Hawthorne Defends Home-Court vs. Hamilton County, Heads to Regional Final

HAWTHORNE, FL---With dreams and aspirations to make it to Lakeland, Hawthorne and Hamilton County was ready to battle in this year’s Regional Semifinals. Despite being down early in the first quarter, the Hornets fought back and defended home court to pulled out a 56 – 43 victory over the Trojans.

The stage was set in Hawthorne, which is the birth place of great talent such as

Cornelius Ingram, the Florida Gators own two-time football national champion.

Both teams faced the inescapable fact that for one, this could be their last game of

the season. Or for seniors, their high-school career.

Early in the game, it was no surprise who the key players were for both teams. The Trojans put the offense in the hands of junior guard Javiel Jones, and he did not disappoint. Jones hit two long-range bombs, giving his team an 8-2 lead in the first quarter.

The Hornets took a quick timeout to regroup. Head Coach Greg Bowie gave his team a reality check, challenging his seniors and told them, “this can very well be your last game

in a Hawthorne uniform. If it means something to you, then you got to make plays.”

The speech ignited every player on his team, including senior guard Detron Green. It did not take long for the Hornets to sting their way back into the game behind Green's offensive explosion.

Junior guard Devin Lawrence, senior guard DJ Harris and senior wing Deonte Bowie followed Green and they sparked a run for the Hornets with harassing defense. The first quarter ended with the Hornets on top 13-8.

Trojans hustle plays on both sides of the ball to help the team stay in it. They pulled within three points 15-18 with 4:20 on the clock in the second quarter. The turnovers led to points and sophomore guard Vonte Bowie made some scrappy plays coming off the bench. The Hornets held the Trojans to a cold streak and went on a double digit

scoring run led by Green.

The lowing scoring affair between the two brought the score to 24-18 at halftime. The top scorers at half were Javiel Jones who had eight points for the Trojans. Detron Green had 11 points for the Hornets.

“Staying under control and playing our game and not trying to play their pace but keep the pace our way” was the key, Lawrence stated. This was the team mindset for the entire second half.

Once the Hornets got it going, they didn’t slow down. Their defense, led by Lawrence, created a lot of turnovers. In second half, Lawrence got hot. One of his highlight plays came in the third quarter when he slashed to the lane, drawing contact while finishing a nifty lay-in. The Trojans offense couldn't ignite. The Hornets protected their lead with all costs.

Detron Green's 27-point offensive explosion led the Hornets to get the revenge win over the Trojans. One word describing Green’s performance? “Electric” coach Bowie, said.

In the end the Trojans fought hard, but came up short. This is their last game of the season and Hawthorne will be advancing to the Regional Finals to face Madison County on Tuesday night.

Top Scoring Performers Hamilton County Trojans Javiel Jones 12 points Tony Stockton 9 points

Malik Wallace 9 points

Hawthorne Hornets Detron Green 27 points Deonte Bowie 8 points DJ Harris 7 points