The Charles Henderson Lady Trojans made quick of work of Greenville when they knocked off the Tigers 83-9 in the opening round of the Class 5A Area 3 Tournament on Monday night.

The Lady Trojans held the Tigers scoreless for much of the first half before ultimately beating the Tigers by 74. The win advances the Trojans to the area championship on Thursday night.

“They looked great,” said head coach Dyneshia Jones. “They did a wonderful job. It was big and important, because if we lost this first game then we would be at home preparing for next year.”

Senior Maori Davenport got the game started with a three-pointer, giving the Trojans the 3-0 lead. Niaira Jones finished the first quarter with eight points and the Trojans went into the second with a 27-0 lead.

It took until the 6:03 mark of the second quarter for the Eagles to get on the board. They scored a on a three-pointer to bring their deficit down to 28 points at 31-3.

The Trojans held the Tigers scoreless the rest of the half. Tatyana Siler scored 12-straight points for the Trojans and they went into the locker room at halftime leading 50-3.

Just like she did to start the game, Davenport connected on a three-pointer to begin the second half. The Trojans didn’t allow a Tiger point until the 3:07 mark of the third quarter and went into the fourth leading 73-9.

The Trojans emptied their bench in the fourth quarter and held the Tigers to just one point.

The win for the Trojans automatically punches a ticket to the sub-regionals. Even with higher goals, the Trojans know to reach another state championship, they have to continue to stay focused in order to get through each game of the playoffs.

“Mentally, (we) need to be prepared for anything,” Jones said. “Anything can happen. We can’t let our guard down.”

Davenport finished the game with 23 points, while Jones finished with 15. Samira Moore and Siler each finished the game with 12 points.

“I just love the type of girls that I have,” Jones said. “They are not selfish. They look for the open person.”

The Trojans will take on Carroll on Thursday evening for the right to be crowned area champions. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

“We need to get prepared for their offense,” Jones said. “We need to continue to do what we do, watch film and see what we need to do to get better.”