By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

CHELSEA – Led by three players who scored in double figures, the Chelsea Hornets got off to a fast start and never let up on its way to a 59-44 win over Helena on Tuesday, Jan. 15 to move to 3-0 in area play.

The Hornets continue to make strides under first-year head coach Jason Harlow and the game against Helena was no different as Chelsea relied on tough defense that turned into points offensively.

“For us it starts on the defensive end and if you want to beat a team like Helena that’s had so much success in the last three years in the area you’re going to have to do it on the defensive end,” Harlow said. “That’s what we’ve been stressing throughout the course of the week is being active, good closeouts and we felt like offensively if we played good defensively in the full court and the half court our offense would come.”

The Hornets were led by Pressley Rains who finished with 22 points to lead all scorers, Jordan Parker with 17 points and Sydney Schwallie who chipped in with 12 points.

After Chelsea jumped out to a 17-6 first quarter lead, the Hornets did most of its damage in the second period.

In the second period, the Hornets went on a 21-7 run as Rains accounted for 13 of those points that included two 3-pointers. During the run, Helena struggled with turnovers as Chelsea built a 38-13 halftime lead.

In the second half, Helena played better scoring 31 points after scoring just 13 in the first half but the hill was too big to climb. The Huskies were led by Montana Harris who finished with 16 points in the loss.

As for Chelsea’s hot start to area play, Harlow said it’s exciting to be in the position they’re in but he knows his team can’t get complacent in the next few weeks.

“It’s a step in the right direction and we’re happy to be 3-0 because the area is tough and competitive,” Harlow said. “Any of the four teams can win on any given night so we feel very fortunate to be off to a good start. We don’t want to get complacent because before you know it, it could turn into 3-3 really quick so the idea is in January to keep playing good defensive basketball.

Next up, Chelsea will take on Pelham on Friday, Jan. 18 while Helena will play Calera.