Jamichael Stallworth was already the Georgiana Panthers’ leading scorer, but his average got a sizable bump Friday.

In an overtime shootout with the rival Panthers of J.F. Shields, Stallworth scored 55 of Georgiana’s 88 points to propel his team to a 7-point win.

The performance was Stallworth’s eighth 30-plus-point game of his high school career.

Stallworth’s scoring prowess has climbed steadily since his sophomore days on the Panthers team; as a 10th grader, the 6-foot-1 guard averaged 13.7 points per game. In his junior year, that average climbed to 17.7 points per game, alongside noticeable increases in assists, rebounds and steals per game.

His senior year scoring average hovered near 23 points per game–until Friday, that is.

For Stallworth, Friday felt like any other game.  The Panthers’ opponent just happened to force overtime–a rare occurrence for the 23-2 Panthers–which demanded a bit more of Stallworth than usual. 

“The game didn’t feel different because every time we–as in we, the team–have the same goal. Beat the opponent,” Stallworth said.

“Other that that, it just felt like business as usual.”

Still, Stallworth was vaguely aware of how well he was shooting.  He expressed surprise when someone told him he’d broken the 50-point barrier at some point during the game. But in the back of his mind, it made sense.

“I was surprised when they first told me I had 51, but at the same time I was saying to myself ‘If I don’t have 50+ points, something is wrong,” he said with a laugh.

Stallworth finished 11 for 17 shooting; he shot 56 percent from 3-point range and was 18 for 20 at the charity strike.  He also added five rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks.

The 55-point game is a school record, and though Stallworth is happy to be considered in such elite company, he hopes the landmark instead serves as motivation for those coming after him.

“It feels great,” Stallworth said.

“But for the upcoming players, they should strive to beat my record, and be in the same category I’m in.”