Patriots fall in OT heartbreaker

The Ellender Patriots motto is “32 minutes of pain.” Unfortunately, their State Championship game against Westgate went into overtime, extending the game to 36 minutes, and after matching the Tigers point-for-point in regulation, the Patriots ran out of gas and lost 75-70 in overtime.

It was the Patriots (38-3) first trip to the State Championship game since 1999, and head coach Scott Gauthreaux’s first-ever trip in six years as coach of Ellender.

The emotion of the game showed in the post-game press conference. “We lost to a better team,” said Gauthreaux. “This is not fun. It was a Hell of a ride, and I enjoyed it until the last second. I have no complaints. It’s just such an abrupt end.

“These guys played their tails off,” he added. “They never quit. First quarter, we got down by 10; we execute a great play at the end of the half, and come out with momentum, take the lead and blow it open. They call a great timeout; they counter. It was a great, classic battle.”

And the difference in the battle was Westgate’s (32-8) domination on the boards. The Tigers out-rebounded Ellender 63-40, including a 29-17 advantage on the offensive boards. Because of the Tigers’ ability to grab offensive rebounds, they had 28 second-chance points to Ellender’s 16.

“All the … critics said we couldn’t run with them,” said Westgate coach Oliver Winston. “We knew in our hearts, nobody’s going to outrun us. Nobody’s going to beat us up and down the floor whether we play four quarters or 20 quarters. My big boys stepped up. They banged the boards. They did all the dirty work. All the little things.”

The Patriots, who had been the No. 1 ranked team in the state all season, battled from behind throughout the entire first half. However, early in the third quarter, it appeared they would break the game open with a third-quarter run.

Trailing 40-36 at halftime, Ellender’s Chris Duthu connected on a three-pointer at the 7:48 mark to make it 40-39. After a Westgate basket to make it 42-39, the Patriots went on an 8-0 run, in large part because of three consecutive lay ups off of steals.

Trailing 47-42, Westgate called a timeout, and answered to take a 50-49 lead into the fourth quarter.

The teams battled back-and-forth throughout a fourth quarter that included three lead changes and five ties.

With Westgate holding a 64-62 lead, Ellender’s Jamal Nixon banked in a jump shot to tie it 64-64 at the 55-second mark. On Westgate’s next possession, Walter Jones stole the ball and connected on a lay up to give Ellender a 66-64 lead with 39 seconds left.

Westgate answered with a transition lay up to slow the momentum, and Nixon’s shot with four seconds left fell short, putting the game into overtime.

After going ahead 69-66 in overtime, Ellender was outscored 9-1 in the final 2:41, losing 75-70.

“I was fired up,” said Gauthreaux. “Three minutes to go, down by one. I was fired up. That’s why I do this. Because of these three players on the side of me, and those 14 boys crying in the locker room.”

Despite the loss, Gauthreaux said he was proud of his team’s accomplishments over the course of the season. “I can’t define it,” he said of his team. “It’s five people, 10 people, 14 people that bust their tails every second, and play so very unselfish. That’s what made this team special. What makes them special is they work so hard.”

Leading the way for Westgate was Raymon Jones (6-foot 5-inches) and Tyrun Walker (6-feet 6-inches). Ellender’s tallest player is 6-foot 3-inch Bruce Harding.

Jones finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Walker had 12 points and 18 rebounds.

Ellender’s Sterling Jones led all scorers with 27 points and added 12 rebounds. Walter Jones contributed 15 points.

Ellender will lose just four players to graduation, including starters Walter Jones and Harding.

Staff photos by MATT LeBLANC • Tri-Parish Times * Ellender’s Chris Duthu reacts to his team’s 75-70 loss to Westgate in the Class 5A State Championship game. The Patriots finished their season 38-3. Ellender’s Sterling Jones goes up for a lay up. Against Westgate, Jones led all scorers with 27 points, but the Patriots lost 75-70 in overtime.