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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

ALABASTER – The Chelsea Hornets bounced back from an opening round loss to the Thompson Warriors to finish the Discover Shelby Thompson Thanksgiving Invitational strong.

Chelsea defeated the Mortimer Jordan Blue Devils 65-63 and the New Hope Trojans 44-41 to secure fifth place in the tournament.

The Hornets first faced a stiff test from the eventual champion Thompson on Saturday, Nov. 23. After falling behind 19-7 in the opening quarter, Chelsea kept pace with the Warriors over the next two quarters but couldn’t cut into the double-digit deficit.

Thompson then outscored the Hornets 16-8 in the fourth quarter to seal the 63-43 win.

Despite the loss, Aiden Owens and Tyler Wells both hit double figures as Owens had 19 points and four rebounds and Wells earned 10 points.

Chelsea brushed off the loss and returned to action on Monday, Nov. 25 when the Hornets matched up with Mortimer Jordan in the consolation semifinals.

Both teams came out of the gate fairly evenly matched, setting the tone for the rest of the game. The Hornets however got the advantage and held a 21-18 lead going into the second quarter.

That one possession lead became a two possession lead as Chelsea continued to hold the upper hand over the Blue Devils, making the lead 37-31 at halftime.

The Hornets continued to control the game in the third quarter as the defense kept Mortimer Jordan relatively quiet, surrendering just nine points in the third. That allowed Chelsea to extend its lead to 51-40 at the end of the third.

However, the Blue Devils came storming back in the fourth quarter and nearly took the game as a result. Mortimer Jordan outscored the Hornets 23-14 in the fourth, but it proved to be too little, too late as Chelsea held on for the 65-63 win.

Owens led the team with 22 points, six rebounds and six steals. Jordan Garcia finished with 17 points, four steals, two rebounds and two assists, Wells earned 10 points, three assists and two rebounds, Brandon Griffith had eight points and six rebounds and Kyle Brown earned five points and two rebounds.

That placed Chelsea in the fifth-place game where they faced New Hope and got a stiff test from the Mississippi-based side.

The Hornets got out in front early with a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, but that was tested during the second quarter as the Trojans challenged for the lead.

New Hope held Chelsea to just eight points in the second quarter and cut the halftime deficit to 21-17 in the process, making it a two-possession game at the break.

That was when the Trojans made their move. New Hope outscored the Hornets 15-9 in the third quarter and took the lead heading into the fourth quarter, with the 32-30 scoreline forcing a response from Chelsea.

The Hornets did just that, locking in on defense to allow just nine points in the fourth quarter and then taking the lead on the other end of the floor. In the end, Chelsea earned the three-point win to secure fifth place and a second-straight win to end the tournament.

Owens led the Hornets once again with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. AJ Malone and Garcia each scored 10 points while Garcia tacked on six rebounds. Griffith had five points and a pair of assists and blocks in the win.

Chelsea will return from a lengthy break when it faces Oak Mountain on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. on the road at Oak Mountain High School.