The Christmas break was definitely busy for the varsity basketball team as they played five games to prepare them for the region season. After having won three straight games before exams, the Owls suffered losses against Houston and Kingsbury and then finished third in the First South Bank Holiday Tournament in Jackson, Tennessee.
First, the Owls lost to Houston, 51-48, on Friday, December 10, at MUS. Although MUS had a nine-point lead at one point in the game, the Mustangs eventually won by three in a close game. Elliot Cole was the Owls’ high scorer with 11 points, and Philip May added 10.
The Owls next played on Saturday, December 11, against Kingsbury and again suffered a close defeat, 56-51. After having gotten off to a great start but eventually trailing by one at the half, the Owls tried to get back into the game but were 0-12 from three-point range for the contest. The Owls were almost saved by their free throw shooting, shooting 94%, but their defense let them down in the end. Jimbo Welch was the Owls’ high scorer with 20 points, and Peter Zanca added 14.
MUS then had several days off before playing in the First South Bank Holiday Tournament, held at Jackson Christian School. The Owls’ first-round opponent was Madison Academic, a new school in Madison County. The Owls won this game, 57-32, with every player on the team scoring. The Owls took control from the beginning, leading 38-14 at half, and never looking back.
The Owls next played Wayne County in semifinal action. Wayne County’s zone troubled MUS most of the evening, and the Owls’ offense never got untracked as they lost, 52-36. No one on the Owls’ team scored more than nine points in suffering the setback that sent them to the third-place game.
In that game, MUS easily handled Columbia Academy, 56-31, as Zanca added 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Owls ended the tournament with a record of 6-5 for the season.