The Charles Henderson Trojans debuted its new basketball gym in grand fashion Friday night.

Thanks to a 51-47 win over the visiting Barbour County Jaguars, the Trojans were able to even up its record to 1-1 and in the process do something much more – build its confidence.

“We needed that win badly,” head coach Carl Hollis said in the locker room after the game.

“We had a good week of practice and the kids attitudes were great – both played a big part in tonight.”

That good week of practice paid off in a big way, as the Trojans were able to pull down 17 offensive rebounds and 21 defensive rebounds as well as steal the ball 12 times from the opposing Jaguars.

“Barbour County is known through out the state as one of the best team,” the coach said.

“They have a great coaching staff and they are very talented – they are the kind of team that you have to beat, they don’t lie down.”

Hollis continued by saying his team did what it needed to do to secure the home victory.

“A big part of the win was our kids being patient, making sure they made the right moves and taking care of the basketball.”

The Trojans were led by senior Jabari Brown who finished the game with 13 points followed by junior Justin Davis who finished with 12 points.

“This team came into the game with a lot of confidence,” Hollis said.

“What a team does in practice carries over into the game and I think we showed that tonight.

“We are trying to make a statement and this game is a good start at doing so,” he added. CHHS was able to hold on to the lead throughout the ball game as the team scored 16 points in the first quarter, 13 in the second, 12 in the third and 10 in the fourth.

“A win like this makes your opponents start to worry about you, but also makes you work harder and want to get better.

“We are going to take this win, cherish it for the next thirty minutes or so and then put it behind us and prepare for what’s next,” Hollis said.