PLANTERSVILLE — The No. 1 Dallas County Hornets (24-5) never relinquished the lead Monday night in Plantersville, defeating Childersburg 66-46 in the championship game, and clinching the Class 4A area 6 title.

Willie Moore, head boys basketball coach for Dallas County, said his team played excellent on both sides of the ball, and he is very proud of his players and that they were able to accomplish this as a team.

“We sort of dominated the game in the paint tonight on both ends, allowing us to get a lot of easy baskets, mainly layups and dunks,” Moore said. “Doing so helped us control the tempo of the entire game and we were able to walk away with the title.”

Markell Harris’ first bucket from behind the arc helped the Hornets jump out to an 11-2 lead early in the first quarter, but Childersburg’s Lagaryius Bradley dropped two 3-pointers and led the Tigers on an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game at 13 all with 1:28 left in the first period.

The Tigers never gained the lead or tied the game again, as they couldn’t manage to get a rebound. Dallas County’s William Lee, listed at 6’8, towered over everyone, stealing board after board. The gymnasium roared with cheers when Lee dunked the ball, making the score 26-18 with 4:39 in the half.

Childersburg’s Keonte Estelle hit a jump shot inside the paint with two seconds left in the half, leaving the Tigers with a 35-27 deficit heading into the locker room.

The Hornets started hot in the second half, going on a 13-0 run and eventually ran away with the contest, garnering a 25-point lead with 5:15 remaining in regulation.

Jerrod Moorer led Dallas County with 16 points, while Harris added 15 points and Chadrick Martin followed up with 14 points.