The Charles Henderson Lady Trojans knocked off Valley 85-21 on Monday night in the Class 5A sub-regionals.

The win clinches a spot in the 5A Southeast Regional this weekend in Montgomery.

“We have been fighting for this all year,” said head coach Dyneshia Jones.

The Trojans have had their fair share of possible distractions this year with the suspension of senior Maori Davenport due to receiving payment from USA Basketball. Despite the distractions, the Trojans are heading back to the regionals.

“We are just taking it one game at a time,” Jones said. “We are happy she is playing for us. She deserves to play and this is what we have been fighting for.”

With Davenport on the floor, along with Tatyana Siler and Samira Moore, the Trojans had the height advantage on Monday night. They led to a big advantage when it came to points in the paint.

“That is what we have been working on,” Jones said. “When we prepare, we have to figure out where the weaknesses are and take advantage of it. When they are short, we are going to try and get it to our bigs.”

The Trojans looked to put the game away early when they outscored the Rams 24-2 in the opening quarter. The quarter ended when Moore sunk a layup as time expired.

The Trojans built a 37-3 lead early in the second quarter. By the end of the first half, the Trojans led by as many as 41 points before going into the locker room at halftime leading 52-11.

Due to the lopsided score, the third and fourth quarters went from being 8:00 to 6:00 long. The shortening of the clock didn’t slow down the Trojans. Charles Henderson finished the quarter on a 10-0 run and went into the fourth leading 66-16.

The Trojans held the Rams to 5 fourth quarter points to secure the lopsided win.

Every player on the roster scored for the Trojans in the win.

“That’s great,” Jones said. “That’s what I love about them.”

Moore finished the game with 20 points, while Davenport had 17. Siler finished with 14 points, while Niaira Jones had eight.

The Trojans will travel to Montgomery on Saturday to play the winner of Sylacauga and Briarwood Christian in the regional semifinals.

“We have to get film on them and we’ll see,” Jones said. “We have to make sure we are prepared. There are only 16 teams left in 5A. We know we have to fight, because if we lose we are home until next year.”