Fayette — The standout memory for Jefferson County High School basketball player Christan Day’s senior season is a region game at Port Gibson High School on Jan. 15.

Jefferson County was down by 22 points heading into the fourth quarter.

“I remember very well, it was 47-25 at the end of the third quarter,” coach Marcus Walton said. “I looked up with about four minutes to go and we’re down nine. I thought, ‘Lord, what are you doing?’ We actually had a chance.”

Day described the environment in the Port Gibson gym as hostile. With district tournament implications on the line, the Tigers were searching for a much-needed spark to get back into the game.

“We walked in and they booed us and everything,” Day said. “My brother Josh led the team. He stepped up big in the fourth quarter with a few defensive stops that pumped the team up.”

Christan hit two free throws at the end of the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, and Jefferson County pulled out a 67-59 win.

“It was just a total team effort, every guy bought in,” Walton said. “This team truly symbolized everything I want to leave as a legacy as a coach.”

The “unsung leader” of that Jefferson County team is The Natchez Democrat All-Metro MVP Christan Day.

Day gives plenty of credit to his sophomore brother for helping lead the charge against Port Gibson on Jan. 15 — as much credit as he can give before stamping a caveat to his compliment, like a seal that reads “big brother left this here.”

“(Josh) stepped up big this season,” Day said. “If he would listen a little bit more he’d be even better.”

It’s competitive in the Day household. There are approximately 18 months between the Day brothers, and Josh has a few inches on his older brother. Either one will tell you they would beat the other in a game of one-on-one.

Their father and Jefferson County High School Principal David Day said the small age gap between the two also allowed the Day brothers to play together as they grew up playing baseball and basketball, in addition to little fights in the backyard when they were younger.

“Josh always thought, if Christan can do it then he can do it,” David said. “To keep me from traveling from one place to another, we always allowed Josh to play up with his brother.”

Christan said the rhythm between he and Josh on the court is smooth from so many years of playing together. David said Christan has been the experienced one for Josh to have an example to emulate.

But the era of the Day brothers is ending at Jefferson County. Now, Christan’s senior basketball season is over and he is on the hunt for a college that will give him a shot to continue his playing career. Earlier in the week, Day worked out at Copiah-Lincoln Community College Tuesday and Walton said he has helped Day arrange workouts at other schools. Day is optimistic he’ll have at least a few schools to choose from, with several local schools in mind including his father’s alma mater, Alcorn State.

“I’m still weighing some options,” Day said. “Whoever has the best offer and is the best fit, that’s where I want to go.”

Walton said there aren’t many holes in Day’s game. Offensively, he averaged 22 points per game and seven assists per game. By the accounts of his coach and his father, Day is a good student, and Walton says he has handled a fair amount of responsibility in his career at Jefferson County.

“I started Christan as a sophomore,” Walton said. “I lost four guards his freshman year … There were a lot of ups and downs. It didn’t always go well, but toward the end of his sophomore year we were able to win district.”

Walton said, since he was a point guard during his playing career, he can be hard on his point guards as a coach.

“At times you can only go as far as your point guard can take you,” Walton said. “He’s accepted that challenge and been a joy to coach.”

There is about a month’s worth of basketball games sandwiched between the best memory of Day’s senior season, at Port Gibson, and the memory that, perhaps, haunts him the most, at Jefferson County.

Down 63-61 against Forest High School with seven seconds remaining in a South State playoff game, Walton drew up a play designed for Day to take the ball out after and inbound pass. Day had to make a decision: drive to the hoop and score, or feed it to an open teammate. The game was literally in his hands.

Day didn’t get to make a decision. He drove to the basket and was stripped by the Forest High School defender and time expired on his season and high school career.

Ironically, in that brief moment of failure, Day might have represented the player he was to Walton more than ever. Walton said Day has pulled the Tigers through those situations before so he, once again, gave Day enormous responsibility.

“If he was meant to finish it, he would have finished it,” Walton said. “One play never justifies his whole career. I don’t know many people who come through and get two district championships, are selected as the play of the year in their senior season and have been the MVP of this basketball team since their junior year.”

Walton said a lot of the offensive plays this season were designed with Day in mind, as he facilitates the game from the point guard position. Walton added, if he could press the reset button on the season, he wouldn’t change anything.

Day said the chemistry between the guard-heavy Tiger team was their strength and after years of playing together since junior high, it’s up for his brother and the rest of the underclassmen to continue to gel. He said he is counting on Josh and rising sophomore Rashard Short to keep basketball strong at Jefferson County.

“I think they’re going to fill in (the senior class’) shoes,” Day said. “They’ll play big.”