Sports Editor

On a night when every player on the court was trying his best to keep a sure foot, the Booker T. Washington Golden Eagles stayed on theirs long enough to hand Charles Henderson a 51-45 defeat, eliminating the Trojans from the AHSAA basketball playoffs.

Due to the unseasonable humidity on Friday night, by the second quarter of the Class 5A Boy’s sub-regional game between CHHS and BTW, the Trojans’ Gymnasium floor was slickly coated with moisture, causing players on both sides to slip each time they tried to come to a sudden stop.

Play was actually brought to a halt between the first and second quarters with the score tied 9-9, as officials from CHHS worked the floor over with towels and push brooms in an attempt to dry the surface up.

When play resumed, the Trojans took a 13-11 lead on back-to-back baskets by Terrence Barron, but the Golden Eagles responded with a 14-3 run, taking a 27-19 lead. CHHS’s Jermaine Jackson answered with two 3-pointers of his own to close out the half with the Trojans trailing by just two, 27-25.

Jackson gave the Trojans 34-32 lead with a falling down 3-pointer from the right wing. Two straight baskets by Jerel Brown and McKinley Meneffee for Booker T. Washington gave the visitors a 36-34 lead heading into the final period of play.

Charles Henderson’s last lead came at the 6:42 mark of the fourth quarter. Jackson, who finished with a game-high 31 points, dropped in three straight free throws to put his team up 39-38.

After that, though, Booker T. Washington asserted itself from inside and at the free throw line. After a Demetrius Threadgill basket, Ennon Haydon hit four straight points to follow and build the BTW lead to 44-39. The Golden Tigers finished the game shooting 7-of-10 from the foul line.

Booker T. Washington advances to the AHSAA’s Southeast Regional to be held at Troy State next week. The Trojans finish the season 14-10.