Tenaha Special Events Center on Thursday, December 29, 2022 –
The 13th Annual Holiday Hoops Classic Invitational Basketball Tournament, sponsored by Longview Orthopedic Clinic, saw 39 Texas High School teams compete in three days of tournament action.
Local teams doing well at the tournament were Shelby County’s Tenaha Lady Tigers, the Timpson Bears, Shelbyville Dragons, and the Tenaha Tigers.
The Tenaha Lady Tigers took the Lady’s Championship over the Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill Lady Red Devils by a 39-31 score. Tenaha trailed 9-11 points at the end of the first period. They fought back to tie the game at 19-19 at halftime. THS held a narrow 32-31 advantage going into the final period, THS outscored the Lady Devils 7-0 in the final period to take the win.
The Lady Tiger’s Kayanna Cox took the tournament’s Most Value Player for the event. Teammates Kaedynce Cox and I’Tiyanna Dagley received all-tournament honor awards as well. The Lady Tigers have participated in the tournament since its inception. This is their first year to take top honors. Tenaha’s Tigers boys team took a seventh-place award as well this season.
The Timpson Bears fell to the Flatonia Bulldogs in a third-place playoff by a 59-43 score. Junior Bear Terry Bussey received the MVP tournament trophy and teammate LT Washington took all-tourney honors. The Timpson Lady Bears team competed for the fifth -place trophy but fell short to the Douglass Lady Indians by a 54-34 score.
The Shelbyville Dragons boys team competed well during the tournament but fell just short of the fifth-place trophy with a loss to the Douglass Indians by a 73-59 score.
Another Shelby County competitor was the Joaquin Lady Rams who opened up tournament play with an exciting win over Flatonia and they then went on to compete in consolation play after a loss to Mount Pleasant. Joaquin also helped host the event with several games being played at Rams Gymnasium.
The tournament concluded with the Mount Pleasant Red Devils defeating the Jefferson Bulldogs 63-41 to take the boys title.
