Tenaha hosts 13th Annual Holiday Hoops Tournament

Over the past 13 years, Tenaha ISD has built a reputation for putting on one of the best small-school basketball tournaments in the state. Holiday Hoops has become an annual tradition that showcases 1A, 2A, and 3A basketball teams from all over East Texas. The Holiday Hoops Tournament always draws a crowd along with some of the best basketball teams in the state. This year was no exception.

Ranked teams on the boys’ bracket included Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill (3A No. 8), Timpson (2A No. 3), Flatonia (2A No. 4), Douglass (2A No. 9), and Beckville (2A No. 15). On the girls’ side, Neches (1A No. 2) joined Tenaha (2A No. 5) to battle for the title.

This three-day tournament featured 20 girl teams and 20 boy teams and took place in five different gyms around the area including the Tenaha Special Events Center, Tenaha High School Tiger Gymnasium, Timpson Bear Gym, Joaquin Ram Gym, and Panola College’s Arthur Johnson Gymnasium.

In boys’ action, Jefferson and Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill battled in the championship. Chapel Hill emerged victorious led by their head basketball coach, David Schmitt. Coach Schmitt is a familiar face to the Holiday Hoops Tournament Championship. He has competed on this stage before as the head basketball coach of the Shelbyville Dragons. However, his most recent trip with the Chapel Hill Devils marks his first overall victory at the tournament.

Timpson notched a third-place

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victory over Flatonia, and the Shelbyville Dragons earned sixth place after falling to Douglass, who took fifth.

“I think we did a good job.” Said Shelbyville boys’ coach Augustus Moore. “Being that we came in with 20 teams, a lot of top teams ranked in the state. I enjoy coming to this tournament. I’ve come here with Alto, Kerens, and now Shelbyville just to get ready for going into district. You come to this tournament, Holiday Hoops, you’re going to play some good competition to prepare you to get ready for district. We ended up winning two and losing two. We lost to two ranked teams, one ranked in 2A (Douglass) and one ranked in 3A (Chapel Hill). Overall, I’m proud of my guys’ effort and excited with what we’re going to do in our district play.”

On the girls’ side, the Tenaha Lady Tigers earned their first championship victory within their own tournament. They defeated the Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill Lady Devils 39-31 in a tightly contested ballgame. Neches earned third place after defeating fourth place Huntington. Timpson battled Douglass for fifth place but would ultimately take home sixth after falling to the Lady Indians.

Tenaha standout Kayanna took home the girls’ MVP honor, while Braden Buchanan of Chapel Hill earned the title on the boys’ side.