Both the Grapeland Sandies and Westwood Panthers delivered impressive performances at the Houston County Christmas Classic, each achieving a 4-1 record over the course of the three-day event.
Despite missing two starters, the Sandies secured victories against Caldwell, Spring Hill, Corrigan-Camden, and Buffalo, with their sole defeat handed to them by Coldspring-Oakhurst. Grapeland currently holds a 13-9 overall record and is set to kick off district play on Friday, January 12, with a home game against Latexo.
The Westwood Panthers excelled in the Houston County Christmas Classic basketball tournament, finishing with a 4-1 record. Freshman Kavian Bryant, positioned second from the left in the courtesy photo, led the team with an impressive 152 points scored.
The Panthers, now boasting a 13-5 overall record, had two players, Brandon Russell and Kavian Bryant, named to the All-Tournament team. They secured victories against Da Vinci, Orangefield, Chapel Hill, and Onalaska. Bryant, recognized as the week 6 Dave Campbell’s Texas Basketball player of the week, showcased exceptional performance during the tournament, tallying 152 points, 20 assists, 31 rebounds, and 10 steals.
Furthermore, the Panthers clinched their first district win of the season on Tuesday, January 2, with a dominant 82-32 victory over Buffalo.
Latexo Christmas Tournament
The Latexo Christmas Tournament witnessed the participation of teams such as the Slocum Mustangs and Lady Mustangs, Cayuga Wildcats, Elkhart Elks, and Westwood Lady Panthers, all eager to compete following the holiday break.
The Westwood Lady Panthers secured a silver medal in the girls’ tournament by defeating the Slocum Lady Mustangs 36-30 in the silver bracket championship. Despite a tough loss against the Crockett Lady Bulldogs in the first round, the Lady Panthers bounced back with wins against Chester and Centerville to earn their spot in the silver championship game.
The Cayuga Wildcats, competing in the silver bracket championship, fell short against the Lovelady Lions with a score of 38-30. Despite this, the Wildcats managed victories against Latexo and Kennard, bringing their record to 9-11 as they gear up to face their final two non-district opponents, the Normangee Panthers and Italy Gladiators, before commencing district play on January 12 against LaPoyner.
Slocum displayed a commendable performance with both their boys and girls teams. The Lady Mustangs, as mentioned earlier, narrowly missed out on the silver bracket championship, losing to the Westwood Lady Panthers 36-30. They secured wins against Trinity and Latexo, concluding the tournament with a 2-2 record. The Mustangs finished with a 1-3 record, with their sole victory coming against the Eustace Bulldogs in a close 52-51 match. Slocum claimed the fourth position in the silver bracket.
The Elkhart Elks emerged victorious in the bronze bracket championship at the Latexo Christmas basketball tournament, triumphing over the Kennard Tigers with a score of 38-37 in a tightly contested game.
Kaufman Holiday Tournament
The Neches Lady Tigers embarked on a journey to Kaufman during the holiday season to participate in the Kaufman Holiday Tournament. Once again, the Lady Tigers faced off against larger schools and once again showcased their prowess.
Neches secured third place in the tournament by defeating the 5A Grapevine Lady Mustangs with a score of 42-36 in the first consolation game. They notched wins against Hudson and Commerce before succumbing to the eventual tournament champion, the Malakoff Lady Tigers, with a score of 45-39. The six-point difference marked the closest margin of victory against Malakoff throughout the tournament.