Leon County Basketball Teams Win “Holiday Hoopfest” Tournament in Thomasville, GA

Thomasville High School hosted the Holiday Hoopfest tournament from Dec. 26 through Dec 28 with 7 boys teams and 8 girls teams competing. Leon County teams in attendance included Lincoln, Godby and NFC.

Boys

On Dec. 26, the Godby Cougars started the Holiday Hoopfest 3-day tournament by beating Harrison High School 78-53. Senior Guard Mekhi Butler lead the Cougars against the Hoyas with 14 points to help advance to the semi-finals.

The semi-finals took place on Dec. 27 as Godby took on Crossroad Academy in a close game. The Cougars beat the Scorpions keeping their hot streak alive with an impressive performance by Jaden Staten (Jr.). Staten put up a career high of 22 points and helped the Cougars advance to the final.

Getting a chance to go undefeated and claim the tournament title, Godby had one last game against Thomasville on Dec. 28. Godby’s fast paced offense was too much for the Bulldogs to handle as the Cougars claimed the tournament title with a final score of 61-35. Notable performances from Godby include, Jaden Staten (Jr.) with 16 points, Terrell Ceasor (Jr.) with 13 points and Jason Brown (Jr.) with 12 points.

Girls

On the girls side of the tournament, the Lincoln Trojans had a first-round matchup against Thomas County Central. It was a close game, but in the end the Lady Trojans finished on top with a final score of 48-44 sending them to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals Lincoln faced off against Valdosta on Dec. 28. In another tight matchup, the Trojans made a late fourth quarter comeback and secured a victory with a score of 49-47. With the win, the Trojans advanced to the tournament finals.

On the last day of the tournament, Lincoln faced off against Thomasville for the 2024 Holiday Hoopfest title. Although Thomasville’s Jayla Brooks and Harmony Bryant both had notable performances on the offensive side of the ball, Lincolns offense proved to be too much too handle as the Trojans won 57-46.