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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

CALERA – After falling to the Cullman Bearcats 76-57 in their season opener, the Chelsea Hornets got off to a strong start a day later against the Calera Eagles, but they had to work for the win and overcome adversity in the second half on the road.

In the end, Chelsea survived a Calera rally to win 59-52 on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at Calera High School.

The Hornets and Eagles were closely matched out of the gate as the offenses traded points and hit double digits on the scoreboard in the opening quarter. Chelsea took a 14-10 lead into the second quarter and continued to build from there.

The Hornets once again outscored the Eagles in the second quarter, this time by five points to build out their largest lead of the game.

Chelsea went up 27-18 going into the halftime locker room, but that momentum quickly shifted once the teams came out of the break.

Calera rallied for 23 points in the third quarter, outscoring their first half total in the third quarter alone to take the fight to the Hornets.

The Eagles outscored Chelsea by 11 in the third to take a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Hornets responded to the adversity by rallying to score 20 points in the final eight minutes. They also locked in on defense and quieted the Calera shooters, allowing just 11 points to the hosts down the stretch.

That helped Chelsea retake the lead for good and pull away for a 59-52 victory.

Jordan Garcia led the Hornets with 20 points and three steals. Aiden Owens had 18 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists to join him in double figures. Camden Harper, Tyler Wells and AJ Malone each scored four points in the win.

Three Eagles scored more than 10 points, including 19 points and seven rebounds from Kegan Johnson, 10 points and 11 rebounds from Darian Hamilton and 10 points, four assists and three steals from Garrett Mahone. Devyn Goodman scored six points and Carlos Wisenhunt added four.

Chelsea will return to action with a rivalry game against Oak Mountain on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m at home.

As for Calera, it will be off until Monday, Nov. 18 when the Eagles host the Jemison Panthers at 6:30 p.m.