Terrebonne clinches 6-5A title with HLB win

In the final district match for both teams, Terrebonne clinched an outright District 6-5A title with a 3-2 win over the H.L. Bourgeois Lady Braves in match that was filled excitement.

It is Terrebonne’s second-consecutive district championship.

In the area’s premier volleyball rivalry, fans dueled with shouts and cheerleaders dueled with flips, but the volleyball teams took center court in a match that lived up to the rivalry’s hype.

The Lady Tigers narrowly escaped with a victory after five back-and-forth games, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 20-25, 15-13.

And despite the loss, H.L. Bourgeois coach Pete Verret pointed out the quality play of both sides in the match. “Anybody in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish who missed this game, missed a hell of a volleyball game,” he said.

Lady Tigers coach Chip Didier echoed the Verret’s feelings on the match. “I didn’t expect anything differently,” said Didier. “They were playing on a high level, and I thought we were playing on a high level. It’s just who’s going to make the mistake first. It was a great game for spectators to watch, for sure.”

The fifth, and deciding, game was a microcosm for the back-and-forth nature of the match. The early part of the game was even, before Terrebonne (27-10 overall, 6-0 district) took an 8-4 lead on a block by Sierra Lyons. From there, H.L. Bourgeois (19-18 overall, 4-2 district) battled back, scoring the next six points for a 10-8 lead.

The Lady Tigers quickly regained the momentum, going on a six-to-one run to take a 14-11 lead, and earn game point.

The Lady Braves were not ready to lose, however, as they scored the next two points to make it 14-13. Looking like they had regained the momentum, the Lady Braves served to Terrebonne, but Ashley James recorded a dig to Nira Stewart who set up Lyons for the game-winning kill.

It was the fourth team this season that Terrebonne beat H.L. Bourgeois. “It’s hard beating a team four times, and I knew that,” said Didier. “It gets harder and harder and harder. They start to know everything about you, and they want it more than you do, and you think you’ve got it made, but you don’t.”

While Kamyle Lowndes recorded 32 kills, 18 kills and a block, it was freshman Sierra Lyons that stepped up in the match. Lyons recorded 17 kills and four blocks, but drew high praise from Didier. “Sierra played awesome,” said Didier. “For a ninth grader? Give me a break. She’s a ninth-grader, out there under that type of pressure, and she just played outstanding volleyball today.”

The Lady Braves took the lead in the match when they won the opening game 25-23. It appeared that Terrebonne would take control of the game when they took an early 5-0 lead, but the Lady Braves progressively chipped away at the lead before going ahead 15-14.

Terrebonne regained the lead 23-22, but back-to-back Lady Tigers’ errors gave H.L. Bourgeois game point, before they scored the winner.

Terrebonne answered by winning the next two games.

Game two started the same as the first, with Terrebonne jumping out to a convincing lead. Only this time, they never looked back, holding the lead throughout the entire game before winning 25-18.

Game three started evenly, but Terrebonne exploded to an 18-11 lead.

The young Lady Braves came back, and led 21-19, but could not finish it off as two Lyons’ kills keyed the 25-22 Terrebonne win.

After falling behind 2-1, H.L. Bourgeois led the entire way through game four before winning 25-20.

Despite the loss, Verret said he feels his team is at its best right now. “I knew we were peaking at the right time,” he said. “It’s been showing our last couple of matches.

But we so deserved to win today. We had so much heart and they just wanted it so bad.

“It was a few unforced errors that kind of shot us in the foot,” he added. “We have nothing to hold our heads down. I’m very proud of them.”

Verret also said he is excited about his team’s emotion as it enters the state playoffs. “I just think this team will be something to reckon with in the future.”

The playoff brackets will be released today.