Tom Dodge
It was easy to tell that rivals were facing each other Wednesday as St. Edmund battled Sacred Heart of Ville Platte.
Using the emotion of a crowded gym filled with Blue Jay fans wearing white, St. Edmund earned a sweep over Sacred Heart.
The Lady Jays opened with a 15-5 run as St. Edmund earned a 47-32 win.
Mary Beth Lafleur pushed in 10 points in the first period including two treys to spark the Lady Jay attack.
A three pointer by Amanda Bergeron and drive in the lane by Blaire Lafleur accounted for Sacred Heart’s first quarter points.
The two teams battled to an 8-8 tie in the second quarter as the Lady Jays took a 23-13 lead into the intermission.
Sacred Heart closed the gap to 19-12 midway through the period, aided by a three-point play by Bergeron.
The Lady Jays responded with a putback bucket from Rebecca Benoit and a drive in the lane by Kinsley Marcantel.
Trailing by 10 points heading into the second half, the Lady Trojans came out strong in the third quarter with an 18-8 run to close the margin to 31-27.
Olivia Hernandez hit two treys and Blaire Lafleur pushed in six points to spark the Lady Trojans comeback.
The Lady Jays were led in the quarter with four points each by Benoit and Savannah DeVillier.
St. Edmund put the game out of reach with a 16-5 fourth quarter surge, including a 10-0 run aided by a trey from Marcantel and three short jumpers by Benoit.
DeVillier scored in the lane in the closing minute and Marcantel drilled a trey at the buzzer to cap the 47-32 win.
Benoit led all scorers with 15 points, while Marcantel and DeVillier each chipped in 12 points.
Mary Beth Lafleur finished with 10 points.
Blair Lafleur led Sacred Heart with 12 points.
Bergeron added eight points, while Hernandez and Carly Cloud both contributed six points.
St. Edmund (7-9) entertains Plainview Tuesday,
Sacred Heart (8-12) will host Westminster Christian Academy Tuesday.
St. Ed’s 55, Sacred Heart 47
In boys action, it was a close clash from the opening tip to the final buzzer as the Blue Jays earned a 55-47 win over the Trojans.
St. Edmund began with a 6-0 run, sparked by a trey from Henry Brown before the Trojans answered with a 9-0 surge aided by five points by Jacques Leger.
Luke Trahan hit a late free throw for the Jays before Chase Tate drilled a trey with two seconds left to give the Trojans a 12-7 advantage heading into the second period.
The long-range shots continued in the second frame, begun with a trey by Sacred Heart’s Bryce Deville.
Brown and Alex Dupre answered with back-to-back three pointers and Kieran Davis scored on a put-back bucket as the Jays tied the game 15-15 with 6:10 left before the break.
After Breck Beaver scored off a steal for the Trojans, Dupre pushed in three points during St. Ed’s 5-0 run to take a 19-18 lead.
The lead switched five times late in the half before Austin Darbonne’s bucket off a steal helped Sacred Heart tie the game with 25 seconds left.
A trey by Brown gave the Jays back the lead and a late free throw by Deville helped the Trojans close the gap to 28-26 at intermission.
Sacred Heart battled early in the third period, aided by five points from Deville, but St. Ed’s answered with a 5-0 run that included buckets by Davis and Easton Coleman.
A trey by Tate was topped by five points from Coleman to lift the Jays to a 40-34 advantage.
Austin Darbonne hit a free throw in the closing seconds as the Trojans trailed by five points heading into the fourth quarter.
Coleman drove the lane to begin the period but four points from Leger helped the Trojans pull closer, 42-39.
Coleman then drained a jumper, but a trey by Ethan Karonike helped the Trojans stay within striking distance.
St. Edmund answered with a 7-1 surge, including buckets by Coleman and Davis along with a trey by Brown.
Sacred Heart’s Leger hit two free throws and later scored off a steal to hit the Trojans close the gap to 51-47 with 1:32 left.
But St. Edmund sealed the win with a layup by Coleman and a drive in the lane at the buzzer by Luke Trahan.
Coleman led St. Edmund (5-7) with 22 points, while Brown chipped in 12 points.
Deville scored 14 points and Leger added 13 points for the Trojans (5-16).