For the fourth straight season, the Charles Henderson Trojans are area champions after beating the Andalusia Bulldogs 56-47 in the Class 5A, Area 3 Championship on Tuesday at home.

Charles Henderson, which never trailed in the championship game, opened up with back-to-back threes from Kameron Christian and Cody Cross and led 16-10 going into the second quarter. The Trojans then proceeded to go on an 11-0 run in the second quarter capped off with a layup from Cedric Brown to put the Trojans up 27-10 with 35 seconds left in the first half. Andalusia finally snapped the run from the Trojans and closed out the half on a 5-1 run to cut the CHHS lead to 28-15 at halftime.

Charles Henderson got right back to work in the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run to open up the period capped off by back-to-back steals and layups from Tyler Cross. Andalusia then went on a 4-0 run of its own to cut the Charles Henderson lead to 35-22 with 3:55 left in the third quarter.

The two sides traded baskets and free throws to end the third quarter with the Trojans leading 41-29 going into the final frame. The Bulldogs then went on a 6-0 run to cut the CHHS lead to 41-35 with 6:52 left in the fourth. That was as close as the Bulldogs would get, however as Christian hit a layup and drew a foul for a three-point play to put CHHS back up 44-35 with 6:46 left. After Tyler Cross drilled another three to put the Trojans up 47-38 with 4:43 left, CHHS was able to kill clock and force Andalusia to foul turning the game into a free throw contest.

“We played good enough to win,” CHHS Coach Tim Fayson said with a smile. “Overall, we’re a young team and we are still growing, but the important thing is we learned from our mistakes and were able to finish the game. So, I’m happy.”

Charles Henderson was led by Area Tournament MVP Christian with 20 points and three rebounds, while Tyler Cross tallied 17 points, eight rebounds, two steals and one block. Cody Cross added eight points, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Jydarien Burney also tallied five points and four rebounds. Christian, Cody Cross and Burney all earned All-Tournament honors. For Andalusia, Xavier Hourel scored 12 points to lead the way.

The championship not only marked the fourth straight area championship for the Trojans but also the fourth consecutive season without a single loss in area play for CHHS.

“I’m so proud of our guys,” Fayson said. “To win four straight area championships and go undefeated in area play four straight years is special. I’m super proud of that. This group is young but we’re coming together and I’m just so proud of how they work and how we’re growing and how we’re playing right now.”

CHHS will host the Sub-Regional Round of the Class 5A Playoffs on Saturday at home.