MAMOU -- Both the Pine Prairie boys’ and girls’ basketball teams took the 10 minute trip down Highway 13 Tuesday night to face off against long time parish rivals Mamou in a district double header, as all four teams tried to stay in the mix for the playoffs and a chance at a league title.
The contests turned out to be as one would predict when two rival teams get together to battle it out with shoot outs that came down to the final minutes.
In the girl’s match-up, it took until half way through the final period before the Mamou Lady Demons could pull away from Pine Prairie, as they etched out a 47-42 win over the Lady Panthers.
With the win, Mamou improved to 6-10 on the year and 3-2 in district play. Because of the loss, Pine Prairie fell to 5-12 on the season and 1-4 in the league. Mamou will travel to Crowley on Friday, while Pine Prairie will host Eunice.
The boys’ game turned out to be a barn burner, as Pine Prairie came back from an 18 point deficit in the third quarter only to fall by three 67-64.
The Demons are now 7-4 on the year and a perfect 3-0 in district. The Panthers dropped to 9-6 on the season and 1-2 in District 5-3A. On Friday, Mamou travels to Crowley, and Pine Prairie hosts Eunice.
Here is a re-cap of both games.
Pine Prairie (G)
vs. Mamou
With a free throw and a two point basket from Asia George, Pine Prairie was able to jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first 1:20 of the opening quarter.
Mamou’s Kazhanna Richard did not allow the Lady Panthers to extend that lead, hitting a three-point basket just 13 seconds later. After Kameron Zachary Allen gave Pine Prairie a 5-3 advantage with the next basket, the Lady Demons went on a 6-0 run over the next 1:40 of the game.
The two squads continued to battle back and forth for the remainder of the first period. Mamou, however, found a way to take a 16-15 lead as the quarter came to an end.
The second quarter started well for the Lady Panthers, as they picked up the first five points of the period. The Lady Demons were able to settle down and regain the advantage down the stretch, taking a 23-22 margin heading into halftime.
It was the Allen/Richard show in the third quarter, as the two opposing guards scored every point but three in the entire period. As the two leaders battled back and forth on the floor, the score see-sawed between Mamou and Pine Prairie. When the third quarter came to an end, it was the Lady Panthers that owned the advantage, 31-30.
Trading baskets not only was the theme of the first three periods, it was also the theme of the first part of the final quarter. With 4:36 left to go and trailing by one, the Lady Demons exploded offensively, going on a 9-0 run to take a 44-36 lead with only 2:08 showing on the clock.
Pine Prairie was able to cut back into that advantage over the next 1:03, bringing the score down to 44-41. But, it would not be enough, as the Lady Demons were able to hold on for the remainder of the game.
Richard knocked down a game high 23 points for Mamou, while Allen led Pine Prairie with 18 points.
Pine Prairie (B)
vs. Mamou
The nightcap began as it ended, with the Demons and the Panthers fighting for control of the game.
The two parish foes swapped baskets for the first five minutes of the game, yielding in an 8-8 tie at the 2:51 mark. But, the defensive pressure and quickness of Mamou began to prevail, creating turnovers and easy baskets for the Demons. By the time the period had ended, Mamou owned a 22-13 lead.
That man-to-man defensive aggressiveness forced even more offensive indecisiveness from Pine Prairie in the second quarter. The Demons slowly increased their advantage throughout the period and took a 13 point margin, 38-25, into the locker room.
The third quarter saw the same dominance from Mamou they had owned in the first half. By the 3:35 mark of the period, the Demons had increased the edge to 18 points, 53-35.
Never-the-less, the Panthers would not be intimidated. Pine Prairie’s Isaiah Payne, who had not been heard from for much of the night, took control of the game for the Panthers and helped cut the score down to seven, 57-50, by the time the period closed out.
Feeling his confidence growing, Payne knocked down eight of the first 10 points in the final quarter to bring the score to within one point. Mamou, sensing things were a little too close, went on a 6-0 run to bring the score back up to 65-58. From that point on, it was a clash of free throws, as the Demons were able to hang on for the win.
Tammrick Thomas led Mamou with 18 points, while Mason Tinsley contributed 17 points in the winning effort.
Pine Prairie’s Payne scorched the nets for 35 points to lead all scorers on the night.