First one down

VILLE PLATTE -- It was not the best game of the season for Ville Platte, but the Bulldogs used their playoff experience and the home crowd to their advantage as they eased past the Loranger Wolves 50-44 in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs.
With the win, Ville Platte improves to 26-10 overall and will travel to New Orleans on Tuesday to face off against the Booker T. Washington Lions. No game time had been set as of press deadline.
After the game, Ville Platte head coach Tommy Jones talked about his team’s ability to win in any type of ball game.
“The playoffs is about surviving and advancing and we did that tonight,” stated Jones. “This was a good team win. I thought we played some good defense tonight. The veteran leadership on this team will be big for us on the road in round two. We have played on the road most of the season, so I think we will be ready come Tuesday.”
Ville Platte took the opening tip-off and picked up the first basket of the night 1:08 into the game. Loranger knocked down a three-pointer just 20 seconds later to go up by one.
The Bulldogs followed up that shot by going on a 9-1 run over the next three minutes to take a seven point lead. However, the Wolves collected themselves long enough to score six of the next eight points, giving Ville Platte a slight 13-10 edge as the first quarter came to a close.
The second quarter saw even more action on the offensive side of the floor for both teams. The Bulldogs and the Wolves traded baskets over the first two minutes of the period, as Ville Platte held a 20-14 edge with six minutes to play in the half.
That lead increased to 10, 25-15, over the next two minutes as the Bulldogs found some momentum from the home town crowd. With the score standing at 28-18 in favor of Ville Platte and 2:30 showing on the clock, Loranger was able to scratch out the final four points of the half, giving the Bulldogs a 28-22 lead as the teams headed into the locker room.
As explosive as the second quarter was in terms of points scored, the third quarter did not uphold that standard. Over the course of the first 4:11 of the period, Loranger found some new life, as the Wolves went on a 8-2 run to tie the game up at 30-30.
A two-point basket by Tauj Roy gave Ville Platte a temporary lead, until Loranger’s Jaheim Johnson complete a three-point play to put the Wolves up for the first time in the game. The Bulldogs finished the quarter by taking back the lead when Tyler Jones slashed his way to the basket for a lay-up with four second showing on the clock.
The down time between quarters allowed Ville Platte to catch their breath and settle down offensively. The Bulldogs opened the final quarter of play by ripping off eight unanswered points in the first minute of play.
Loranger gave their last stand charge during the next 2:30, cutting the Ville Platte lead back down to two, 41-39. But, Ville Platte had the answer down the stretch.
Pulling the ball out on offense, the Bulldogs forced the Wolves to expand the defense which gave Ville Platte lanes to drive in. By the time Loranger figured out anything, the Bulldogs owned a 45-39 lead.
From there Ville Platte hit their free throws, icing the game and sending the Bulldogs to the next round