In the old Lead Belly (and Peter, Paul and Mary) chain-gang song, “ol’ Stewball was a racehorse.”

As it’s told, “a way up yonder, ahead of them all, came a-dancin’ and a-prancin’ my noble Stewball.”

In the Jefferson boys basketball version of “Stu Ball” – so named by the t-shirt wearing “Stu Cru” student section in honor of Coach Stu Ordman – it’s do-it-all senior Taylor Olson that’s the racehorse of the team.

He’s ahead of them all: scoring, stealing the ball, rebounding, directing the other players, drawing fouls, even blocking shots.

And Tuesday night in a come-from-behind 61-50 home win over Dubuque Wahlert, Olson also served as on-court coach and counselor for his little brother Jacob when he took over as point guard.

“Taylor had another outstanding game,” said Ordman afterward. “He’s a magician with the ball. He made eight of 10 shots. He played great defense on (Wahlert’s) Riley McCarron, who’s super tough.

“He’s extremely versatile, so we put him in positions where he can do the most damage.

“And we can always count on Taylor to know what the game plan is and be able to execute it. He’s got a very high basketball IQ.”

Ordman’s gang utilized all of Olson’s skills and savvy as they overcame a four-point halftime deficit to blow out Wahlert in the third quarter and cruised the rest of the way.  For the night, Taylor totaled 24 points on 80 percent shooting (including one 3-pointer) and seven of 10 free throws when the visitors were forced to foul. He also led his team with seven rebounds.

Doing much of the ball-handling, his only turnover of the game came when he made a wild half-court out-of-bounds pass late in the fourth quarter.  He played point guard when the team needed to settle down.  Then he moved down low into the middle, making nifty spin moves to the rim or kicking out to teammates on the perimeter.

“My job on offense is to kind of control the game.” explained the senior Olson.  “We knew they’d play a zone, and at the start we swung the ball around too much and struggled getting the ball inside.

“When Coach put me down in the middle I was able to get some drives and set up shots for some of the other guys.”

The strategy worked to perfection.

After the Golden Eagles soared to a 14-2 jump start, the J-Hawks responded with an 11-0 run marked by an Olson 3-pointer, three jump shots by Ky Kramer and a lay-up on a steal by speedy Creighton Robinson.

Ordman said he wasn’t happy with his team’s defense in the first half.

Throughout the game, Wahlert had only three scoring threats.  And too often early on, McCarron along with Jake May (Hawkeye Eric May’s younger brother) and Nate Burks were able to bound inside for follow-up baskets.

“I thought our defense picked up in the third quarter,” Ordman said. “And we started moving the ball a lot better.”

Combine the two, and Jefferson put together a 14-1 surge during a five-minute stretch after the half and went ahead 43-33 by the end of the quarter.  Taylor Olson accounted for eight of his team’s points in the comeback.

Much of the time when he was directing the action from the middle, his sophomore brother Jacob was handed the point guard responsibilities.

“I was a little nervous,” the younger one said. “But Taylor kept talking to me, telling me to stay calm and supporting me. He was looking out for me.

“I’ve always looked up to him.”

For his part, big brother thought Jacob did fine, hitting a 3-pointer of his own and committing only a couple of turnovers.

“He’s been playing basketball all of his life,” Taylor said. “We trust him out there. He knows what he’s doing. He’s a good ball player.”

With that, the Olson boys pranced away together.

DUBUQUE WAHLERT (50): Riley McCarron 4 3-4 13, Brady Williams 0 0-0 0, Jake May 6 5-7 20, Nate Burks 5 3-4 14, John Burgmeier 0 0-0 0, Sam Koenig 1 1-3 3, Connor Krueger 0 0-0 0, Josh Tranel 0 0-0 0, Chad Heidesch 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 12-18 50.

JEFFERSON (61): Alec Saunders 1 2-2 4, Creighton Robinson 2 1-2 6, Ky Kramer 5 2-2 12, Tyler Hemphill 1 2-3 4, Taylor Olson 8 7-10 24, Jacob Olson 1 1-2 4, Justin Underwood 2 3-3 7. Totals 20 18-24 61.

Halftime – Wahlert 26, Jefferson 22. 3-point goals – Wahlert 6 (McCarron 2, May 3, Burks), Jefferson 3 (J.Olson, Robinson, T.Olson). Total fouls – Wahlert 20, Jefferson 16. Fouled out – none. Technical foul – Jefferson bench.