For three quarters, Charles Henderson and Bullock County battled back and forth on the basketball court. In the fourth quarter, the Trojans exerted their dominance and rallied for a 70-57 win over the Hornets.

Both teams hit the floor running to begin the game. Charles Henderson took an early 7-2 lead in the first quarter, but Bullock County ended the quarter on a 18-9 run to end the quarter with a 20-16 lead.

The teams traded buckets throughout the second quarter. Charles Henderson’s Kordel Anderson found his groove in the second, netting nine points for the Trojans in the frame. Despite Anderson’s efforts, the Trojans still trailed 33-34 at the half.

Both offenses slowed down in the third quarter as each team tried to make the most of each possession. Anderson kept up his hot shooting with five points in the quarter, but the Hornets were able to hit a number of free throws to extend their lead to 46-42 heading in to the game’s final frame.

In the fourth quarter, it looked like the Hornets would close the game out after starters Jermaine Parker and Tyrik Wilson fouled out.

After Bullock County converted a three-point play to take a 54-52 lead with just over three minutes left, Anderson hit the game’s biggest shot when he sank a pull-up three to give Charles Henderson a lead they would not relinquish.

Joshua Roberts and Tobias Youngblood added buckets on the Trojans’ next two offensive possessions to give Charles Henderson a cushion. The Trojans scored 11 of the game’s final 14 points to cruise to a 70-57 victory.

Anderson led the way for the Trojans with 19 points. Joshua Noel scored 15 in the win.

Charles Henderson head coach Carl Hollis praised his team’s resiliency. “The team didn’t give up, even when two starters fouled out,” Hollis said. “We brought in our backup point guard, who didn’t have much experience, and he was able to contribute two points.”

Hollis expects to see regular season area champion Headland in the tournament’s championship game. He says his team will need to play much better in order to win the area title. “We will have to play a lot better to beat Headland in Headland,” Hollis said. “I graduated from Headland, so I know that Headland always plays good basketball at home. Headland doesn’t lay down at home. Headland played a lot of the same teams as us this season. They would win those games by 10 or 11. We would lose them by two or three.”

Hollis said his team will keep its focus and do the same thing the Trojans always do. “We’re going to do what we’ve always done at Charles Henderson—pray and play,” Hollis said. “That’s what we do here. We pray, we practice, and we play. We’re going to try and play our best in the championship game.”

Charles Henderson will play the winner of Headland and Ashford in the area championship game on Monday at 6 p.m. in Headland.