By: RHETT MANUEL
Sports Editor
PORT ALLEN – Few boys’ basketball programs in the past four years have emerged to be as powerful as Port Allen has been across Louisiana.
The Pelicans have won the past three state championships in Class 2A and was state runner-up in 2019. They’ve done so being one of the state’s more well-rounded teams, combining height, chemistry, shooting and being solidly coached in the process.
So, it goes without saying that the No. 8-seeded Ville Platte Bulldogs were walking into a lion’s den Friday night in the Division III non-select quarter finals.
As good as the Bulldogs have been all season, it found out the hard way what Port Allen was capable of as the Pelicans cruised to Marsh Madness via a 65-33 win.
The top-seeded Pelicans never flinched against Ville Platte, coasting to a 26-11 first quarter lead and never looking back.
They set the tone early, with an 8-0 run that included an alley-oop dunk.
Ville Platte, for how good Port Allen is, didn’t back down. But for every bucket the Bulldogs found, Port Allen seemed to find two and got the rim at will.
When the pace slowed down in the second period, Ville Platte then struggled with Port Allen’s size.
Senior guard Jakahalen Slaughter cut the lead to 28-15 for the Bulldogs after knocking down a free throw.
But Port Allen closed the half on a 12-2 run, punctuated by a pair of three-pointers, to take a 23-point advantage into halftime.
It didn’t get easier out of the locker room. A 10-0 burst stretched the lead to 33 points for the Pelicans in a period where its defensive effort ramped up. That 19-4 quarter started the running clock and gave the Pelicans a 38-point lead heading into the final quarter, 59-21.
Ville Platte’s final burst was too little too late, with the 12-6 advantage it found not making a difference in the final scoreline.
Proving its dominance, Port Allen held every Ville Platte player in single-digits scoring.
June 19, 2026
