By: TRACEY
IOTA -- Going into their district match-ups here Friday night, the Mamou Demons and Lady Demons knew it was going take a lot to come away with wins against the Iota Bulldogs (12-8, 0-2) and the Lady Bulldogs (13-5, 1-1).
But, the two Mamou teams did not know just how tough.
In the first game of the twin bill, the Mamou Lady Demons ran into the buzz saw that was the Lady Bulldog defense and took a hard one on the chin in a 67-17 loss. With the loss, the Lady Demons fall to 5-10 on the year and 1-1 in district play.
The nightcap saw the Demons have to fight off a scrappy Bulldog squad to hold on to a 57-55 win. With the victory, Mamou moves to 6-4 on the season and 2-0 in District 5-3A.
Both the Demons and the Lady Demons will host the Pine Prairie Panthers and Lady Panthers Tuesday night in another district contest.
Here is a run-down of both games played Friday night.
Mamou (G) vs. Iota
It did not take Iota long to assert themselves both offensively and defensively. The Lady Bulldogs, using a three-quarter court trapping press jumped out to a 10-0 lead after just one quarter of play.
Mamou tried to get back into the game, scoring the first basket of the second quarter. However, Iota would not relent on defense, not allowing the Lady Demons to score again until the 5:16 mark.
In the meantime, Iota continued to push the ball up the floor, reeling off 15 points in a row to hold a 25-4 lead at that same point in the game.
Mamou was able to hit on three free throws down the stretch in the period, but still trailed 37-7 at the half.
The third quarter turned out better offensively for the Lady Demons, as they were able to net 10 points in the period. Never-the-less, the Lady Bulldogs had an even better quarter, picking up 18 more points.
The final quarter was a mirror image of the first, as Mamou could not produce a point the entire period.
Kazhana Richard led all Lady Demons with six points.
Mamou (B) vs. Iota
The boy’s version of the Demons vs. Bulldogs was a much closer affair. Mamou jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead to start the game. However, Iota seemed to have an answer for every basket knocked down by the Demons.
The Bulldogs were able to stay within striking distance of Mamou and took a 7-5 lead at the 4:58 mark. That two-point advantage would remain, as the Bulldogs took a 12-10 lead when the first quarter horn sounded.
The Demons began to assert their athleticism on Iota in the second period. Mamou opened up an 11 point spread, 25-14, with only 1:39 left in the quarter. The Bulldogs were able to cut down that advantage to eight, 27-19, as the two teams headed into the locker room.
The two teams exchanged baskets throughout the third quarter, with neither team able to gain any ground. By the time the period ended, the Demons held that same eight point lead, 45-37.
The fourth and final quarter produced the greatest action of the contest. The two teams swapped baskets to begin the period, as Mamou held a 50-41 lead with 5:34 gone in the quarter.
Iota was able to cut the lead down to three with three free throws and a three-pointer over the next 1:13. The Demons were able to bring the lead back up to seven by outscoring the Bulldogs 7-3 in the ensuing two and a half minutes to make the score 55-49.
Iota knocked down two free throws to cut the lead down to five and after a missed charity shot from Mamou, the Bulldogs went down and popped the net for a three-point basket, making the score 57-55 with only 42 seconds left on the clock.
The Demons were fouled on the their next possession, sending them to the line to shoot two free throws. But, the two attempts were no good, giving the Bulldogs one more chance at tying the game.
Fortunately, Mamou came up with a great defensive effort and thwarted the final shot of the game from Iota.
Tammrick Thomas collected 23 points to lead all scorers in the game.