The McKenzie girls took part in the Red Level Christmas tournament over the weekend, and despite playing hard, the Tigers returned home without a win.

In the first game of the tournament, the Tigers took on Red Level and lost 49-15.

Red Level jumped out to a 16-4 lead at the end of the first quarter, and that margin jumped to 26-9 at halftime.

Aleshia Stuckey was the leading scorer with 11 points.

The loss pitted McKenzie against Highland Home on Saturday, and the Tigers fell 51-32.

McKenzie held an early 9-6 lead, but the Flying Squadron woke up in the second period.

Highland Home pulled out to a 19-9 lead, but McKenzie narrowed the margin to 26-17 at halftime.

The Tigers attempted a comeback in the third quarter, but the Squadron pulled away toward the end.

“Our bench is getting better, and we got them in the game for a while,” said head coach Ezell Powell. “Honestly, they just wanted it more. We had a lot of turnovers that hurt us.”

Stuckey was again the leading scorer with 10 points, and Anna Howell had six.

In Monday’s game against Brantley, the Tigers played tough for three quarters before the wheels fell off.

“It was a competitive game for a while, and we kept Brantley on their heels,” Powell said. “Our young players came in and had a good game for us.”

Brantley’s lead was only 10 points heading into the fourth quarter, but the final margin was 64-32.

“They just took it away from us in the fourth,” Powell said. “We played hard, but we were just inconsistent. We’d play great for two or three minutes, then turn the ball over and start having trouble. Then we’d play well again. We’ve just got to be more consistent.”

Stuckey was the leading scorer with 13 points and Latoria Womack scored nine.