FAYETTE &045; Players come and go, but at Jefferson County things have a tendency of staying the same.

This year’s brand of Tigers had some big shoes to fill with the losses of two key players. Others had to step up, and there’s still the pressure of living up to a tradition of success within the program.

But things really haven’t changed this year. Take for example their 1-3-1 half-court zone defense, a set that was pretty pivotal in Monday’s 61-47 win in Region 7-3A over Hazlehurst.

&uot;That’s our bread and butter,&uot; said senior Josh Nichols, one of three Tigers in double figures with 13 points. &uot;That’s what carried us to state last year. We’ve got people stepping up, knowing their assignments and learning their roles on the team.&uot;

If the 1-3-1 is done right and you’ve got the right personnel, you can do so much with it &045; defend the 3-pointer, defend the post and pressure the guards. That was the set used mainly by last year’s Tigers that lost in the South State championship after knocking off Prentiss and nationally ranked post Al Jefferson.

That, however, was last year. And the Tigers remember it.

&uot;A lot of people thought we’d be rebuilding,&uot; said JC head coach Marcus Walton, whose team lost post Juan Wyatt (Alcorn) and Dewones Smith (Co-Lin) from last year. &uot;But I’m very confident in my kids. Josh Nichols started as a sophomore, and we started Chris Carradine and Tony Mackey last year. I’m just thankful we’ve got kids with real listening ears. I think our trips to the coliseum paid big dividends for this team. They’re really jelling.&uot;

After a rough start last month, the chemistry may be right heading into the holiday break. The win was the third in as many games for the Tigers in region play, although two big games loom ahead in Amite County and Wilkinson County. But they played well in the second half to put away the Indians thanks to a 23-4 run over a span of nearly seven minutes.

&uot;Coach just told us to run our offense,&uot; Nichols said. &uot;We came out and executed. We focused on their weaknesses with their big men. We came out and were executing our plays. We were trying to take it inside.&uot;

The Tigers appeared more fluid in the offense against Hazlehurst’s man-to-man set in the halfcourt and turned a one-point lead at halftime into a 20-point lead just inside the fourth quarter.

The Indians got a bucket from Johnny Sanders with 4:40 left in the third to cut the lead to 32-27, but the Tigers reeled off 13 straight points to end the quarter with a 45-27 lead.

&uot;We got out-rebounded tonight &045; that was the main thing,&uot; Indians assistant coach Eugene Douglas said. &uot;That was the key thing to the game. You’ve got to rebound. We’re not mature &045; that’s one thing. We’re real young. We lost 10 seniors from last year, and all of them played. You’ve got to reload.&uot;

The defense was key in that stretch for Jefferson County as Nichols got a layup off a steal at the 3:52 mark, Quin Keys did the same at the 1:00 mark before putting in another layup with 36 seconds left. The Indians called a timeout immediately after, but Carradine put in a bucket off another steal just before time expired.

Joe Kemp, the Tigers’ good-sized freshman center, put in a basket underneath with 7:34 left in the fourth for the 47-27 lead.

Carradine led the Tigers with 14 points.

&uot;We played a zone where we fronted the post with backside help,&uot; Walton said. &uot;They guys did a great job of backside help. They (Hazlehurst) are big and physical. This was big for the kids. When you’re in district play, you’ve got to win your games at home to have a chance to win the district. We’ve been fortunate enough to do that. I just can’t say enough about them coming together on the offensive and defensive ends.&uot;

The Indians rallied a bit in the fourth quarter thanks to 17 points from guard Ramone Hood in that quarter alone. He buried four 3-pointers, including one with 2:11 left that cut the lead to 55-44, but the Indians didn’t score again until he hit another with 10 seconds left in the game.

Hazlehurst played its best ball at the end of the second quarter after the Tigers took a 22-14 lead on a Courtney Rushing basket with 3:50 left. Two free throws from post man Johnny Sanders sparked a 7-0 run to end the quarter, and Sanders hit one of two free throws with 54 seconds left to cut the lead to 22-21 at half.

&uot;We started getting in foul trouble,&uot; Douglas said. &uot;Passes weren’t there. We beat ourselves. They’ve got to be in the positions where they’re supposed to be. You’ve got to play good defense. That’s what wins ball games.&uot;