Pine Prairie gets swept out of own gym against EHS
By: TONY MARKS
Editor
PINE PRAIRIE – The difference in a basketball game can, at times, be the little things. That was the case for the Pine Prairie boys’ team against Elizabeth Tuesday night. The Panthers only shot 5 of 10 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs did not shoot much better at a 10 of 18 clip, but it was enough to hand the home team a 55-53 loss.
With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 1-13 on the season and will now travel to Crowley tomorrow night. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, who had been idle since a win over Reeves in the consolation game of the Allen Parish Tournament on Saturday, December 17, improved its record to 11-9 on the year and will host Glenmora tonight.
By the time a timeout was called on the court at the 5:28 mark of the first quarter, Pine Prairie was clinging to a 6-5 lead. Out of the timeout, Elizabeth drilled a three-pointer to take the lead. The lead extended to 14-6 before Pine Prairie scored from three-point range to make it a 14-9 game with 3:19 remaining in the first period.
Da’Jon Lemalle then made it a one-possession game spurring a Panther run. Elijah George then gave the Panthers a one-point lead at 16-15 with 1:21 on the clock, but the lead was short lived as Elizabeth’s Damian Martin collected points from the field. The first quarter ended with Pine Prairie trailing 20-16.
The George-Lemalle ticket then combined to give Pine Prairie a 21-20 lead early in the second quarter, but Elizabeth then went on a 7-0 run. Pine Prairie closed the period out on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 27-27 going into intermission.
Chase Holsomback made it a one-point game at 31-30 with 3:42 to go in the third quarter, but another Bulldog run opened the lead to 10 points at 40-30.
Going into the final stanza, Pine Prairie found itself trailing 40-36. However, Brendon O’Connor scored from the field, and, nine seconds later, Lemalle scored from the field as well to tie the game at 40-40 with 7:27 on the clock.
The Panthers tied the game three more times before eventually taking the lead at 48-46 on a bucket from George with 3:50 in the game. Pine Prairie then stretched the lead to 53-48 and was nursing a 53-50 lead with 83 seconds remaining.
Elizabeth, though, tied the game with a trey from Owen Soileau with 38 seconds and change left in the game. Soileau, then, gave his team the lead with both free throws.
Lemalle attempted a game winning three, but it was wide of the net to give the Bulldogs the win.
Lemalle led Pine Prairie with 19 points and was the only Panther in double-digits. A trio of George, Tyrese Beverly, and O’Connor scored eight points each. Meanwhile, for Elizabeth, Soileau led his squad with 26 points. Martin was the only other double-digit scorer with 10 points.
The night began with the girls taking the court and the Lady Panthers only netting two field goals and two free throws in a 65-6 loss.
The Lady Panthers dropped to 0-12 on the season and will travel to East Beauregard Monday night. As for the Lady Bulldogs, they improved to 11-9 and will host Glenmora tonight before opening district play on Tuesday, January 10, against Anacoco.
Pine Prairie scored its first two points at the 6:59 mark of the first quarter on a basket from Sydney Fontenot to make it a 3-2 game. Cameron Willis, then, scored from the field to tie the game at 4-4 53 seconds later.
The Lady Panthers would not score again until Aaliyah Holston split a pair of free throws with 56.8 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The first half ended with Pine Prairie trailing 41-5.
With a running clock situation, Pine Prairie was held scoreless in the third quarter and scored its only other point on the night on a free throw from Kelsey Oliver with 6:23 remaining in the game.