By: TRACEY
JAGNEAUX
Sports Editor
BASILE – Going into Thursday night’s contest against Hamilton Christian, the Basile Bearcats knew two unfathomable things; they were definitely in the Class 1A playoffs and they are going to host a first round playoff game.
What Basile was hoping to do with a win over the Crusaders was to improve on their No. 7 playoff ranking and possibly even get a second round game if they can prevail in the opening round of the post-season.
The Bearcats took care of their end as they rolled past Hamilton Christian 34-14 in the last regular season game of 2017.
With the win, Basile finished the year with an overall record of 8-2 and a district record of 6-1. The Bearcats have now won six games in a row.
Now it is a matter of wait and see for Basile, as the LHSAA will announce the playoff bracket today. When the brackets do appear, the Bearcats will know who they play to start the post-season.
“One of the goals for us at the start of the season was to be able to be in a position to host a first round playoff game,” stated Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand. “We have done that and it feels good that we don’t have to travel this coming Friday night. Winning six in a row is a big testament to our players and how they have handled this difficult schedule. We continue to improve every week and hopefully we can carry this momentum into the post-season.”
Basile knew that Hamilton Christian was a team that came to play every time out and it showed early in the contest.
After the Bearcats were able to pick up an early seven yard touchdown run by Andre Reed in the first quarter, the Crusaders answered with a score of their own when Ian James blasted his way for a 53 yard touchdown run of his own.
“Looking at film all week long, we knew that they had some really talented players,” said Bertrand. “But, we also knew that they were thin on the numbers. Our game play was to try and weather the storm they might bring early in the game and then slowly wear them down throughout the course of the rest of the game.”
That game play came to fruition as the first quarter turned into the second quarter. As the game moved ahead, so did the Basile offense.
The Bearcats took control in the next period, scoring two touchdowns, one on an eight yard Reed run and the other on a 12 yard pass from Dawson Ashford to Reed.
By the time the teams headed to the locker room, the Bearcats owned a 21-7 lead.
Basile continued to dominate as the game entered into the third quarter.
The Bearcats picked up their final two more touchdowns in the period as Reed ran one in from 16 yards out and Ashford once again connected with Reed on a 20 yard pitch and catch.
The Crusaders finished the scoring by producing their final points of the game on a 45 yard pass from James to Marcus Thierry in the fourth quarter.
Reed led all Bearcat rushers on the night as he toted the pigskin for 110 yards on 13 carries.
Ashford was a perfect seven for seven passing the ball for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
Isaiah Ceaser had two receptions for 47 yards.