The Bellefontaine Chieftains 4th-grade girls brought home the gold Sunday, February 22, capturing first place in the Gold Bracket division at the 28th Annual Triad Classic Basketball Tournament.
The Lady Chieftains opened tournament play Saturday with dominant wins over West Liberty, 16-1, and Fairbanks, 15-0. Entering Sunday as the number one seed, Bellefontaine earned a first-round bye before securing a 21-3 semifinal victory over the London Raiders.
That set up a championship showdown against Jonathan Alder. In a tightly contested, back-and-forth battle, the Lady Chieftains edged the Pioneers 11-10 to seal the title. Over the course of the weekend, Bellefontaine outscored its opponents 63-14.
Leading the scoring effort throughout the tournament was Ella Jenkins with 21 points, followed by Quinn Zedeker with 19 and Blakley Wilcoxon with 14. Jillian Lambert added eight points, while Daxby Brown contributed one point and played standout defense.
Additional key contributors included Adalyn Price, Ava Sinkford, McCartney Allen, McKinley Allen, Rhiya Foulk, Faith Miller, and Nova McKirahan.
The 4th Grade Lady Chieftains were coached this season by Brennon Jenkins, Jess Jenkins, Jeff Wilcoxon, and Abby Zedeker.
