Creek Wood Thanksgiving Tournament Recap: Lady Red Hawks Shine Despite Injuries, Boys Battle Through Tough Slate
The Creek Wood Thanksgiving Tournament brought a full slate of basketball to local fans over the holiday week, and while the gym was packed with festive energy, it was the Lady Red Hawks who stole the spotlight - even while missing two of their most experienced players.
Lady Red Hawks Go 3-0 Without Their Seniors
Creek Wood’s girls squad rolled through the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record, despite being without senior leaders Karleigh Stevenson and Abby Baker. Stevenson was sidelined as a precaution with a day-to-day injury, while Baker’s absence may extend longer, though there’s hope she’ll return before season’s end.
Even without their veteran presence, the younger Lady Red Hawks didn’t just hold their own - they thrived. After edging out Giles County 45-41 and taking down Waverly 45-35, Creek Wood capped off their tournament with a dominant 41-19 win over Harpeth.
In that final game, the Lady Red Hawks wasted no time setting the tone. Caroline Baker opened the scoring with a strong move in the paint, and Hollee Wilson followed with a three-pointer to make it 5-0. Allie Estes added another triple later in the first, helping Creek Wood take a 10-6 lead into the second quarter.
From there, the momentum snowballed. Ava Lamastus sliced through the defense for a layup, and Emma Jones knocked down a mid-range jumper.
Lamastus and Wilson kept the pressure on, combining timely buckets with aggressive defense. Creek Wood’s defense was especially stingy in the second quarter, holding Harpeth to just three points and building a commanding 27-9 halftime lead.
The second half was more of the same - disciplined defense, smart shot selection, and a team that played well beyond its years. Baker finished with a game-high 14 points, Lamastus added 10, and Wilson chipped in 6. It was a complete team effort, and a sign that this young group is growing up fast.
“We played okay, we battled,” said head coach Russell Wilson after the win. “Without our seniors, we’ve got some younger kids out there, but they’re competing. Hopefully they’re learning too, and that game experience will show off down the road.”
Wilson emphasized development as the key theme for this stretch of the season. “Those younger kids play hard, they come to practice, and they’re athletic,” he said.
“We like them. There are some shooters in that younger group.
It’s fun to see them get out there and grow. We’ve got to do a good job of that - develop.”
Red Hawks Boys Show Grit, But Offense Struggles
On the boys’ side, Creek Wood ran into some tough matchups and came out of the tournament winless, but not without positives to build on. The Red Hawks dropped their opener to Green Hill 69-41, followed by a 54-38 loss to Waverly. They wrapped up the tournament with a 44-34 loss to Harpeth, a game that was closer than the final score might suggest.
In that final matchup, both teams came out evenly matched. Harpeth led 10-9 after the first quarter and held a slim 16-14 lead at halftime. Creek Wood’s offense sputtered in the second quarter, with Shepard Brown scoring the team’s only basket in the final minute before the break.
Still, the Red Hawks showed resilience. Avery Garcia knocked down a three-pointer to bring Creek Wood within two at 19-17, and a steal and layup by Cooper Daugherty gave them their first lead of the game at 24-22 late in the third. Creek Wood carried a 26-25 edge into the final frame.
Brown scored again to open the fourth, but Harpeth responded with a decisive 10-2 run, pulling away late and sealing the win.
“We’ve been playing super hard; the effort has been great, especially on the defensive end,” said boys’ head coach Charles Taylor. “We’ve just been struggling to score. Some of that is youth, some of that is shots just not falling when we want them to.”
Taylor pointed to the growing pains of a team learning a new system. “We put in some new stuff this year, and we’re still trying to grasp that.
We’ve had some shots - they just haven’t gone in the hole. That’ll take some time.
We just have to keep working.”
Despite the losses, the Red Hawks showed flashes - particularly on defense - and the effort level has remained high. Brown led the team with 10 points, Garcia added 8, and Daugherty chipped in 5.
Looking Ahead
Creek Wood returns to action this week with home games against Sycamore on Tuesday and Rossview on Thursday. With the girls riding a wave of momentum and the boys continuing to grind through early-season adjustments, both squads will be looking to build off what they learned over Thanksgiving break.
Box Scores
Girls - Creek Wood 41, Harpeth 19
Creek Wood Scoring: Caroline Baker 14, Ava Lamastus 10, Hollee Wilson 6, Lacey Batey 4, Allie Estes 3, Emma Jones 2, Kylie Melton 2
Harpeth Scoring: Jalyn Murphree 6, Brooke Hamilton 4, Ella Pomeroy 3, Cayleigh Duke 2, Savannah Sewell 2, Lilly Stinson 2
Boys - Harpeth 44, Creek Wood 34
Creek Wood Scoring: Shepard Brown 10, Avery Garcia 8, Cooper Daugherty 5, Carter Cocke 3, Carson Bryant 2, Charlie Dawson 2, Brenan Hodge 2, Cannon Nolan 2
Harpeth Scoring: Lucas Barton 12, Pete Johnson 10, Eli Johnson 7, Jonny Kendrick 5, Spencer Barton 3, Henry Cable 3, Preston Merritt 2, Maddox Wilson 2
The Lady Red Hawks are proving they can weather adversity, and the boys are laying the groundwork for something stronger down the line. It’s early, but both teams are giving fans plenty to be excited about this season.