By Derek Shore (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
In head coach Andrew Boone’s first season at the helm, Stockton went 17-10 and finished as a district runner-up in 2023. The Tigers graduated four starters, headlined by all-stater Jay Baxter, who is now playing at College of the Ozarks.
While Boone mentioned that there is no replacing an all-state talent like Baxter, seniors AJ Scott and Lawson Page look to provide leadership for a young Stockton team. Both Scott and Page are listed at 6-foot-1.
“AJ played the bulk of his minutes last season at the JV level,” Boone said. “As a senior, we want to see him fight and compete for a starting spot every day. He will bring toughness to our team that we must have in order to be competitive. We look to AJ to bring it every day in regards to defense and rebounding.
“Lawson started 14 games for us last season. Lawson is one of our most athletic guys, and we will look for him to use that athleticism. We will look for him to be more of a factor in scoring and rebounding.”
Jax Baxter, an all-conference performer, comes off a standout freshman campaign. The 6-5 sophomore looks to take a big step forward after averaging eight points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal last season.
“Jax was a big-time contributor as a freshman last season and shot nearly 40% from 3,” Boone said. “He had a tremendous summer and has become more assertive on offense and looking to score at all three levels. We will look for him to keep improving on defense and to look to be more aggressive on the boards this season for us. If he does, Jax has the potential to be one of the best sophomores in the area this season.”
Preston Rains, a 6-0 junior, looks to make a big leap after contributing four points and two rebounds last year as a sophomore. The six-foot sophomore, Colter Woods, took advantage of varsity time as a freshman and averaged five points per night.
Boone said Rains was known as an outside threat entering his sophomore season but developed into a capable scoring threat inside. The team looks for Rains to use his strength and become a solid defensive presence this season, while Woods was a streaky shooter last year and looks for more consistency from the perimeter in his expanded role in 2024.
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“Colter will be one of our best two-way players due to his high basketball IQ,” Boone added. “His basketball IQ allows him to anticipate on defense well, and we hope that will lead to deflections and steals for our defense.”
Landon Sexton, a 6-0 junior, is expected to get an increased role this year. Boone mentioned that Sexton comes off a good summer and is someone who works hard and plays well on the defensive end.
Sophomores Carter Thornton, James Flora, Kale Rader and Levi Mitchell will also compete for playing time.
“I’m excited about the group we have out this season,” Boone said. “They are fun to be around and are good friends. We may be young, but the expectations for this team never change. We want our boys to have the mindset and attitude that if we do things the right way all the time, we’re going to be there late in games to give ourselves a chance.
“At the end of the season, we want to be in that district championship game. We made it there last year but fell short. Our guys last year hadn’t been in that atmosphere before, and it showed late. Now the guys coming back have been there, done that and have an idea of what to expect, so the more we can put ourselves in those situations, the better we will be able to handle it and be ready moving forward.”
Stockton hosts Butler to open the season on Nov. 21.
