22 years later, Henley leads Hatton back to Final Four

Caleb Suggs, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·3 min read

Feb. 26—HANCEVILLE — In 1999 Justin Henley was the hero of Hatton, hitting the game-winning free throws to defeat Pickens County and send the Hornets to the Final four.

22 years later, Henley has returned to lead the Hornets back to the Final Four, this time as head coach.

Hatton knocked off Sheffield on Friday morning in a thriller, 50-47, earning their first trip to the Final Four since 1999.

"It's unbelievable. Maybe in a few days I can find words to describe it," said Henley. "I'm so proud of these kids. They just played their tail off. We got down, but they just continued to fight."

Like many of their recent contests, it wasn't without drama. Hatton trailed the first three quarters, going down by as many as 14 points in the second period. But, as they have all postseason, the Hornets found a way to win.

"It's just our toughness," Henley said. "It's what we've tried to instill in them since Day 1: just that ability to keep fighting. Kids these days get so emotional with all the highs and the lows of a game, but you just gotta keep playing, and we've been able to do that recently."

Hatton cut the lead to 26-18 by halftime before Sheffield extended it again to 32-20 early in the third. Hatton then went on their best run, cutting the lead to 34-32 by the end of the third quarter.

"I thought if we could just get over the hump we'd be all right, but we struggled to get there," said Henley. "We finally got over the hump in the third, but they just answered back. Luckily our guys just kept fighting."

Jaxson Mitchell had two clutch 3-pointers for Hatton, while Braden Stafford hit the go-ahead shot with 45 seconds left. He finished with 10 points. In a play reminiscent of LeBron James' block in the 2016 NBA finals, Kris O'Dell chased down a Sheffield defender, blocked his shot then turned it into a 3-point play on the other side. He finished with 12 points, 10 of which came in the second half.

"We were down, and I knew we couldn't let them get an easy score," O'Dell said.

Ridge Harrison had the biggest impact, finishing with a game-high 16 points. A four-year starter and a Hatton man to his core, leading the Hornets to the Final Four was a dream come true to him.

"It's the greatest feeling in the world," Harrison said. "For me to be able to do this for this community, it's everything I've ever wanted."

Hatton will take on Lanett in the Final Four on Wednesday in Birmingham.

"I'm so happy to be able to do this for this community," Henley said, "because there's so many great people here, some that I've known for a long time."