Monday Dec 2 the Wayne City High School boys basketball team made their way to nearby McLeansboro for the Foxes Invitational Tournament. The Indians’ ended the tournament 2-3. The Indians defeated the Edwards County Lions 53-47. They also beat Norris-City-Omaha-Enfield (NCOE) 61-56. The Indians fell to Gallatin County 52-40, Hamilton County 46-41, and finally West Frankfort 52-41. Senior Jacob Thomason suffered a shoulder injury on Saturday against the West Frankfort Redbirds. Thomason dislocated his shoulder after previous injuries, but the athletic trainers on site dealt with the situation and Thomason supported his team from the sidelines the remainder of the game. Many Wayne City fans believed the tournament included some unfair calls by officials, but Wayne City showed their dominance and perseverance in other ways. Tournament organizers awarded Sophomore Rhyver Tibbs for his sportsmanship on the court. “It was a very big honor for them to choose me for this award. When they called my name it was unexpected and surprised me,” Tibbs said. Tournament officials also named Junior James Walker as the top scorer for the tournament with 99 points.

The tournament is an awesome experience and is very fun to play in, and one with bigger schools than us. Since we picked up two wins and two of us got awards, it made it better. Being first in scoring in the tournament was also a huge accomplishment for the team and I because we were one of the smallest schools in the tournament but first in scoring, Walker said.