Nightmare continues: VCHS loses in state finals for third-straight year
February 28, 2012
Vandy Catholic cruises to Elite 8 with easy win
February 28, 2012
On a night when E.D. White senior Ja’Dante’ Frye had arguably the best game of his career, it was the Patterson boys’ basketball team that did all the celebrating when the final buzzer sounded.
Thanks to a combination of timely, stingy defense and a hot-shooting third quarter, the Lumberjacks overcame both a raucous crowd and Frye’s 34 point and 8-of-10 shooting from 3-point territory night to secure a 53-51 victory in Friday’s second round playoff game.
The win moves the Jacks’ plentiful senior class to the quarterfinals for the second-straight season and the third time in four years.
“The group that we have this year have just been unbelievable,” Patterson coach Ryan Taylor said. “We have seven seniors and we have two juniors. So we’ve been through a whole lot of basketball. … We’ve seen a lot of basketball and have been in a lot of different situations. I thought we did a good job of handling all of the different things we faced tonight and I’m just very proud of our guys.”
“This is a great win for us,” senior forward Tremaine Lightfoot added. “We came into a tough place to play, fell behind early, rallied together as a team and got a big victory.”
Friday’s game was played between teams with contrasting styles.
The Lumberjacks execute an up-tempo offense and pressure-based defense to try and turn their opponent over and get transition baskets.
The Cardinals are the polar opposite, executing a half court, slower-paced motion offense.
In the early minutes of Friday’s game, it looked like the Cardinals’ style would win the war.
The Cardinals rolled to an early lead, thanks to solid team defense and Frye’s sharp shooting. The E.D. White standout scored 13 of his team’s 15 points in the opening quarter to give the team an early 13-4 lead and ultimately a three-point lead at the end of the first frame.
Frye sunk a couple outside shots in the early spurt, some of which were several feet behind the 3-point line.
“I was feeling it tonight, so I just kept shooting it when I was open,” Frye said. “The basket looked pretty big tonight.”
With the early lead in hand and Frye resting on the bench, E.D. White slowed down the tempo in the second quarter and attempted to control the pace of the game.
But the Lumberjacks answered the Cardinals’ style change and buckled down defensively to force a few turnovers and create fast break opportunities.
Once in transition, Patterson got a few easy baskets, which cut the Cardinals lead to 21-19 at halftime.
“We knew once they got the lead, they were going to slow the ball down,” Patterson senior guard Trevon Stewart said. “We knew we had to get them out of their game and get them uncomfortable. And once we do that, we knew it was time to take control and make them play our game.”
In the third quarter, the Jacks did just that – take control.
Patterson allowed the opening basket of the second half, but responded with an 11-0 run to take a 6-point lead – a margin that held into the fourth quarter.
The Jacks buried shots from both inside and out in the run, overwhelming the Cardinals with both offensive balance and athleticism.
“We went into the locker room and coach just settled us – he told us to just keep playing hard,” senior forward Tremaine Lightfoot said. “We just started to hit shots and things happened for us.”
That lead stretched to double digits in the fourth quarter and Patterson appeared in prime position to send the Cardinals home without a whimper.
Then Frye made one last stand.
The E.D. White senior sunk five of his 3-pointers and scored 17 of his points in the final eight minutes, which helped erode the Lumberjacks’ lead to just four late in the game – a run that bedazzled Patterson’s players and coaches alike.
“I’m surprised,” Lightfoot said following the game. “Every time we’ve played them, he’s never shot like that. But give full credit to him. He made plays and as a basketball player, that’s what you want to do. He was awesome tonight.”
“You talk about guys who had a basket that looked large?” Taylor said. “That was their kid tonight. He was in the zone.”
The Cardinals ran an array of plays to free the senior early in the quarter to spark the run.
By the time the game was near its completion, two and three defenders shaded toward Frye to try and keep him away from the basketball.
In addition to the outside shooting, Frye also got a critical late basket on an offensive rebound and put back.
“He did everything,” E.D. White coach Jonathan Keife said. “He really did play probably the best game of his career out there tonight. We’re proud of the effort he gave us.”
But his efforts fell short and a combination of made free throws and critical late stops ended the senior’s comeback heroics in defeat.
“He’ll go down as one of the best to ever play here,” Keife said. “I’m glad he went out on a high note. Just unfortunately, we couldn’t pull it out.”
“It’s never cool to lose one like this,” Frye added. “But I’ll always remember the way I played tonight. Things just felt different out there for me.”
The road win catapulted the No. 10 Jacks to the quarterfinals, where they met No. 2 Richwood.
That game was played Tuesday night with a score unavailable at press time.
Patterson was the underdog in that game – just like they were the underdog in Friday’s game with E.D. White.
That’s just fine with them. That’s a role they have embraced all season, being a 3-loss team seeded just No. 10 in the state.
“We take offense to that because we feel like we can play with anybody,” Patterson guard Dylan Sanders said. “We feel like we can be the best team in 3A. That’s like a slap in the face to us to be seeded where we are. But we just deal with it and it doesn’t matter who we have to play. We just go out and prove our spot every night.”
Elsewhere in the Tri-parishes
While Patterson celebrated their second victory, the rest of the Tri-parish area experienced what could accurately be described as ‘Bloody Friday’.
In Class 4A, both Ellender and Vandebilt were knocked out of the playoffs in blowout road losses.
The Patriots dropped a 69-57 tilt to No. 4 Salmen, while the Terriers couldn’t build on a 30-plus-point effort from junior guard Lionheart Leslie, falling 83-63 to No. 8 Huntington.
The biggest surprise of the night locally came in Class 1A where No. 1 Central Catholic was knocked from the playoffs in a heartbreaking 83-77 overtime game against Louisiana New Technical School.
The loss ends the Eagles’ chase to the state championship four wins short of their ultimate goal and with a 24-5 record.
In Class 1A, Houma Christian also fell in the second round, dropping a road tilt with Pointe Coupee Central.
Patterson guard Trevon Stewart attempts a running layup in Friday’s second round game against E.D. White.
