Final night of Holiday Hoopfest ends with wins for two Thomasville teams

Jan. 2—THOMASVILLE — As the final night of Thomasville High School's Holiday Hoopfest wrapped up, all three teams from Thomasville in attendance emerged victorious

The Thomas County Central boys got the things going in the 5:30 slot as they took on Brooks County. Though Colby Mullinax started the game off with a corner three, the Yellow Jackets seemed a bit overwhelmed by the Trojans pace. Miscommunication on offense and some sloppy turnovers led to a Brooks County lead and it was only because of a nailed three by Chris Williams that Central found some momentum in the first quarter.

The Yellow Jackets took the lead as Decameron Duncan found Mullinax for an easy inside shot on a beautifully designed in-bounds play. It was a back and forth start to the game with a break neck pace, the only clear advantage for either team was Central's domination of the boards, specifically on the offensive end as they drained multiple second chance baskets. Mullinax hit a pull up jumper from three and a first quarter that saw 34 points scored ended tied at 17.

The Central defense decided to step up in the second quarter, not allowing a single point through the first four minutes. Mullinax and Charlie Dunbar IV were getting it done down low, continuing to dominate the boards and get put back buckets. Central went up 25-17, but an offensive explosion by the Trojans tied the game once again at 25. Brooks held on to a one point lead in the final minute of the half as Duncan went to the line. He missed both free throws, but didn't let that discourage him as he made up for it on the other end with a steal, drawing a foul with 11.4 seconds left in the half. He drained both of his free throws to give Central the lead, 31-28. Central was able to force another turnover, leading to Duncan finding Dunbar IV in the corner for the buzzer beater three. The Yellow Jackets took a 34-28 lead into halftime.

Brooks came out of halftime fast with several fast break scores to tie the game at 34. Mullinax opened the second half scoring with a bucket inside for Central. Brooks began to apply some serious defensive pressure, picking up the ball handler early and challenging every shot. Central responded well, however, and continued to dominate the boards. Dunbar IV came up with a big rebound, forcing an and one opportunity as Central broke open the scoring margin and led by ten headed into the final frame.

The fourth quarter opened with a bang, the crowd rising to their feet as Mantrel Mosley got the steal with open floor in front of him and slammed it home. Both teams continued to score at an even clip, but in the final three minutes, Brooks began two mount a bit of a comeback and cut the lead to five in the final minute. Central, however, was able to sink their free throws and came away with the 65-57 victory.

Central's win was led by the consistent scoring of Mullinax, who finished with 17 points, and Duncan, who finished with 11. However, it was Dunbar who truly led the Yellow Jackets to victory with a dominant double-double. The 6'5 junior ended the game with 20 points and 18 rebounds, shooting 50% from the field.

The Thomasville girls took on Munroe next hoping to add another win to their record after a dominant victory over Mitchell County. It didn't look great at first. Though Munroe struggled to score in the opening frame, their defense was superior as they contested Thomasville's shots and rebounded well. Rhaniya Wilson gave the Lady Dogs their first points of the game from the charity stripe with 2:50 left in the quarter and the horn would sound on the opening frame as Monroe led 8-3.

Kennedy Hayes opened the second quarter with a three for Thomasville and the Lady Dogs weren't hesitant to shoot from beyond the arc as Dallas Hill knocked down another to give Thomasville an 11-10 lead. The Lady Dogs defense was stifling as Munroe could barely get the ball past half court. Thomasville had four steals in the quarter and went into halftime up 15-14, outscoring Munroe 12-6 in the quarter.

Thomasville struggled out of halftime with several turnovers and some sloppy play, but Hayes got them back on track with a quickfire three. Neither team found much offensive success in the third quarter, but Thomasville's Jakayla Garland hit a three to give the Lady Bulldogs five in the game. Munroe would score just five in the quarter as the Lady Dogs led by six headed into the final frame.

It was more of the same in the last quarter as Thomasville outscored Munroe 9-5 and took the 34-24 victory on their home floor.

Thomasville's first game of the new year will be close to home as they travel just a few miles to take on Brookwood. Meanwhile, Thomas County Central will host Northside on January 5.