LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
February 25, 2016
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
March 3, 2016
The Central Lafourche basketball team had to do one of the toughest things in sports last year in the opening round of the Class 5A State Playoffs.
The Trojans had to sit and watch in agony as an opposing team dogpiled on Central’s home floor after knocking the home team out of the playoffs.
This year, the Trojans didn’t take no for an answer. This time, they were the road warriors doing the celebrating after a first-round upset win.
The No. 21 seed in the Class 5A bracket, Central Lafourche rolled into the Sweet 16, scoring a dominant 69-54 road win over No. 12 Southwood on Friday night in Shreveport.
The Trojans led from start-to-finish, owning a double-digit edge just minutes into the game. That was by design, according to coach Mark Sanders, who said he couldn’t be prouder of the effort from his team.
“All of the information that we got said that we needed to attack them early – especially in the opening minutes of the game,” Sanders said. “We did a nice job doing that. We really were aggressive early, and we put them in a hole. But the key for us was that we stayed aggressive and found a way to finish the win.”
The Trojans absolutely owned the early stages of Friday night’s win. Central Lafourche stormed out of the gates early, dominating the pace of play from the opening tip. The Trojans led 22-6 after the first quarter, then 36-16 at halftime.
Sanders said the early surge was vital, because it took the crowd out of the game. It also was important, because Sanders said Southwood is a second-half team.
“We knew they would make a run at us,” Sanders said. “It was so big for us to get out to that advantage to let the kids sort-of settle in and ease into the game.”
In the third quarter, the Trojans kept moving forward, rolling out to a 24-point lead after three quarters.
And then Southwood started to foul.
And foul.
And then foul some more.
Southwood played “hack-a” basketball for the entire fourth quarter, fouling the Trojans for eight full minutes in an effort to extend the number of possessions.
It worked for a while, as the Trojans made just 50 percent of their shots from the charity stripe, which allowed Southwood to cut the lead to 12.
But Central Lafourche never let them get closer than that, making just enough free throws to seal the win.
Quindon Charles led the Trojans with 19 points. Calvin Bentley added 10.
Sanders said the victory is one both he and his team will remember for a while.
“We’d gotten here two years in a row and couldn’t finish,” Sanders said. “So for us to finally get through with this group is a step we needed to take. Our goal is the Top 28 and to win the State Title with this core we have. We think we’re good enough.
The Trojans will host No. 5 Ruston tonight. The game was expected to be played on Tuesday, but statewide ACT Tests on Tuesday didn’t allow Ruston to make the long trip until Wednesday.
ELSEWHERE IN THE HOUMA-THIBODAUX AREA
The Trojans cruised in Round 1, but H.L. Bourgeois had a much tougher time.
The No. 8-seeded Braves got pushed to the limit on Friday against No. 25 Barbe, needing a last-second stop to secure a 61-60 win in the Class 5A State Playoffs.
The Buccaneers had the basketball under their own basket, down one with 3 seconds to play. Barbe got a wide-open look at the basket, but a clean 3-pointer rimmed out, allowing H.L. Bourgeois to score a dramatic win.
The Braves moved to the Sweet 16 where they met No. 9 McKinley at home on Tuesday night with no score available at press-time.
“I told the kids all week that Barbe wasn’t the usual No. 25 team in the state,” Braves coach Andrew Caillouet said. “I knew it was going to be a battle. They pushed us, but we did just enough. We’re happy to have another opportunity to play.”
Friday’s game was close throughout. The teams were tied at the end of the first quarter and Barbe led 36-35 at halftime.
The second half was a knockdown, drag-out brawl with both teams leading multiple times.
H.L. Bourgeois looked like it was going to cruise to victory after AJ Rainey made a free throw to put the Braves up 61-58 with 34 seconds left. But Barbe got a layup, then forced a turnover to take control of the ball in the last possession.
But the big shot rimmed out, and the Braves lived to see another day.
Caillouet said that’s how every game in the playoffs will be.
“I think we can win the State Championship,” Caillouet said. “But I also thought we could lose on Friday. Every game will be a battle.”
Other locals who are going to the Sweet 16 are Ellender, E.D. White and Houma Christian.
The Patriots rolled in the Class 4A Playoffs, defending their No. 5 seed in a 66-52 victory over No. 28 Abbeville.
The Patriots started slow and trailed after the first quarter against the Cinderella opponent.
But Abbeville’s glass slippers broke in the second half, and the Patriots dominated the action, rolling out to a 20-plus-point lead for the majority of play before finishing the easy win.
Ellender hosted No. 12 Woodlawn-Shreveport on Tuesday with no score available at press-time.
No. 10 E.D. White also soared at home, scoring a 61-54 victory over No. 23 Vidalia in the Class 3A Playoffs.
The Cardinals traveled to take on No. 7 De La Salle in the Sweet 16.
In Class 1A, No. 15 Houma Christian got some late heroics, pulling out a 69-68 home win over No. 18 Elton.
With the win, the Warriors traveled to face No. 2 Northwood on Tuesday. •
