Thibodaux soars to Finals in thrilling win

Suspect arrested after shots fired
March 7, 2019
Tigers make history, win Class 5A State Title
March 10, 2019
Suspect arrested after shots fired
March 7, 2019
Tigers make history, win Class 5A State Title
March 10, 2019

Again, in the fourth quarter, it was Thibodaux who finished with the flurry.

Again, it was a sort-of unsung hero who did the most damage in giving the team the chance to play another day.

The Tigers advanced to the Class 5A State Finals on Thursday, scoring a 63-48 win over Bonnabel on Thursday at the Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.


Thibodaux led by 19 in the 2nd quarter, but actually surrendered the lead in the 4th to the hard-charging Bruins.

But the Tigers ended with a flurry, outscoring the Bruins 23-9 in the final period to secure the win.

J’Mari Carter led Thibodaux with 16 points in the win.


Carter is one of five Thibodaux players who average double-figures on the season – the third player to lead the team in scoring so far in the team’s four-game playoff run.

“That’s just been us,” Thibodaux coach Tony Clark said. “That’s what makes these kids special. We have a number of players who contribute and they all take part in executing and getting the job done.”

The Tigers roared early.


Thibodaux stormed out of the gates with hot shooting, scoring a 21-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and then a 19-point lead with three minutes left in the second quarter.

But Bonnabel battled back.

The Bruins ended the first half on an 8-0 run to trim a 35-16 deficit to 35-24 at halftime.


They weren’t done.

With Rodney Munson (14 points) and Donte Mitchell (14 points) doing work on both ends of the floor, the Bruins outscored Thibodaux 15-5 in the third quarter to go to the fourth down 40-39. They took the lead early in the fourth quarter against a Thibodaux team that battled foul trouble heavily throughout the game.

But the Tigers persevered and finished strong.


Thibodaux closed with a frenzy, going on a huge surge in the middle stages of the fourth quarter to regain control.

Carter made 7-straight points in the quarter to give the Tigers the lead and then he, Rashod Robison (13 points) and Kobi Johnson (13 points) made foul shots down the stretch to secure the win.

Thibodaux was 17-of-23 at the line in the game and 13-of-15 in the fourth quarter.


Bonnabel, on the other hand, missed 15 free throws in the defeat.

With the win, Thibodaux will move to the Class 5A State Finals where they will take on Walker, the defending champion.

That game will be played on Saturday at 6 p.m.


Walker beat Ouachita Parish 53-48 in the other Semifinal on Thursday.

Both Walker and Thibodaux had massive fanbases at the Burton Coliseum on Thursday, so Saturday’s game is expected to be near capacity.

Clark said the Tigers’ nation is powering the team.


Johnson said he knows the team is playing for more than a school, but instead for a whole city.

“We know we’re never alone,” Johnson said. “We have them with us no matter where we go.”

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