Trojans down Bulldogs in cross-county rivalry
Published 3:00 am Tuesday, January 12, 2016
BRUNDIDGE – Charles Henderson and Pike County took their rivalry to the basketball court on Saturday, and the Trojans walked away with a 48-37 win.
“We showed a little more aggressiveness tonight,” said Trojans head coach Carl Hollis. “We played with a little more intensity, and we shot the ball well in the first quarter.”
The Bulldogs, who played on Friday night against an area foe Barbour County, were tired on Saturday, according to head coach Doug Holland.
“I thought that we didn’t have any lift in our legs,” Holland said. “We came off the tough loss to Barbour County, and I just didn’t see the intensity that we normally play with.”
The Trojans were able to alter shots on the Bulldog offense, which has been consistently good all season long. Joshua Roberts,got in the heads of the Bulldog shooters.
“I think he (Roberts) did a good job at altering our shots,” Holland said. “Even when we had layups we were wondering if he was there, trailing. I thought he did a really good job inside.”
The Trojans held the Bulldogs to 0-15 shooting in the opening quarter. The Trojans struggled on offense as well, and took a 7-0 lead into the second quarter.
The Trojans extended their lead to 14-0 before the Bulldogs were finally able to get on the board. Pike County was able to cut their deficit down to 10 points before The Trojans pushed their lead to 15 at 28-13 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Hollis decided to slow the pace and look for the right shot, while also slowing down Pike County. The strategy paid off, and CHHS took a double-digit lead at 35-25 into the fourth quarter. “We killed their tempo,” Hollis said. “We still have a lot of things that we need to work on.”
Pike County Seniors Deshaun Cowling and Kamari Jackson started to heat up in the final period. Cowling put up five points including a three pointer that brought the Bulldogs within 10 points late in the game. “They fought to come back and cut our lead,” Hollis said.
Kordel Anderson led the Trojans in scoring with 14 points. Cowling led the Bulldogs by also scoring 13 points.
Despite the rivalry, Hollis was complimentary of the Bulldogs’ play.
“Coach Holland does such a great job with them. They have a lot a lot of talent,” he said. “They will be alright.”
Charles Henderson will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Eufaula. Pike County also plays Tuesday when they travel to play Abbeville.