Former Terrebonne star succeeding with Lions
February 26, 2014Locals glitter LHSAA boys’ basketball brackets
February 26, 2014
Regardless of what was to lay ahead the rest of the way, in the moments following their 56-40 victory over No. 25-seeded Eunice, the Ellender girls’ basketball team knew they were guaranteed a better finish than in each of the school’s past five seasons.
After suffering through five consecutive first-round playoff exits, Ellender picked up its first post-season win since the 2008 season with a dominant victory on its home court last Friday night.
The No. 8-seeded Lady Patriots, who won the District 7-4A championship with a 21-5 record and 8-0 district mark, turned a 21-14 lead early in the second quarter into a 19-point advantage by halftime — their largest lead of the night — and never looked back.
Kiara Scott was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points. She made five 3-point baskets, four of which came in the first half as Ellender’s players won their first ever playoff game.
“We knew Eunice was a really good team,” Scott said. “Sometimes when they drove to the goal in the beginning, they really caught us off-guard. But I was getting some good looks and was just being on my game. You could say it was my best performance of the season.”
Senior Sage Scott would add 10 points and two players – Sky Jasper and senior Amari Banks – added eight points apiece for Ellender.
But just as impressive as their hot shooting was the Patriots’ defense. Their aggressive full-court press and strong rebounding frustrated Eunice, who seemed helpless to stop the bleeding once it started midway through the second period.
“We started working on detail and doing the things that we do best, not forcing anything, and trying to focus on defense more than offense,” Ellender coach Kenneth Dixon said. “Rebounding and defense is the key, as is limiting your opponents to one shot and trying to get a few put-backs. If we put back a few, we’ll be much better off.”
While the Bobcats would begin the second half on a 7-0 run, Ellender never let the game get back to within single digits. The Patriots survived Eunice’s early third-quarter surge, led by 14 at the end of the period, and spent the final eight minutes eating the clock and making sure the Bobcats didn’t have enough time to put together a rally.
“For the last five years, we would finish (with a lower seed), but this year we were in the top 10 so I thought maybe we would have a better chance,” Dixon said of winning in the playoffs.
According to Scott, the team’s recent playoff woes weren’t an issue that came up during the week.
“We were ready to put it behind us and just focus on the game and on pushing forward,” Scott said. “We just talked about having a dedication and having a passion. The (previous playoff losses) never came up.”
The type of performance Ellender put together Friday, and the type of season they’ve had, has made Dixon proud.
“I’m impressed with them. We won a district championship and a first-round playoff (game) so they have shown some improvement over the last five years,” he said. “The younger players are playing pretty decent, and I have four seniors and am trying to get them a good ride out of here. They’ve been with me win or lose and they still stuck with the program.”
With the win over Eunice, Ellender advanced to the regional round of the playoffs and a match-up with No. 9-seeded Rayne. No score of the game was available at press time.
ELSEWHERE IN THE TRI-PARISH AREA
As the second round of the playoffs began, Ellender wasn’t the only still in competition.
In Class 5A, Thibodaux’s girls’ team advanced to the regional round with a 78-64 victory over No. 19-seeded Acadiana last Thursday. The Lady Tigers (22-5 overall), ranked No. 14, were scheduled to travel to No. 3-seeded Walker on Monday.
In Class 1A, No. 2-seeded Central Catholic advanced to the regional round after dominating No. 31-seeded Logansport, 64-20, on Thursday. The Lady Eagles (25-3) were scheduled to face No. 15 St. Mary – Natchitoches on Monday.
The scores from both games were unavailable at press time.
South Lafourche, Vandebilt Catholic, E.D. White Catholic and Morgan City also made the playoffs but each fell in the opening round.
In Class 5A, the Lady Tarpons lost, 52-36, at Walker to finish the season 15-11 while in Class 4A, Vandebilt felt, 49-43, at No. 6 Cabrini to end their season 13-15 overall.
Also in Class 4A, Morgan City fell to No. 2 Warren Easton, 85-30, to end the season at 14-10 overall. In Class 3A, No. 10 E.D. White was upset by No. 23 Independence, 62-50. The Lady Cardinals’ season ended at 22-5 overall.
Ellender standout Amari Banks attempts a layup during a game this season. After several-straight losses in the first round of the playoffs, the Lady Patriots broke out and won their first-round game this week against Eunice.
