VILLE PLATTE -- In a game of momentum swings, the Ville Platte High Bulldogs notched a thrilling 66-63 win over the Northwest Raiders in the final regular season and district contest of the year Friday night.
With the win, Ville Platte and Northwest finished the district season with identical 9-1 marks, forcing an if necessary game to decide the district championship. The third game of the series was scheduled to be played last night at North Central High School.
The Gazette will have full coverage in Thursday’s edition.
Ville Platte fans had a lot to get excited about early on in the contest Friday night. The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead on two Terrian Roy baskets and two technical foul free throws.
Ville Platte stretched that lead to 11-2 at the 5:32 mark when Roy knocked down a three-point shot from the wing. Undaunted by the early Bulldog momentum, Northwest worked their way back into the game over the next 3:22, tying things up on a two-point basket by Martel Castille.
The two teams battled back and forth over the final minutes of the period, with the Raiders earning a 19-17 lead as the period came to a close.
Northwest collected the first points of the second quarter, but Ville Platte found a way to tie the game up at 21-21 on the next two possessions. The Raiders took a four point lead, 27-23, at the 5:44 mark of the period and stretched that lead to six in the ensuing 1:44.
A made three-point shot from Tye’Wuan Byers cut the Raider led down to three. Over the final 3:50 of the half, the Bulldogs had chances to tie the game or even take the lead, but missed free throw opportunities gave Northwest enough momentum to extend the lead back to six, 37-31, as the first half came to a close.
Ville Platte found renewed life in the locker room and brought it on to the court to begin the third quarter. The Bulldogs ran off 11 of the first 13 points of the period, including seven points from Byers, to take a 42-39 lead with 4:24 to go in the quarter.
That lead remained and even expanded by three points when Roy knocked down a two-point basket with one second left on the clock to give Ville Platte a 51-45 advantage heading into the final quarter of play.
Ville Platte’s Tyler Jones scorched the net for three-points to open the fourth period of play to make it a nine point game. The Bulldogs continued to make use of their defensive effort and their outside shooting ability to expand that lead to 12 points, 63-51, with 4:48 to go in the game.
However, Northwest did not go away easily into the night. The Raiders scrapped their way back into the game, cutting the Ville Platte lead down to four, 65-61, with only 20 seconds showing on the clock.
The Bulldogs held the ball out offensively long enough to eat away time on the clock and finished off the game with a Byers free throw with 12 seconds showing on the clock. Northwest put up one last shot to tie the game back up at the two second mark, but the ball fell away harmlessly.
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Tracey Jagneaux
Sports Editor