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The Houma Christian girls’ basketball team lost to Lafayette Christian in the State Championship Game last spring — the second-straight season the Lady Warriors finished as the state runners-up while watching their rivals cut down the nets.
This season, the two schools appear headed for another collision course in the Division IV State Championship Game.
And the Christian Warriors believe the hard work and dedication they’ve put in over the past offseason will put them in a better position to top the defending champions.
Houma Christian is again a force, currently sitting with a 17-3 record which includes victories over some of the best teams in Louisiana like St. Amant (18 wins), Helen Cox (16 wins), East Iberville (23 wins), South Terrebonne (17 wins) and Sam Houston (19 wins)
Coach Kathy Luke said this year’s group is experienced with a lot of returnees from last year’s team — a hungry bunch that wants to exceed last year’s finish.
For Luke, they’re also a special group because they’re the team that earned her 800th career win, which came in a recent win.
“Reaching 800 wins is a milestone that I achieved due to all the outstanding players that I have coached throughout the years,” Luke said. “I am so thankful and very appreciative to all the players, parents, administrators, faculty members and friends who have helped and supported me along my coaching journey. I know I’m closer to the end than I am to the beginning, but I do believe I have many more productive years of coaching ahead of me and I believe the last leg of this journey will be the best and the most exciting.”
Houma Christian’s recipe for success is balance — a total team effort.
The Christian Warriors don’t have a large roster, the byproduct of being a small Class 1A school. But everyone on the team has a role and is capable of hurting opponents.
Kourtne Lee is one of the team’s top scorers, routinely making plays to help the Christian Warriors win. They also get significant contributions from Xariel Washington, Jordyn Marie, Jayda Ward, Dalesia Williams and others — a balance that keeps opponents off balance throughout games.
“It’s mostly a team effort,” Lee said. “Everyone is capable of scoring so it’s hard for a team to say they’re going to take this player or that player away when we have 6 other scorers on the team.”
But aside from the balanced scoring efforts, Houma Christian wins because of its defense — one of the best units in the state of Louisiana.
Houma Christian plays a methodical pace, designed on efficient scoring and limiting opponents’ opportunities on the other end of the floor.
It works.
Houma Christian has played 20 games at press-time and they’ve limited opponents under 40 points 13 times. They’ve held opponents under 50 points 17 times and they’ve not yet allowed 60 points in a game.
A defensive-first philosophy has always been the philosophy of Luke — dating back to her years at Vandebilt.
But whether with offense or defense, the Christian Warriors have a clear goal — they want to peak at the right time and play their best basketball in the playoffs.
Lee said Houma Christian is taking things one game at a time — not wanting to get too ahead of themselves knowing that the competition in Division IV is fierce and they’ll have to play elite basketball to reach the top.
But with so many familiar faces in the lineup, the team also knows that when they play their best, they will be awfully tough for anyone to beat.
Luke applauded the group’s maturity and ability to keep focused, despite the lofty expectations placed onto them in the community.
“They have a higher level of maturity that has created a different mindset in reference to our daily preparation,” Luke said. “My players understand that execution, preparation, effort, toughness and discipline are keys to success. We have players who are talented and striving for success and that is a very good combination.
“We will take it one day at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time, in an effort to be the best that we can be that day.”
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