Bill Henderson will be seeing his 14th senior group being honored Friday night when the Wildcats host Tift County on Senior Night.

While Henderson holds a special place in his heart for every player who has played for him, star or the 12th man, this will be a group especially dear to him.

When Richmond Hill finished the 2021 season with a 21-4 season to cap a seven-year run which saw them win no less than 16 games and as many as 24 it was a program which appeared to be clicking on all cylinders.

Then, as so often happens in sports, the Wildcats mysteriously hit a wall. The last five-years have seen them go 36-88 including 12-11 this season going into the game with Tift.

While winning 12 games is no cause for celebration for what, going back to the days of Jimmy Hires, has been one of the top basketball programs in the area, Henderson believes the Wildcats may be back on track.

And he gives a ton of credit to the senior group which still has a shot at making the school’s first state playoff appearance in five years.

“I’m proud of them for the way they have stayed the course,” Henderson said. “They’ve dealt with a bit of adversity, dealt with a lot of ups and downs and now they’re starting to see the rewards for the way they’ve done things.”

Seniors who will be playing their final home game—there is still a remote possibility they could finish in fourth-place in the Region 1-6A race and thus host a first-round region tournament game—are: Josh Mock, Drew Nudo, Brandon French, Lentz Vignier, Sebastian Dorelien, Antonio Rountree and Will Mutale.

“Obviously record-wise we’re not where we want to be,” Henderson said. “But these guys have played a big part in re-establishing the culture of Richmond Hill basketball.

“Watching them play you see a lot of the same things you saw in those real successful teams we had. The job they’re doing through being leaders, through the way they practice, to their selflessness, their toughness. All of those things, it’s kind of set us up for future success.”

The Wildcats’ (12—11, 2-6) record is deceiving in that it could be much better had a few more things gone their way, especially in region play where five of the six losses have been by eight or fewer points including a 63-60 overtime loss to regular season champion Lowndes County.

“We still have a lot of basketball left to play,” Henderson said. “I’ve told them all year long they’re capable of doing some special things. When they put all the pieces together, they’re a lot of fun to watch.

“I know the coaching staff has enjoyed coaching them,” Henderson said. “They’re a great group to be around. I’m proud of them and I can’t say enough right now of what they’ve been able to accomplish.

“They’ve stuck with it. They’re a resilient bunch. A lot of games this year we’ve played where we were down double digits but they’ve stayed the course. They show up every day working to get better. I hope these last few weeks they do the special things we talk about them doing.”