Tom Dodge
Editor’s Note: This is the second of the three story series looking back at the 2019-2020 sports seasons.
The local high school 2019-20 basketball season had its share of exciting games and disappointing losses.
Eunice High senior Shaynia Toussaint hit two free throws with four seconds left to lift the Lady Cats to 42-41 win over Kaplan in the season opener.
The Lady Cats then added a 56-49 win over Welsh as Toussaint led the way with 23 points.
The EHS girls then struggled with four straight losses before the Lady Cats cruised to a 58-32 win over Port Barre to open the St. Landry Parish tournament.
Toussaint continued her impressive senior season with 27 points against the Lady Devils.
Eunice then fell into a 10-game losing streak before a 59-54 win over Rayne on Senior Night.
Toussaint led the Lady Cats with 31 points and Leah Walker added 11 points in the win.
Toussaint earned Eunice News Player of the Week honors as she scored 31 points in the Lady Cats’ 59-34 loss to Rayne in the season finale.
The Lady Cats finished the season with a 3-15 overall record and missed the Class 4-A playoffs.
Toussaint earned District 4-4A first team honors, while Walker and Olivia Thibodeaux were were placed on the honorable mention list.
The St. Edmund Lady Jays opened the season with a 64-44 victory over rival Basile, led by a 27-point performance by Mary Beth Lafleur.
After a 49-43 win over Crowley sparked by 18 points from Rebecca Benoit, the Lady Jays followed with a 56-52 overtime win over Basile.
Lafleur had another strong night, scoring 22 points.
St. Ed’s dropped four straight before earning a 39-22 win over Notre Dame, aided by a 15-point fourth quarter comeback.
After a three-game losing streak, the Lady Jays battled to a 39-32 road win at Vermilion Catholic sparked by a 13-point outing by Kinsley Marcantel.
St. Edmund followed with a 54-39 win over Mamou, led by a 16-point performance by Savannah DeVilllier.
The Lady Jays’ most exciting game of the season was St. Ed’s 47-32 win over rival Sacred Heart of Ville Platte.
The Lady Jays put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter capped by a three-pointer at the buzzer by Marcantel.
St. Edmund earned wins over Westminster Christian Academy (61-26) and Opelousas Catholic (50-43) before opening District 5-1A competition.
The Lady Jays fell to North Central but then regrouped for district wins over Sacred Heart (45-35) and WCA (54-15).
St. Ed’s rolled to a 64-24 win over Catholic High of Pointe Coupee, led by Marcantel’s 22 points.
The Lady Jays downed Opelousas Catholic 54-42 led by Lafleur’s 16 points.
After a disappointing 49-45 loss to Mamou in the home finale, the Lady Jays earned a spot in the LHSAA Division IV playoffs.
Marcantel scored in the closing seconds to give No. 11 SEH the lead but No. 6 St. Martin’s Episcopal scored at the buzzer for the 56-55 win over the Lady Jays.
Marcantel and Lafleur both scored 16 points to lead the Lady Jays who finished the season with a 13-13 overall record.
The North Central Lady Hurricanes captured the Class 1-A state title.
Lady Jay senior Marcantel was named to the District 5-1A first team as she averaged 11.3 points per game.
Tanzy Miller was selected to the All-Defensive team, while DeVillier earned second team honors.
Lafleur and Rebecca Benoit were placed on the honorable mention list.
The St. Edmund Blue Jays opened the season with a 62-36 win over Pine Prairie, led by a strong night from Easten Coleman, Henry Brown and Kieran Davis.
The Blue Jays’ second win came against Lacassine as Coleman scored on a put-back bucket with 20 seconds left to lift St. Edmund to a 44-42 victory.
The Blue Jays’ rolled to a 66-42 win over Basile, led by Henry Brown’s 19 points.
St. Ed’s next win came over Highland Baptist as Alex Dupre led the Jays with 12 points.
St. Edmund downed rival Sacred Heart of Ville Platte 55-47, led by Coleman’s 22 points.
Coleman scored 22 points in the win over Westminster Christian Academy (60-46) before pushing in 24 points against Plainview (89-61) to earn Eunice News Player of the Week honors.
St. Ed’s opened district play with a loss to North Central, but rebounded with wins over Sacred Heart (65-41) as Dupre led the way with 18 points.
Dupre scored 18 points again in the Jays’ 80-60 win over WCA.
St. Ed’s grabbed its third district win in a row as the Jays downed Catholic-PC, 69-40.
After a loss to OC to close out district play, St. Ed’s rallied for a 56-50 double overtime win over Loreauville on Senior Night.
In the Jays’ home finale, Henry Brown scored 25 points to help lead SEH to a 64-50 win over University Academy of Central Louisiana.
St. Ed’s closed the regular season with a 59-54 loss to Vinton but earned a spot in the LHSAA Division IV playoffs.
Facing district rival OC again, the No. 14 Blue Jays fell 83-49 to the No. 3 Vikings.
Dupre led SEH with 16 points as the Blue Jays closed the season with a 12-12 overall record.
The North Central Hurricanes won the boys Class 1-A championship.
For the Jays, Coleman earned first team All-District 5-1A honors, while Kieran Davis was added to the first team all-defensive team.
Dupre earned second team honors, while Luke Trahan and Henry Brown were were placed on the honorable mention list.
Eunice High went 1-1 to open the season, rebounding from a 82-55 loss to Northwest with a 62-54 victory over Port Barre in the Opelousas Catholic tournament.
The Bobcats then struggled with an 11-game losing streak before EHS grabbed a 51-42 victory over Mamou.
Dedric Vigers led Eunice with 18 points.
The Bobcats closed the season with a nine-game losing streak as EHS finished with a 2-21 overall record.
Vigers was named to the All-District 4-4A first team, while Terrance Shillow and Fred Guillory were placed on the honorable mention list.
Across town at LSU Eunice, both basketball teams had impressive seasons.
The LSUE Lady Bengals secured its third consecutive unbeaten season in conference play and pushed its LCCAC win streak to 28 games, dating back to the 2016-17 season.
The Lady Bengals (21-7) opened the Region 23 tournament with a 71-66 win over Southwest Mississippi but then lost to Jones College, 84-72 in the semifinals.
LSUE placed a conference best four members on the All-LCCAC squad including LCCAC Player of the Year Ava Jones.
Claralee Richard and Le’Shenae Stubblefield also earned first-team honors while Alona Washington was placed on the second-team.
Jones and Stubblefield also earned all-defensive team accolades.
Jaime Gonzales was named Coach of the Year after his first season with the Bengals.
Washington was also named to the NJCAA Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Team as one of just 50 players selected to the squad made up from all NJCAA member institutions.
LSU Eunice men’s basketball clinched its first outright LCCAC regular season championship in a 79-72 win over Delgado.
The Bengals also secured its first 20-win season under head coach Byron Starks in just its second year of existence.
LSUE (20-6) advanced to the Region 23 Tournament but was pushed out in a 67-52 loss to Jones College.
LSU Eunice placed a conference best six players on the All-LCCAC squad as Jonathan Cisse was awarded co-Player of the Year while Starks earned Coach of the Year.
Cisse was joined by Tyrone Hugue on the first-team, while Jevon Berry and Mamady Djikine grabbed second-team honors.
Semaj Matthews is on the Honorable Mention list, while Michael Smith Jr. was placed on the All-Defensive Team.