Sparked

Led by a triple-double by Ernest Roberts, Ville Platte High picked up a 60-36 win over Church Point in District 5-3A play on Tuesday.
“The players played well overall, even the younger players got an opportunity to showcase their talent during the game,” Ville Platte boys coach Launey Coward said. “Ernest Roberts played especially well scoring 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.”
Ville Platte established its dominance right off the bat outscoring Church Point 15-6 in the opening quarter, and did so with Roberts scoring only two of his game-high 22 in that quarter.
By halftime, Ville Platte held a 31-16 lead. The Bulldogs then extended that lead by outscoring the Bears 15-8 in the third.
Coward credited the play of his bench, who he inserted after not seeing an efficient effort from his starting five.
“I think the turning point in the game Tuesday is when the starters started the game slower than I expected and wasn’t scoring easy baskets, so I pulled them out and put my second squad,” Coward said. “They played well enough to bring that spark that the starters should have started the game with, so, when I put the starters back in, I guess they had something to prove. They brought their “A” game and never looked back.”
Ville Platte maintained control in route to the 24-point victory. The Bulldogs had eight players score in the contest.
As Ville Platte enters the second half of district play, Coward believes his team is starting come together.
“I feel like they are finally starting to gel at the right time, and the bench is getting deeper with players starting to step up and help us in big games,” Coward said. “I’m very excited to watch us getting stronger and playing smarter than we were at the beginning of the season.”