Baldwin County High School hosted the 2nd annual Tasha Butts Classic last Saturday night, where the Baldwin Braves (6-0, 2-0) boys’ basketball team maintained its perfect record in the 2025-26 season with a sixth-straight win.
The 75-54 final also marked Baldwin’s second win over the Putnam County War Eagles this year, following a one-point advantage late last month in Eatonton.
The Braves got out to a hot start and led the War Eagles 25-20 after the first quarter and by halftime held a dominant 47-35 lead.
When the game resumed, the Braves outscored their rivals 16-9 in the third quarter and 12-10 in the final quarter to secure the win.
Karez Demory led Baldwin in scoring with 23 points, including three of eight attempts from beyond the arc. Demory also rebounded six balls, had six assists, and one steal.
Other top contributors were Zion Grant, who matched Demory in making six of 12 field goal attempts while reaching 16 points with four rebounds.
Jaylen King also hit double digits in scoring with 14 points, plus four rebounds and four steals.
The tournament is named for Tasha Butts, a Baldwin High School basketball star who went on to play at the University of Tennessee before playing professionally with the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. She died in 2023 at age 41 from metastatic breast cancer.
In honor of Butts, a strong supporter of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, an Atrium Health Navicent mobile mammogram was onsite during the tournament, where dozens of women were provided with free onsite mammograms.
The Braves host region foe Cross Creek (4-3, 1-0) this Friday, with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off at Baldwin County High School.