PLANTERSVILLE — Dallas County erupted for 51 points in the first half Saturday night in a dominant 80-51 victory over Sumter Central that clinched the class 5A, area 6 championship.

Sumter Central was one of the only five teams to beat the Hornets this season, but the Jaguars didn’t stand a chance Saturday. Dallas County rarely missed in the first half in their most impressive showing of the season, according to head coach Willie Moore.

“[This was our best performance] by far,” Moore said.

“We finally played for 32 minutes, and we knew we had to do that tonight if we wanted to be successful and win this ballgame.”

The win clinched Dallas County’s seventh consecutive area championship, Moore said, and also kept alive a home winning streak that extends beyond the last two seasons.

It all started with a first half that saw the Hornets play some of their most aggressive and physical ball of the season. Moore criticized his team Thursday for its last of intensity against Demopolis and must have gotten his message across.

Jerrod Moorer scored 37 points in the first three quarters before sitting most of the final quarter. Raheem Phillips added 18, including several acrobatic layups in the lane that helped fuel the Hornets crowd.

Both teams ran up and down the floor at a hectic pace in the first half and although Sumter Central hit four first quarter three-pointers, the Jaguars couldn’t keep up. Dallas County closed the first half on a 17-4 run that gave the Hornets a 51-30 lead.

“This is the first time we put up 51 points against a team like Sumter,” Moore said. “We made shots tonight and they didn’t. They have guys that can shoot the three-point shot really well and their shots didn’t fall tonight and ours did.”

The momentum carried into the third quarter too. The Hornets led by as many as 28 in the third before settling for a 69-43 advantage going into the fourth.

“We’ve got six seniors and five of the six have rings,” Moore said. “They know what we are playing for, and it helped us tonight because we played with a lot more heart and a lot more attention.”

Most of the starters sat the final period as Moore cleared the bench. The Hornets will need to be well rested for Tuesday’s sub-regional game against Beauregard, a team Dallas County defeated in the same round last year.

Before worrying about that upcoming challenge, the Hornets had plenty to celebrate Saturday.

“If we play like we played tonight, we are going to be a tough out,” Moore said.