Eight is great

VILLE PLATTE -- Good things happen when you put in the hard work. Just ask the Ville Platte High Bulldog basketball team.
With their 81-57 win over No. 13 seed Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School Jaguars Tuesday night, the No. 4 seed Bulldogs advanced to the LHSAA Class 2A Quarterfinals and become one of only eight teams left in the playoffs in that classification.
Ville Platte will now host the No. 5 seed Lakeview Gators Friday night for the right to play in Lake Charles for the Top 28 Tournament that begins this coming Monday. As of the press deadline, the game time had not been announced.
Lakeview will come into the game with an overall record of 31-5 and will have won 11 of their last 12 games on the season.
“We are one step away from one of our team goals this season,” stated Ville Platte head coach Tommy Jones after the game. “It feels really good right now. The players have been working hard all summer long and into the season, they deserve everything that is happening to them. Hopefully, we can get one more win and make it to Lake Charles for the dance.”
Ville Platte collected the opening tip and came out like gang busters to start the game. The Bulldogs got four points from Tyler Jones and baskets from Jahmal Byers and Terrian Roy to take an 8-2 lead in the first 2:37 of the first quarter.
After a bucket from MLK Charter, Ville Platte’s Brandon Veazie sank a shot from beyond the arc to put the Bulldogs up by seven points. From that point on, the Jaguars were able to settle in and methodically crawl back into the game.
By the 1:35 mark of the period, MLK Charter had cut the Ville Platte lead down to two points, 14-12. A three-point shot from Tyler Jones pushed the Bulldogs’ lead back up to five points.
However, the Jaguars completed a three-point play and hit a deep shot from the corner to move past Ville Platte 18-17 as the first period came to a close.
“Down the stretch in the first period, we had some miscommunication on the defensive side of the ball,” said Jones. “We started in a 1-3-1 zone and tried to switch to something else. They were able to take advantage of our poor communication. We went back to the 1-3-1 and that made a difference in the second quarter.”
What a difference it did make. After an initial three-point basket from the Jaguars, Ville Platte rattled off five points in a row to regain the lead.
MLK Charter picked up another basket to move ahead temporarily. Following that shot, the Bulldog defense created missed shots and turnovers that led to a 10-0 run and a 32-23 lead with 2:32 to go before half.
The two teams exchanged baskets and points in the remaining minutes of the second quarter. As the horn sounded to end the half, Ville Platte held a 38-27 advantage.
Not wanting the Jaguars to have any breathing space in the second half, the Bulldogs went right to work to start the third quarter of play. Ville Platte began the period on a 13-3 run to break the game wide open.
MLK Charter gathered themselves long enough to return the favor and produce their own 8-3 run, cutting the Bulldog lead down to 54-38 at the end of the quarter.
That late run by the Jaguars had no effect on Ville Platte. The Bulldogs extended their lead to 25 points, 65-40, on a three-point basket from Roy with 5:10 to go in the contest.
From that point on, Ville Platte started making wholesale changes, bringing their reserves off of the bench to close out the contest.
Byers and Roy led the Bulldogs with 17 points apiece. Tyler Jones and Ernest Roberts each chipped in 16 points for Ville Platte.
The 57 points given up by Ville Platte is right at what they have surrendered on average (55 points per game) throughout the course of the season.
According to Jones, the Ville Platte defense is one that has been in the making since this summer.
“We pride ourselves on our defensive effort,” commented Jones. “It has been a point of emphasis since this summer. We know if we can create havoc by pressuring our opponent, the turnovers will add up. And, with turnovers comes chances at easy baskets on the other side of the floor. We just hope that formula will get us to the Top 28.”
Jones also talked about the upcoming game with a sound Lakeview club.
“The coach from Lakeview and I know each other well,” said Jones. “We talk all the time. They know what we are going to do, and we know what they are going to do. It is going to be a tremendous match-up between two pretty good teams. I am excited about getting to play them. If we can pull out the win, the sky is the limit for us.”