-40 advantage.

It was all Trojans from that point. Jefferson County scored a few baskets late in the third quarter to get within five points (56-51), but did not get any closer.

“I’m proud of the resiliency from my team,” said Hamilton County coach Eugene Jones, whose squad went into halftime down 38-30. “Tony did it with his scoring and his assists. Ledarrius Lee played great defense in the third quarter and Keyshun Zanders kept their big guy from getting easy buckets.”

With Stockton breaking down the defense and drawing multiple defenders, there were plenty of good looks at the basket for Nick McClain, DeNandre Johnson and Jacariyon Houston. McClain also put up some big numbers with 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Johnson poured in 13 points while Houston scored all 12 of his points in the paint.

Jefferson County (5-16) made five 3-pointers in the first half, but only one in the second half. Demarius Alexander (16 points) connected on four shots from long range while Jaquan Coasey had a team-high 27 points for the Tigers. 

Hamilton County (12-14) hosts Madison County on Friday at 7 p.m. for the district title.

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Hornets fall to Cowboys

In the other district semifinal matchup played at HCHS, Madison County topped Lafayette 76-31. 

Richy James led the Hornets with 13 points. LHS finished the season with a 10-11 record. 

Jefferson County	16	22	13	16	—	67
Hamilton County	19	11	26	31	—	87

Hamilton County (12-14) — Tony Stockton 29, Nick McClain 17, DeNandre Johnson 13, Jacariryon Houston 12, Aderias Ealy 8, Dharan Hawkins 6, Keyshun Zanders 2