Decatur Girls Prevail in Coleman Tourney

SNOW HILL- Stephen Decatur’s girls’ varsity basketball team beat Pocomoke, 37-32, this week in the opening round of the 2011 John Coleman Christmas Tournament at Pocomoke.

The annual tournament, named for long-time Worcester County Public Schools Administrator John Coleman, has become one of the highlights of the holiday basketball tournament schedule over the years. This year’s tournament features the girls’ teams from the county’s three public high schools- Decatur, Snow Hill and Pocomoke- along with an at-large invitee, which is Virginia’s Arcadia this year.

For years, the Coleman Tournament featured the boys and girls varsity teams from the three Worcester County public schools, with three at-large invitees with the host site rotating between Decatur, Snow Hill and Pocomoke. For a few years, the tournament alternated between an all-boys event to an all-girls tournament. This year, it is Snow Hill’s chance to host the tournament and the action got underway on Tuesday.

Decatur beat Pocomoke, 37-32, in the opening round. Abby Schorr led the Seahawks with 10 points, while Katie Purnell added eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Wynesha Brittingham led the Warriors with 10 points. On the other side of the bracket, host Snow Hill beat Arcadia, 47-23, as Shequan Bailey scored a game-high 23 points and Jasmine Bratten added 13.

As a result, Decatur will play Snow Hill in the tournament’s championship game, while Pocomoke will face Arcadia in the consolation game. The second round games were played too late to be included in this edition.