Tom Dodge
VILLE PLATTE – Facing a hostile environment in rival territory, St. Edmund grabbed a sweep over Sacred Heart of Ville Platte.
The Lady Jays used a strong defense and a fourth quarter offensive surge to earn a 45-35 District 5-1A win over the Lady Trojans.
SHVP (11-13, 3-1) had control of the game early, but St. Edmund’s Savannah DeVillier battled under the basket to push in all the Lady Jays’ first seven points.
A trey by Olivia Hernandez and a bucket from Carley Cloud gave the Lady Trojans a 13-7 lead heading into the second period.
Devillier scored twice in the lane, Julia Zaunbrecher added a free throw to help the Lady Jays stay close, 15-12 midway through the second period.
Kinsley Marcantel drained a trey with 2:29 left to tie the game, 15-15.
But Sacred Heart closed the period wth a 4-0 run as the Lady Trojans held a 19-15 advantage at intermision.
Anna Belle Fontenot hit a jumper, Tanzy Miller scored off a rebound and Marcantel raced down the court after a steal to help the Lady Jays tie the game, 21-21.
Fontenot scored again for the Lady Jays, but Sacred Heart’s Cloud responded with a bucket.
DeVillier continued to dominate in the lane as she scored on a put-back bucket, but a shot by Lady Trojans’ Amanda Bergeron forced a 25-25 tie heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Jays then took control of the game, sparked by a trey from Marcantel to open the quarter.
DeVillier and Fontenot followed with close range shots to push the Lady Jays ahead, 32-27.
Cloud hit a jumper to excite the home crowd, but Marcantel quickly answered with another tree-pointer and later drove the lane to increase the Lady Jays’ lead to 37-29 with 3:21 left.
Blaire Lafleur hit two free throws for the Lady Trojans, but Fontenot and DeVillier again scored in the lane to extend St. Ed’s lead to 41-31.
Marcantel pushed in two free throws to add to the Lady Jays’ margin.
Sacred Heart closed the gap to 43-35 as Cloud and Blaire Lafleur scored in the final minute.
Mary Beth Lafleur hit two free throws with 40 seconds left to seal the 45-35 comeback win for the Lady Jays.
Marcantel and DeVillier scored 15 points each to lead the Lady Jays, while Fontenot chipped in 10 points.
Blaire Lafleur led Sacred Heart with 13 points.
St. Edmund (10-11, 1-1) return home Tuesday to take on Westminster Christian Academy (9-15, 0-2)
St. Ed’s 65, SHVP 41
In boys action, the Blue Jays trailed early but then cruised to a 65-41 win over Sacred Heart.
Luke Trahan opened the game with a trey and later added two free throws as the Jays held a 5-4 lead.
After Sacred Heart’s Chase Tate hit a trey, a free throw by Kieran Davis and a drive in the lane by Alex Dupre helped St. Ed’s force an 8-8 tie.
Tate drilled another three-pointer, but buckets by Davis and Trahan gave the Jays a 12-11 advantage.
Austin Darbonne hit two free throws with 50 seconds left to give the Trojans a 13-12 lead heading into the second period.
Sacred Heart would push its lead to 17-14, but the Jays responded with a 9-0 run including a trey by Trahan to go with four points by Henry Brown.
Dupre would add five points increase St. Ed’s margin to 28-21 with 1:00 left before intermission.
Sacred Heart’s Jack Lahaye drained a trey with 20 seconds left, but Trahan added one of his own just before the buzzer as St. Ed’d led 31-24 at the break.
The Blue Jays began to take control of the game with a 13-1 run to begin the third period.
Davis scored twice in the lane, while Brown and Easten Coleman added a bucket,
A trey from Brown and another inside bucket by Davis increaed the Jays’ lead to 45-25.
Sacred Heart slowed the Jays’ surge with a 7-2 run of its own before Trahan and Coleman added two late buckets to push the Jays ahead, 50-32.
Sacred Heart’s Tate scored on a put-back bucket to open the fourth quarter, but Ian Dupre answered with a trey for the Jays.
The Jays exchanged free throws with buckets as St. Ed’s continued to add to its lead sparked by inside shots by Davis and Coleman.
Sacred Heart closed the game with five three throws, but the Jays again answered with four points by Alex Dupre and two more points from Brown to seal the 15-8 fourth quarter battle.
In the 65-41 win, St. Edmund was led by 18 points from Alex Dupre, while Trahan added 15 points.
Tate led Sacred Heart (5-20, 0-3) with 15 points.
St. Edmund (8-9, 1-1) will entertain Westminster Christian Academy (17-9, 1-1) on Tuesday.