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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

ALABASTER – After dropping their first four games to start the season, the Chelsea Hornets are now winners in back-to-back games after a dominant 74-50 win over the Prattville Lions at the Thompson Thanksgiving Invitational on Monday, Nov. 20.

The Lions tried to make the game interesting early, but the Hornets pulled away from there to secure the 24-point win.

Chelsea started the game on a 7-0 run in the first two-and-a-half minutes, but Prattville responded to cut the Hornets’ lead to just 10-8 at the end of the first quarter.

However, that would be as close as the Lions would get to being in front. Chelsea quickly scored a pair of baskets early in the second quarter to extend the lead to six and never looked back.

Avery Futch dropped 11 points in the second quarter to propel Chelsea to a dominating lead, and the Hornets were up 32-22 at the half.

Chelsea only extended its advantage from there with a 27-point third quarter, including nine points in the period by Braden Macon and seven from Avery Futch to put the Hornets up 59-38 at the end of three.

That slammed the door shut for good, and Chelsea cruised through the fourth quarter to close out the 74-50 win.

Futch led the Hornets with 23 points, and Christen Whetstone also got into double figures with 10 points. Macon had eight points, Aiden Owens scored six points and Gavin Collett had five.

The win came after Chelsea’s first win of the season against the Calera Eagles on Thursday, Nov. 16. In the 81-41 win over its county foe, Whetstone scored 16 points, Owens dropped 10 points, Jordan Garcia had nine points and Demarcus Floyd scored eight points.