Searching for a title

It has been a long time coming, but the quest for the state title begins in earnest tomorrow night for all five of the Evangeline Parish hard court teams.
To top it off not only are all of the parish hoops teams in the post-season, but three of the five will be at home for their first round playoff game.
Each team’s journey to this point in the season has been different. But no matter how the 2018-19 campaign has gone for the clubs, every one is still alive for the opportunity to collect the ultimate prize; a state championship.
Ville Platte High’s journey ended just as it began, with the Bulldogs dominating almost every opponent they met. Ville Platte opened the 2018-19 season winning 20 of its first 21 games played. The only misstep during that time was a 60-55 loss to the North Central Hurricanes.
Another loss to Lake Arthur put Ville Platte tied for first place with the Tigers for the District 6-2A title. However, the Bulldogs rebounded to finish the season with an overall record of 24-3 and a league record of 7-1 to claim the district championship when Lake Arthur lost late in the season to Welsh.
With that outstanding record, Ville Platte earned the No. 4 seed in the Class 2A playoffs and will host the No. 29 seed Springfield Bulldogs. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
“It has been a good year for us,” stated Ville Platte head coach Tommy Jones. “We knew at the start of the season if we could get some cohesiveness we would have some success. This is by far the best year we have had here in a long time.”
Springfield comes to the Dog Pound with an overall record of 14-18 and a District 10-2A record of 6-2. The Bulldogs from Livingston Parish average 56.8 points per game on offense but give up 63.7 points per game on defense. Springfield has won seven of its last ten games.
Ville Platte puts up 72.1 points per game on offense. The Bulldogs only surrender 55.1 points per game on defense.
“They (Springfield) are coming in with a ton of momentum,” said Jones. “They move the ball around well and try to get it in the middle where they have some size. The key for us tomorrow night is to start fast, just like we did in our last game of the season against Welsh. Pressure defense will be important for us to hopefully get some early turnovers and turn those into easy points. The crowd will definitely be a factor for us. When we play at home, it seems to give us a huge boost.”
In Class 3A, the Pine Prairie Panthers will also get a big surge of adrenaline from the home crowd as they will also host a first round game tomorrow night. The No. 14 seed Panthers will entertain the No. 19 seed Brusly Panthers in a first round match-up. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
It was a season of ups and downs for Pine Prairie. The Panthers were riding high after starting the year off at 8-2. Another 7-2 record over the next nine games, including a 6-2 district mark had Pine Prairie thinking of a top 10 seed and a shot at the District 5-3A title.
Unfortunately, the Panthers slipped in the later part of the year, losing four of their final six games. That lapse in play put Pine Prairie’s overall record at 17-8 and their league record at 8-6.
“We just did not execute down the stretch like we should have,” stated Pine Prairie head coach Mike Smith. “Overall we had a really good season. Having five senior starters is a huge plus. They have learned how to play with each other, and they all know their roles. The big thing for us is that anyone of the five can step up anytime when needed.”
Brusly enters tomorrow’s contest with an overall record of 15-11 and a District 9-3A mark of 3-3. The West Baton Rouge Parish club averages 57.7 points per game on offense and gives up 50.8 points per game on defense. Brusly is 5-6 in its last 11 games.
Pine Prairie produces 62.8 points per game on offense and allows 54.2 points per game on defense. In their eight loses this year, the Panthers have only averaged 54.5 points per game, eight points below their season average.
“We are definitely going to have to put points up on the board if we hope to come away with a win,” said Smith. “When we are not on offensively we struggle, even though our defense has played well throughout the year. Brusly is going to be a tough test for us. Having a home game will be a big plus. You always want to have that home court advantage in the first round. Our focus this week is to stay in control and play our game.”
Speaking of home court advantage, the No. 14 seed Sacred Heart Trojans will host a playoff game for the first time in 22 years when they entertain the No. 19 seed St. Frederick Warriors in the Division IV post-season tomorrow night. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
According to Sacred Heart head coach JP Boullion, that accomplishment has everyone in Trojan land fired up.
“Playing in front of your fans at home for the first game in the playoffs is a huge deal,” stated Boullion. “You can feel the excitement in the air from the student body and the fans. The players are ready to go out and represent themselves in the best way possible. I know the player’s will come out with a ton of emotion. I just hope we can settle in early and not make mistakes because of that emotion.”
Sacred Heart’s start to the season was a slow one, considering that some of their players had to transition from the gridiron to the hard court very quickly. The Trojans were 3-7 over their first 10 games and 6-14 in their first 20 games. However, Sacred Heart righted the ship toward the end of the year, finishing with an overall record of 9-18 and a record of 5-5 in District 5-1A.
St. Frederick comes into the game with an overall record of 5-20 and a District 2-1A mark of 2-12. The Warriors average 40.6 points per game on offense and give up 52.2 points per game on defense. St. Frederick has lost two of their last 10 games.
Sacred Heart averages 44.3 points per game on offense and surrenders 60 points per game on defense. The Trojans are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
“They (St. Frederick) remind me a lot of False River,” said Boullion. “They have one player that can beat you by himself and the other players on the floor are solid. It will be a good test for us tomorrow night. If we can limit their best player, we have a really good chance. Our guys are ready to play.”
At the onset of the season, the Mamou Demons did not look like a team that would find their way to the playoffs. Mamou, starting a whole new five players from last season, needed time to gel together and find their way.
Early on the Demons did not have much success, going 3-7 in their first 10 games. A 4-2 record over the next six contests righted the ship somewhat for Mamou.
However, the Demons found themselves floundering in the next 10 contests, losing nine of the following 10 games. But, because of some very determined players, Mamou concluded the year with a 5-2 record to push their overall mark to 13-20 and their league record to 6-8.
“We have been playing extremely well the last few games, especially on defense,” stated Mamou head coach JB Fontenot. “I think the players are really learning to find the rhythm they have been seeking all year long. We began the year with five new faces in the starting line-up. Now, they are starting to come together as one unit.”
With that final push the Demons found themselves in the post-season as the No. 32 seed and will travel to New Orleans to battle the No. 1 seed Sophie B. Wright. The Warriors out of District 9-3A sport an overall record of 29-3 and a league mark of 5-0. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
Mamou will face a team that averages 76.5 points per game on offense and allows 59.1 points per game on defense. Sophie B. Wright has scored 80 or more points in a game 19 times this year.
The Demons average 46.7 points per game on offense and give up 53.3 points per game on defense.
“We know it will be a tough task to go on the road and beat the No. 1 seed,” said Fontenot. “We just have to play our game and control what we can. We have done a tremendous job at practice this week staying focused on the task at hand. We will not go in to the game intimidated.”
Finally, because of their four wins over the last six games, the Basile Bearcats have earned the No. 32 seed in Class 1A and will travel to White Castle to take on the No. 1 seed Bulldogs tomorrow night. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Basile finished the year with an overall record of 6-17 and a District 4-1A record of 4-10. The Bearcats average a little over 40 points a game on offense and give up right at 55 points a game on defense.
White Castle completed the year with a record of 23-6 and a league mark of 6-1. The Bulldogs score over 55 points per game on offense and surrender a little less than 45 points per game on defense.