Lady Tigers win big in Holiday Hoops Tournament

The Tenaha Lady Tigers defeated the Chapel Hill Lady Devils in a closely contested game Friday night in the Holiday Hoops Tournament hosted by Tenaha High School. This marks the first time in the 13-year history of the popular tournament that Tenaha has come away as the champion in its own tournament.

The Lady Devils started strong with a three-pointer giving them an early lead. Tenaha struggled to get shots to fall and were beaten on the boards, allowing Chapel Hill to go on a 9-0 run.

Tiyanna Dagley hit two free throws to bring the Lady Tigers within seven, and Kayanna Cox added a basket down low to make the score 9-4 in favor of Chapel Hill. Tenaha fought back, cutting the lead to two by the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Tenaha tied the game at 6:04 and took their first lead of the game at 4:05. The game became physical with Tenaha using their full-court press to generate turnovers.

At halftime, the score was tied at 19-19. The third quarter saw both teams trading scores with Tenaha briefly taking the lead before Chapel Hill tied it again at 21-21. Tenaha went down by two before Kayanna Cox hit a three-pointer to give Tenaha the lead at 27-26.

Cox then stole the ball and extended Tenaha’s lead with a fast-break layup. She added another three-pointer to give Tenaha a 32-26 lead, but Chapel Hill responded with a free-throw and then a three of their own to make the score 32-30 in favor of Tenaha. The Lady Tigers held on to the lead as the third quarter ended, 32-31.

In the fourth quarter, Tenaha milked the clock, holding the ball for about four minutes of the eight-minute quarter. The Lady Devils allowed this, but later they were forced to foul in an attempt to buy time.

Chapel Hill’s time-saving strategy ultimately backfired, and Tenaha added to their lead with free throws and a basket from underneath. Chapel Hill was held scoreless in the final quarter. The Lady Tigers won 39-31.

“This was done for the community,” said Tenaha head coach Bobby Reynolds. “We told the girls that it’s never been done before, and we want the community to feel this, and we wanted to win it for the community. I told them offensively things aren’t clicking, but when teams play good defense, things are going to go right for them, and that is exactly how the tides turned.”

Kayanna Cox led all scorers with 23 points, while Dagley finished with eight and Tae Steadman scored four. Sug Cox scored three points, and Mac Reynolds added one from the charity stripe.

Kayanna Cox was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Tiyanna Dagley and Sug Cox earned All-Tournament Team honors.