Terriers 1 win away from back-to-back titles
February 22, 2017
Lafourche Parish moves forward, despite turnover
February 22, 2017
When Traya Bruce and Victorianna Nelson were just 8 years old, folks down the bayou in Lafourche Parish already knew those kids were special basketball players and that the high school team was destined for future success.
Now that the duo are juniors at South Lafourche High School, the rest of the state is feeling it, too – even while one-half of the duo watches from the sidelines with a bum knee that will keep her out for the rest of the year.
The Lady Tarpons are one of a handful of locals still alive in the State Playoffs after crushing Abbeville 85-17 in the opening round last Thursday in Galliano.
With the win, South Lafourche moved on and took on No. 12 LaGrange at home on Monday night before a wild, rowdy crowd.
No score was available at press-time.
In the opening round, Bruce was flawless, scoring 39 points and recording countless assists. Nelson is out for the season after suffering a torn meniscus in a mid-season tournament game.
Bruce said she’s playing for her fallen teammate and also her school and community in trying to chase the Top 28 for the Lady Tarpons – an honor the team hasn’t achieved since the early 1990s.
“We worked the whole season to get to this point, and we just knew what we had to do, got a big lead and then kept pushing,” Bruce said after the opening-round win. “It’s the playoffs now. There’s no mercy. We had to play the full 32 minutes, and I think we did a good job of that.”
The challenge for the Lady Tarpons came on Monday night, as the team attempted to get a monkey off its back.
The Lady Tarpons have enjoyed regular season success for the past several seasons, but the team has yet to get past the second round under coach Rainie Terrebonne.
Sure, this story will get sent before a final score in that game is known.
But Terrebonne said last week that she’d go to battle with her team any day of the week – regardless of the opponent or the stakes.
And as far as next year when Nelson heals and gets back in the lineup?
The Lady Tarpons will be better than ever.
“We have a great group of girls,” Terrebonne said. “They deserve all of the success that comes their way. We set a goal as a team to get past the second round, of course, because that’s been a thorn in our side, but we think that we can go even beyond that, too. We don’t want to stop just right there.”
ELSEWHERE IN THE HOUMA-THIBODAUX AREA
Other locals are still very much in the thick of things in the quest to reach the LHSAA Top 28 for girls’ basketball.
In Class 4A, Ellender was still alive at press-time after crushing Belaire 96-46 in an opening-round game in East Houma.
The Lady Patriots are the No. 3 seed in the bracket, and coach Kenneth Dixon admits that his team is awfully tough to beat when they play championship-level defense.
“Our kids like to score the ball, but the coach likes when they play defense,” Dixon said. “When we play defense and attack without fouling, we can be a really, really gifted team.”
With the victory, Ellender took on No. 14 Minden on Monday night at home with no score available at press-time.
On the bottom half of the Class 4A bracket, South Terrebonne also won a postseason game, trumping Karr 34-32 in a thriller last week. The victory was a historic one for South Terrebonne – the first time in more than 30 years that the team won a postseason game.
It was also the first career postseason win for coach Nick Cenac, who has done an outstanding job with the Lady Gators this season, helping change the culture of the program and turn the team into a winner.
“It’s been remarkable how everyone’s bought in,” Cenac said earlier this season. “When good things start to happen, it becomes contagious, and it’s just amazing to see how these kids have focused themselves, put in the work and the time and are now starting to believe in themselves and see how good they can be. It’s amazing to see.
The Lady Gators took on No. 2 DeRidder on Monday night on the road. No score was available at press-time.
In select school brackets, Vandebilt and E.D. White both moved past the opening round of the Division II bracket – the Lady Terriers earning a win and the Lady Cardinals getting a bye.
Vandebilt is the No. 16 seed in the field. They beat Lusher 47-32 in the opening round, earning a date with No. 1 Parkview Baptist on Monday night.
E.D. White rested after a bye, then hosted St. Scholastica.
In Division IV, a local team has the inside track at the title. Houma Christian used its powerful regular season to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket.
The Christian Warriors had an opening-round bye, then hosted False River on Monday night.
Check HoumaTimes.com for score updates throughout the week for an expanded, updated look at how locals did in their Monday night games.
UPDATE:
South Lafourche won its second-round game and will play No. 5 Northside on Thursday night
Ellender, E.D. White and Houma Christian also won and are in the Quarterfinals, as well.
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