Tom Dodge
The Lady Jays kept the game close in the first half before Kaplan rolled to 51-34 win over St. Edmund.
The Lady Pirates (4-1) jumped out to a 5-0 lead before free throws by Savannah DeVillier and Mary Beth Lafleur helped St. Edmund (3-2) close the gap to 5-3.
Anna Belle Fontenot scored in the lane as the Lady Jays battled to stay in the game, but a 9-0 run pushed Kaplan ahead, 14-5.
Lafleur hit a trey and later added two free throws as the Lady Jays closed the gap to 14-10 as the first quarter ended.
The two defenses controlled the second period as Kaplan outscored SEH, 6-5.
Alyia Broussard led Kaplan with nine points in the first quarter and opened the second period with a drive in the lane.
Devillier hit two free throws early in the quarter as the Lady Jays closed the margin to 16-12.
Abbey Hebert scored on a put-back for the Lady Pirates, but St. Ed’s Rebecca Benoit and Lafleur scored free throws to keep the Lady Jays close, 18-15.
Kaplan closed the half with a put back by Lexi Broussard as the Lady Pirates led 20-15 at the break.
Lady Jay Tanzy Miller hit a trey to open the third period, but Kaplan answered with a 6-0 run before St. Ed’s scored in the lane to close the gap to 26-20.
Kaplan expanded its lead with 7-1 run before Lafleur scored from the baseline in the closing seconds to pull the Lady Jays closer, 33-23.
St. Edmund continued to battle in the fourth quarter as Kinsley Marcantel and Fontenot pushed in buckets early to close the gap to 36-27.
Brousssard and Lafleur exchanged treys before the Lady Pirates went on a 5-0 run including another three pointer.
Marcantel scored in the lane and later added a free throw to close the margin to 46-33.
Kaplan ended the game with a 5-1 run, stalled by another free throw by Marcantel.
Broussard led the Lady Pirates with 32 points.
LaFleur (11) and Marcantel (9) were the top scorers for the Lady Jays.
St. Edmund opens the Elton High “Rock the Rim” tournament at 6:30 p.m. today against Westlake.
With a win, the Lady Jays would face host Elton at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
With a loss, St. Ed’s would play in the girls consolation at 9 a.m. Saturday.
St. Edmund returns home 6 p.m. Monday to take on Notre Dame.