Tenaha Special Events Center on Friday, December 29, 2023 –
The 14th Annual Tenaha Holiday Hoops Basketball Tournament wrapped up elimination tournament play with trophy round action taking place on Friday.
The Timpson Bears boys team faced off with the Kountze Lions in a third-place game that was hard-fought throughout the contest. The Bears trailed 8-11 points midway through the first period and 14-18 at the end of the first quarter. Midway through the second quarter the Lions led 29-22 and they gained a 39-25 lead by the halftime intermission. The third quarter saw the Lions begin to pull away and they led 61-42 going into the final period on their way to taking an 86-55 win and the trophy.
Timpson was led by Amare Bruton and Chris Nickleberry Jr. with 12 points apiece. Kountze was led by Zacc Sells with 33 and Mason Donald with 20 points. Nickleberry was recognized with All-Tournament honors after the game.
In the girl’s championship title game, the hometown Tenaha Lady Tigers faced off with the Lipan Lady Indians. Tenaha led 5-4 midway through the first period but Lipan led 13-10 at the end of the first period. Tenaha gained a 21-15 lead midway through the second frame but the game was tied at 21 points each at halftime. In a frantically fast-paced third quarter Tenaha gained a 36-34 advantage going into the final quarter of play. Kountze went on an 8-0 point run at the start of the fourth stanza and led 42-36 by the middle point of the final stanza. The Lady Lions held on defensively and took a 42-39 championship win.
The Lady Tigers were led by Kayanna Cox with 18 points. The Lady Indians were led by Hanna Gaylor with 14 points. Lady Tigers Kayanna Cox, Kennedi Holmes, and La’ Taejha Steadman were named to the All-Tournament team.
The night wrapped up with the boy’s championship trophy game between the Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill Red Devils and the Hooks Hornets. Hooks trailed 4-10 points midway through the first period but they only led 10-12 at the end of the first frame. Hooks fought back to lead 31-30 at the midway break. The Red Devils gained a 45-42 lead by the conclusion of the third stanza. There were seven lead changes between the teams in the final minutes, and ultimately the game was decided by a desperation 3-pointer, sank at the buzzer by Red Devil Alonzo Ramirez which gave CHHS a 58-56 win over Hooks to earn the title in a thriller.
