TENAHA -- The old cliche says basketball is a game of runs.

Well, the old cliche was right Saturday.

Kountze built a 20-point lead, White Oak roared back to within two points, and Kountze delivered the knockout blow with a fourth-quarter run that propelled the Lions to a 78-62 victory in the Tenaha Holiday Hoops tournament boys championship game at the Special Events Center.

Kountze's Grayland Arnold shoots over White Oak's Levi Yancy (35) during Kountze's 78-62 championship win Saturday at the Tenaha Holiday Hoops tournament. (Ray Jackson, ETSN.fm)
Kountze's Grayland Arnold shoots over White Oak's Levi Yancy (35) during Kountze's 78-62 championship win Saturday at the Tenaha Holiday Hoops tournament. (Ray Jackson, ETSN.fm)
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Kountze (19-3), ranked sixth in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 2A poll,  clinched its third Tenaha Holiday Hoops crown in the event's four-year existence. The loss snapped No. 1 White Oak's 49-game winning streak dating to early Dec. 2011. According to MaxPreps.com, that was the second-longest active streak in the United States.

Kountze freshman point guard Grayland Arnold put on a show, pouring in 26 points with six steals, five rebounds, and three assists and receiving all-tournament recognition. He scored 18 first-half points to help the Lions build a 46-28 halftime lead, using an array of moves -- driving flip shots, pullup jumpers, turnarounds, and more -- to baffle White Oak's defense most of the night.

Senior forward Marcus Williams delivered the knockout blow.

Kountze led 51-31 early in the third before White Oak (17-1) scored 18 unanswered points during a furious run fueled by a three-point barrage from brothers Skylar and Slade Sutton, cutting the Lions' lead to 51-49 after point guard Kris Anderson's coast-to-coast take with a minute left in the third.

But Kountze scored the next 13 points and Williams scored nine in a row during the fourth, helping the Lions take leads of 64-49 and 68-52 in the first three minutes of the final period to put the game away.

Williams scored 14 second-half points and finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds to garner tournament MVP honors. Teammate Dante McMahon had 12 points and three steals, while guard Justin Harper scored six points and received all-tournament accolades.

White Oak hit 10 of 29 three-point attempts, including identical 4-for-9 performances from Slade and Skylar Sutton, who each scored 19 points to lead White Oak. Anderson had five points and a game-high nine assists. He and Skylar Sutton were named all-tournament performers.

The Roughnecks' 6-foot-7 big man, Levi Yancy, was held to four points, but accumulated 12 rebounds, four blocked shots, and three assists.

Kountze's win was its second in as many nights against teams that have competed in the last two state tournaments. Kountze beat Tenaha 84-65 in Friday's semifinals. The Tigers lost in the 2011 Class A Division I state championship. White Oak won the 2012 Class 2A state title.

White Oak's Slade Sutton shoots during the Roughnecks' 78-62 loss to Kountze in Saturday's Tenaha Holiday Hoops championship. (Ray Jackson, ETSN.fm)
White Oak's Slade Sutton shoots during the Roughnecks' 78-62 loss to Kountze in Saturday's Tenaha Holiday Hoops championship. (Ray Jackson, ETSN.fm)
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Tenaha Holiday Hoops
Boys Championship

No. 6 Kountze 78, No. 1 White Oak 62

Special Events Center, Tenaha

Kountze -- 20 26 9 23 -- 78
White Oak -- 14 14 21 13 -- 62

Kountze (19-3) -- Grayland Arnold 26, Marcus Williams 23, Dante McMahon 12, Justin Harper 6, J.J. Edwards 4, Jamazdon Powell 3, Darrion Harper 2.
White Oak (17-1) -- Skylar Sutton 19, Slade Sutton 19, Hayden Nichols 6, Kris Anderson 5, Josh Benson 5, Levi Yancy 4, Cass Carr 2, Gabe Michael 2.

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