MONROE THANKSGIVING SHOOTOUT: Monroe girls coach Jennifer Acree notches 300th win

ALBANY — There were no Gatorade baths and no excessive celebration — just a handful of congratulatory hugs.

The Monroe High School girls basketball team gave coach Jennifer Acree an early present Friday night in the Monroe Thanksgiving Shootout.

And Christmas is still 31 days away.

The Lady Tornadoes’ 57-29 rout of Northeast Macon earned Acree her 300th career coaching victory.

“It’s momentous … I’m happy,” said Acree, who improved her career record to 300-82.

“It was a good game to do it. I’m thankful. The Lord has blessed me to still be in coaching.”

Acree’s resume also includes 10 region titles, six trips to the final four and one state championship in stops at Screven County, Randolph-Clay and Monroe. She guided Randolph-Clay to the state title in 2013-14.

Outside the gymnasium on the way to the locker room, Acree posed for a few pictures. Junior Kelsey Davis, who led Monroe’s effort with 14 points, asked a reporter if he would take another team picture with Acree.

“Excuse me sir, I wasn’t in that one,” she said. “Will you take another?”

While the spotlight belonged to Acree, she was upset that her team didn’t play better. The Lady Tornadoes started the game by scoring the first 12 points. They never looked back.

“We played awful,” she said. “This is our tournament and we at least wanted to give the fans something good. At times, our intensity was there and at times, not. We’ve got to be more consistent, especially on the defensive end.”

Catresia White finished with 12 points, Alissa Jones added nine, while Arayonna Bell and Daysa Polite finished with six points in what turned out to be a special night.

The Lady Tornadoes (3-0) have beaten Albany, Bainbridge and Northeast Macon to open the season. They will entertain Lee County tonight at 6:30 p.m. as the Thanksgiving Shootout continues.

Acree said during her stops at Screven County and Randoph-Clay, her third season was special. In her third year at Screven, she guided the Lady Gamecocks to the final four.

And this happens to be her third season at Monroe.

“This is a good group of do something with,” she said.