ELTON — Hamilton Christian doubled down on defense to erase an early deficit and beat Elton 57-38 Friday to take sole possession of first place in District 4-1A.

“Defense. Hamilton Christian is defense,” Hamilton head coach Dexter Washington said. “Our motto is, that if we hold anybody under 50, we win it. I am just real happy for the boys.”

Hamilton (17-6, 5-0) owns a one-game lead on Elton (17-7, 4-1) and Grand Lake (17-3, 4-1) in the district standings after handing each team their first district loss this week.

“We are in control,” Washington said. “We are going to White Castle (today) to play Plaquemine.

“It’s all power points now. Then we have our last two district opponents, East Beauregard and Merryville, but we are not sleeping on anybody. We are trying to take this team as far as they want to go.”

Hamilton trailed Elton 14-10 after the first quarter, but opened the second quarter with a 15-0 run and held the Indians to two points to take a 25-16 lead by halftime.

Elton forward Damarcus Jack scored 10 points in the first quarter as the Indians opened with an 8-0 lead, but the Warriors shut him down the rest of the way. Jack finished with 15 points.

“Early on I thought Jack played hard, but we took him out of the game,” Washington said. “I don’t think he had very much going into the second half.

“Our perimeter defense is pretty good, and tonight it showed. The thing was to back off the guards and don’t allow him to get the ball. We were trying to front him, then backside help.”

Hamilton held Elton to its lowest scoring total of the season and ended the Indians’ five-game win streak. Hamilton won its 12th consecutive game.

Deion Ware hit his third 3 of the game to cut Elton’s lead to 14-13 early in the second quarter and another with 3:42 left in the quarter for the Warriors’ first lead, 17-14. Ware led the Warriors with 13 points. Mason Russell added 12 points and Neiman Sullen finished with 11.

Hamilton led by as many as 13 in the first quarter, but the Indians battled back to within 39-35 on a fast break by Sherman Bellow just before the fourth quarter.

Hamilton held Elton to three points in the fourth quarter.

Girls

Hamilton Christian. . . .48

Elton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Hamilton Christian rallied from a third-quarter deficit.

The Warriors have won six of their last eight games.

Sophomores McKenzie Deville and Rilley Fontenot had big games for Hamilton (10-13, 3-2). Deville had 16 points, including eight in the pivotal fourth quarter, and Fontenot had a double-double with 13 points and 18 rebounds. Deville also had eight rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Elton led by as much as 31-23 with 1:50 left in the third quarter, but Hamilton went on a 22-4 run to take back the lead. The Warriors took the lead, 36-35, for good on a jumper by Kailynn Dantley with 6:37 left in the game.

Brianna Laughlin led Elton (7-16, 1-4) with 11 points.