By REID TUCKER
Paxton Dixon did more than lead the Seahawks in scoring when he put up 34 points against Bethlehem and 29 against Rocky Bayou. He made history.
Dixon, who, as of that last game on Friday, Nov. 21, has an unofficial career total 1,047 points, is the all-time leading scorer in the history of South Walton’s basketball program. He needed just two points to break the previous career scoring record of 1,020 points and he more than did that, laying into the Knights with 24 points in the second half.
However, as that second-half mark indicates, Dixon didn’t exactly have a peach of a time in the first two quarters, when Rocky did a good job of trapping him, leaving Dixon with just a layup and 3-pointer in the first period. That’s why, despite his record-eclipsing individual performance, it was Dixon’s ability to unite his team after halftime that was his real accomplishment of the night. Newly re-invigorated and following his lead, the Seahawks turned a closer-than-comfortable 34-27 lead into a convincing 67-55 win in front of the home crowd.
“There’s a lot on you when you’re the team leader,” South Walton coach John Davies said of Dixon. “When your team mates see that you have confidence in yourself, that helps them to work harder and achieve their best. Paxton’s actions are saying ‘we got this, we can do this.’ Plus, it helps that he can shoot really well.”
Shoot well he did, but only after the slow-going of the first quarter, when South Walton found itself tied at 12 with a determined and tall Rocky Bayou squad. Josh Preston’s 15 first-half points and height advantage made life miserable for the Seahawks, and only a smattering of perimeter baskets from Stephen Stroop, Devan Welch and Ross Martin helped South Walton make a 26-all tie with 1:51 to go turn into a seven-point lead at the break.
Dixon absolutely exploded the roof off the gym after the Seahawks emerged from the locker room for the second half of play. He scored from all ranges, racking up 19 of the team’s 24 combined points in the third quarter, while Rocky’s John Colquitt kept the ‘Hawks honest with eight points of his own for five-point ballgame going into the final quarter. South Walton simply dominated the Knights in the fourth, and, even if they had to shoot five-of-19 to do it, the Seahawks surged ahead while isolating Preston, forcing him to make his shots at the stripe.
When it was all said and done, South Walton went up 63-52 in the final minutes and didn’t look back on the way to a solid 12-point margin of victory. Davies said the change after halftime was entirely due to his players themselves – he took a step off the court and didn’t give too much direction except when needed, he said.
“I saw leadership growth in the team tonight,” Davies said. “I love what I’m seeing in terms of their development as players. Stepping back and let them figure out what to do and how to win for was a major point of emphasis at halftime, and the result speaks for itself.”
The Lady Seahawks took on Rocky Bayou’s girls that same night, and, unlike the close game on the boys’ side, their game was much more one-sided to say the least. South Walton utterly dominated the Lady Knights, rolling through all but the faintest whiff of resistance on the way to a 51-15 victory. The Lady Seahawks were 22-for-57 from the floor to Rocky’s 7-of-33 showing, with Francette Warren leading the way with 11 points on the night.
