[Stardust]

Led by a sharp-shooting eighth-grader, the Dixie Heights High School boys' basketball team has reeled off five wins in the last six games to improve to 8-9 on the season.

The Colonels entered the holiday break 3-8 and struggling to find their identity.

The team's leading returning scorer entering the season, sophomore Matt Trammel, was bothered by a back injury all season.

The point guard decided to have surgery over the break, leaving the point guard duties in the hands of eighth-grader Brandon Hatton.

Hatton played varsity last season as a seventh-grader but has taken on a much bigger role this year.

Hatton is averaging 18.4 points per game over Dixie's last eight games, capped by a career-high 34 point outburst in a 77-63 overtime win over Simon Kenton in the All "A" Classic on Jan. 15.

"Any time a kid scores 34 points in a game you have to stand back and be a little impressed," Colonels head coach Ken Chevalier said. "That was a phenomenal performance for a kid his age."

The Colonels entered the season with a young team and have been further hampered by injuries. In addition to Trammel's injury, sophomore Zeke Pike has missed five games while battling injuries.

Early in the season, Hatton was playing like a youngster who was putting too much pressure on himself to score. Now that he has eased into the point-guard position, he is playing at a higher comfort level.

"He is taking better shots now, which is why he's scoring more points," Chevalier said. "I think early in the season he was pressing too much. Now, he's letting the game come to him. He has had a tremendous transformation over the last few weeks."

Hatton's emergence as one of the area's leading scorers over the past few weeks did not come as a surprise to his head coach.

"I told some other coaches before this season started that I would not be surprised to see Brandon score more than 20 points in a few games this year," Chevalier said.

Hatton's play has directly coincided with the Colonels improving as a team.

When Pike is healthy, the Colonels become a team that can score from anywhere on the court. Pike added 11 points in the overtime win over Simon Kenton and helped free up Hatton, who nailed seven three-pointers in the win.

"It really opens up the perimeter when we have a legitimate scoring threat like Zeke in the post," said Chevalier.

Senior Brett Stansberry has led the upperclassmen as they accept their roles as Hatton's supporting cast. The juniors and seniors have embraced the youth movement.

"The great thing about our juniors and seniors is that they understand Brandon can help us win games," said Chevalier. "Everybody is understanding his role and our chemistry is getting better every time we take the court."

The Colonels hope to continue their hot streak when they host Holy Cross on Saturday, Jan. 23
http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/C2/201...ie+in+wins