Down the stretch

It has been a tough, arduous season for all of the Evangeline Parish hard court teams. As of today, only three of the ten teams have overall records above .500 and only one team has a winning district record (Mamou Demons, 3-1).
Despite those distressing stats, there are at least five teams that still are in the hunt for the district title. On top of that, all of the teams, with the exception of one, would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
For the Ville Platte Bulldogs (10-8, 1-1), this year has had its share of ups and downs. One thing is certain, the Bulldogs have played one of the toughest schedules of any team in Class 2A. With games against powerhouses like Lagrange, Opelousas, White Castle, Southern Lab and Beau Chene, Ville Platte has earned their No. 20 ranking in the power ratings.
“We have had some good wins this year,” stated Ville Platte head coach Tommy Jones. “But, there are times that we have not been able to finish like we should. One good thing is that we have not been blown out this season. We have been in every game. If we expect to finish strong, one area we need to improve upon is our free throw shooting. Shooting at 50 percent or less is not going to get it done in close games.”
The Ville Platte Lady Bulldogs (5-9, 0-2) have experienced something they have not had to for a long time, that of being the underdog in every game they play. Ville Platte has struggled this season, especially offensively. Nevertheless, the Lady Bulldogs are still in the playoff picture, coming in at No. 29 in the power ratings as of Tuesday.
“Our seniors have had a lot of pressure on them this year,” said Ville Platte head coach Dot Doulet. “They have been part of a winning program for so long, I think they put too much on themselves to continue that. But, we are very young, so it is tough. If we can play as hard and as complete a game we did the last time out, I think we can make a presence in district.”
In terms of youth, the Sacred Heart Lady Trojans (4-13, 1-1) have had to replace four starters from last season. And, even though their record does not show it, Sacred Heart has played with a ton of heart over the course of the year.
As of Tuesday, the Lady Trojans were the No. 21 team in the Division IV playoff rankings.
“The girls have really grown over the course of the season,” said Sacred Heart head coach Megan Granger. “The one area that we have made great strides in up to this point is becoming one unit. Our communication on the floor has been the main reason for that. If we can just learn how to break the press, I believe we will finish the season strong.”
The Sacred Heart Trojans (1-13, 0-2) have struggled mightily over the course of 2017-18. Even though Sacred Heart has only one win on the year, the Trojans are ranked the No. 21 in the Division IV power rankings.
One of the teams in the parish that has enjoyed some success this year has been the Mamou Demons (7-5, 3-1).
Mamou has not played many games up to this point, but the games they have played have shown the