Charles Henderson finishes third in Northview tourney
Published 10:50 pm Monday, December 24, 2012
The Charles Henderson Trojans went toe-to-toe with three 6A schools in the Southeast Alabama Christmas Classic in Dothan over the weekend.
The Trojans knocked off both teams from “The Circle City,” Dothan and the hosting Northview Cougars, and came up just short against rival Jefferson Davis.
With the win against Dothan on Thursday, and the close loss to Jeff Davis on Friday, Charles Henderson faced off with Northview on Saturday in the third-place game of the event.
The teams traded the lead several times in the second half, and the Trojans roared back in the fourth quarter to snag the win 54-50.
Charles Henderson trailed by three points, multiple times in the quarter but was able to score nine of the last 11 points of the game to beat the Cougars on their home floor.
Trojan head coach Carl Hollis said the game was big for the team’s confidence.
“We needed this win really bad,” Hollis said. “Anytime you can get a win, it’s big. But to beat a good basketball team like Northview on their court is a big way to get some momentum behind you headed in to the other tournaments and area play.”
Charles Henderson received big games from multiple players against Northview, with three players scoring in double figures. Jhakendal Johnson and Tyler Mitchell led the Trojans with 14 points each, and Joshua Noel added 11.
Mitchell was on pace for even more points, but fouled out of the game on the final shot of the third quarter. With Mitchell on the bench for the entire fourth quarter, Hollis turned to Robert Lee to lead the Trojan attack.
Lee, a senior, scored just nine points in the game, but all came in the second half including seven in the fourth quarter to seal the game for Charles Henderson.
“Robert Lee had himself a big game,” said Hollis. “We needed someone to step up, and he sure did. He can play in different roles for us, and that’s huge.”
Mitchell led the Trojans with 14 points on Friday night’s six point loss to Jeff Davis. The loss to the Volunteers was the third of the season by Charles Henderson against their rivals from Montgomery.
In the opening round game of the tournament, Charles Henderson blasted Dothan High School 50-28. Johnson was the high scorer for the Trojans, notching 19 points, including four threes in the first quarter. DeVantez Jackson pitched in 18 more.
Hollis said the team will take some time to rest up, before preparing to host a tournament of their own this week.“We are going to rest up a little bit,” said Hollis. “We have some good momentum built up, but need a good showing on our floor.”
The tournament kicks off on Thursday at Wagoner Hall on the campus of Charles Henderson High School in Troy.