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January 31, 2018
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January 31, 2018
The District 7-4A schedule is only a week old.
And the Ellender Memorial Lady Patriots already have complete control of the league – the inside track at the title.
The Lady Patriots played their two biggest competitors this past week, beating both South Terrebonne and South Lafourche to grab a strangle hold of the standings.
Ellender’s biggest win of the season came on Friday – a 59-51 road triumph over fellow state power South Lafourche, which showed the rest of the state that the Lady Patriots are a big factor in their quest to win back-to-back Class 4A State Championships.
Junior guard Terris McKay scored 20 points in the win and senior Orieon James added 14 points and 13 rebounds, helping power the team to a key victory.
“We made a lot of mistakes, but I am really very happy that we found a way to win,” Ellender coach Kenneth Dixon said. “This is not an easy place to play well and to win. We missed some shots and made some mistakes. We have to keep our focus. But I think we did a lot of things right and that makes me proud for our kids.”
The Lady Patriots’ “A-game” is as good as anyone’s in Louisiana.
But they haven’t always shown it this season.
Ellender started the season 5-0, but had a bit of a mid-season lull, losing four of their next five games during a stretch from Dec. 2-Dec. 14.
Dixon said before the season ever started that he expected his team to be topsy-turvy at times in 2017-18 because of their success the year before.
“We have some days where we don’t want to put in the work because we like to smell the roses a little bit,” Dixon said. “We won it last year and I think it’s a little bit of thinking like good things will happen again this year without understanding that it’s going to take a lot of work for us to get back.”
But since that time, the Lady Patriots have rebooted, winning 10 of their past 12 games.
They opened district last week, walloping a very good South Terrebonne team by 27 points.
On Friday, they trailed throughout the first two and a half quarters before seizing control of the game in the second half with their defensive energy.
The Lady Patriots trailed 33-30 at halftime, then let up just 18 points in the second half to secure the comeback win.
Dixo said he knows his team can score. McKay is one of the best shooters in the state and James is a dominant presence down low, complementing the many other weapons the team has.
But Dixon said when the Lady Patriots are at their best, they’re playing that dominant defense that we saw in the second half on Friday night.
“For us to be the team that we want to be, we know we have to focus on our defense first,” Dixon said. “That side of the court is going to be the most important one for us. We can’t rest. We have to play hard and with energy. When we do that, we think we are difficult to beat.”
7-4A BOYS’ CHASE TO COME DOWN TO THE WIRE
The local Class 4A boys’ district is far more complicated.
In that chase, several local teams are expected to contend for the district championship and the title is not likely to be decided until the final day of the regular season.
On paper, Ellender and Morgan City are probably the favorites.
The Patriots made the Class 4A State Championship Game last season – a memorable run that wowed many sports fans in the Houma-Thibodaux area.
But Ellender has battled significant injuries and a brutally tough schedule this season, which featured some of the top teams in Louisiana.
Morgan City, on the other hand, has steamrolled, already earning 18 wins on the season.
But the competition is stiff and challengers surround the league.
On Friday, Ellender beat South Lafourche by just one point. The Tarpons have 14 wins this season and have been awfully tough – especially at home.
Other teams expected to compete favorably are Assumption, South Terrebonne and even Vandebilt Catholic.
Many would concede that E.D. White is a little down this year after losing Rafe Blades and Kevin Johnson to Nicholls. But even the Cardinals are capable of fighting on any given night, including close, hard-fought losses against Assumption and South Lafourche in recent weeks.
On Tuesday night, Assumption faced South Terrebonne, South Lafourche faced Vandebilt and Morgan City faced E.D. White.
No scores for those games were available at press-time on Monday afternoon.
On Friday, the schedule is juicy again with Assumption facing South Lafourche and Ellender facing Vandebilt. On Thursday, South Terrebonne battles Morgan City.
Ellender post Oreion James throws an outlet during Thursday’s Class 4A State Semifinals game versus DeRidder.
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