By: SYLIS MANUEL
Staff Reporter
CHURCH POINT - The Ville Platte boys and girls teams were hosted by Church Point on Thursday night and traded wins.
The Lady Bulldogs fell to the Lady Bears 44-24 and the Bulldogs dominated the Bears in a 98-42 affair.
The Lady Bulldogs closed the regular season with a 14-13 record, with playoff seeding pending after this weekend’s results.
The Bulldogs improved to 18-8 on the season and remain in first place in District 4-3A. Ville Platte hosts Beau Chene Gators in a non-district game in the final week of the regular season next week.
Girls
Church Point 44,
Ville Platte 24
The Lady Bulldogs had a slow start up against Church Point and were outscored 6-1. The key to Church Point’s success was a paralyzing defense.
Textbook and old-school physical basketball kept the Lady Bulldogs on their heels throughout the first half. Ville Platte was able to find much more success in the second quarter, however.
The Lady Bulldogs outscored their opposition 9-4, finding a groove and rhythm to their offense. As the halftime buzzer rang, and the teams headed into the locker rooms, the score was tied at 10-all.
Church Point picked up the pace in the second half, scoring double-digits in each remaining quarter.
Ville Platte, unable to match, fell behind early and struggled to crawl back. When the dust settled, the Lady Bears ousted their visitors.
Vandryua Wilson led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 8 points.
Boys
Ville Platte 98,
Church Point 42
The Bulldogs took the momentum they’ve had all season into this game, refusing to keep their foot off the gas.
The Ville Platte defense showed staggering improvements. It seemed as if nearly every Church Point possession resulted in a turnover or rebound going in Ville Platte’s direction.
The Bears struggled to overcome the massive height advantage the Bulldogs had, especially under the rim with Ville Platte dominating 29-11 in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs kept the pressure cooking in the following quarter. So much so that the Ville Platte lead was already seemingly insurmountable at 52-24 going into halftime.
Ville Platte came into the second half with a new goal of scoring 100 points. Their electric offense was firing on all cylinders, finding success at all ends of the court. It was obvious the Bulldogs’ confidence was sky-high, while the Bears’ confidence was starting to dwindle.
Ville Platte eeked closer to the golden score, with an 82-39 lead heading into the final quarter.
With a running clock going, Church Point prevented Ville Platte from putting up 100 points. The Bulldogs fell just short, reaching 98 with just under a minute remaining, but the Bears held onto the ball on their last possession, preventing the Bulldogs from their hopes of triple digits.
Sage Papillion helped the Bulldogs march to victory with his team-high 28 points.
When asked about his team’s ensuing playoff effort, Bulldog head coach Launey Coward stated “I really feel like we can make a run. If we can keep up the cohesion and maturity, as well as limit mistakes, I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people.”
June 19, 2026
