The Charles Henderson Lady Trojans struggled out of gates Tuesday evening, but due to a dominant inside game they cruised to an easy 54-40 win over Geneva County.

Although the Trojans struggled early, they were happy to get the 2015-16 season on a high note against a good Geneva County basketball team.

“It feels really good to get the first win,” said Trojans head coach Dyneshia Jones. “We have a couple of tweaks we need to do and work on some things, but it feels really good.”

It was not easy for the Trojans out of the gate. The Lady Bulldogs connected on four early three-point shots and raced out to an early 20-11 lead over the Trojans.

The plan for the Trojans all along was to guard the middle of the floor and make the Bulldogs beat them from behind the arc.

In the first few minutes it seemed like that plan would come back to bite the Trojans, but they stuck with it and eventually the shots starting missing.

“The key was closing in on their screens,” Jones said. “They are a great three-point shooting team so they were going to keep shooting three’s regardless. It was all about adjusting to how they play.”

Near the end of the opening quarter the Trojans started to cut the lead. They went on a 5-0 run to cut the Bulldog lead down the seven. After Geneva County was able to pus the lead back out to nine, India Blakely nailed a three point shot as time expired to bring the Trojans back to within six.

After the Trojans fell behind by as much as 10 to the Bulldogs, they started to rely on their playmakers by driving the ball to the basket and really putting the pressure on the Bulldog defenders.

The inside game offensively was the key the entire evening for the Trojans, and it paid off more and more as the game went along.

“As a coach I will never come out and say that everything is great,” Jones said. “They came out and overall they did a pretty good job on offense.”

The Trojans were able to move the ball with relative ease and really used up a lot of the clock and slowed the game down against the Bulldogs. Rarely did the Trojans take the first or even second shot during a possession. They were able lull the Bulldogs to sleep before using their post game to their advantage.

“We have a lot of players that can score,” Jones said. “If the post player is not doing what she is supposed to be doing or not scoring, I can always give it to the guard. All around play is the most important thing right now.”

The Trojans were able to take control of the game in the second quarter when they went on an 8-0 run to give them a 22-20 lead. The Bulldogs, however, retained the lead and headed into the locker room with a slim 28-27 lead at halftime.

The second half was owned by the Trojans. Charles Henderson was able to outscore the Bulldogs in the second half 24-12, giving the Trojans their first win of the season.

Blakely led the Trojans in scoring with 17 points. Mauri Davenport finished with 14 points, while Niara Jones and Tatyana Siter also finished in double figures with 12 and 10 points.

The Trojans will be back in action on Friday when they travel to Montgomery to take on Carver-Montgomery. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30.

“We need to continue to practice and watch film so we can see what we did wrong,” Jones said. “We need to work on the basic fundamentals that is very important.”