Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Flooded crops

 Farmers throughout Evangeline Parish took a massive hit to their crop production with the widespread flooding that inundated the area because of heavy rains that fell within a few days of each other in late April and early May. 
 “It’s widespread,” County Agent Todd Fontenot said to describe the amount of the damage associated with the flooding. 
Ted Buller described the damage as “pretty devastating.” Buller, along with his nephew Brad Fontenot farm 1200 acres of rice and 1100 acres of soybeans in the Pine Point area. “We’re currently trying to plant beans, but it’s still wet. We’re not able to get back to the fields just yet.”
 Mamou Mayor Ricky Fontenot heard through word of mouth around town that some of the farmers in the area “have lost all of their crops.”
 One Mamou area farmer that sustained damage is Cody Bieber, who farms with his father Larry at Bieber Farms. “We had quite a bit of acres that went under the water, and it’s too early to tell how much damage will be done,” he said. “We had some that stayed under water seven and eight days.” 
Todd Fontenot went on to say most of damage associated with the flooding is to the rice fields. “We tried to get an estimate last week, and I guess we came somewhere in the neighborhood of around 15,000 acres of rice that was flooded over when it shouldn’t have been and in most cases at least for a number of days,” he said. “Now there’s still a lot of that area even into the Miller’s Lake area and The Platain that still has water on top of rice.” 
 “We have a lot of farmers in the Vidrine, Reddell, and Bond area that are still under water currently, and they have rice crops that are underneath that water,” Buller added. “It’s gonna be devastating to a lot of guys once this water recedes.”
Fontenot added, “A lot of it has kinda receded, but there’s still a lot a lot of water covering some rice that shouldn’t be on top of it where it shouldn’t be. So acreage wise that’s getting close to one-third of our acres in the parish, and most already got covered or flooded over where it shouldn’t have been.”
 The amount of flooding causes the rice stems to become stressed and pushes farmers back in applying fertilizers and herbicides. “For some of that rice, it was time for herbicide application or fertilizer application, and in some cases if you’re not applying some fertilizer and you get those big rains, you lose some of that fertilizer,” Fontenot said. “Some of it washes out. Some of it goes down to the bottom pretty quick in a flood with rice, but in no way is it good for it.”
 “A lot of the rice that’s being affected,” according to Fontenot, “is about midseason already when normally you put the final application of nitrogen, so they’re gonna be delayed even though the water goes down.” He continued, “You want that rice plant to get back strong before you apply that fertilizer so that it can take it. If it’s stressed and weakened, it’s not gonna utilize the fertilizer like it needs to if it’s not already suffering.”
 Buller said his soybean plants will not be set back a whole lot but remains anxious of the outcome of his and other farmers’ rice yields. “We don’t know the outcome of what the rice yield is
gonna be with all this water on it because most rice is at a very critical stage in its growing period to not have all this water covering the top of it,” he said.
 Fontenot went on to describe the kind of water flowing into the rice fields. “It’s muddy water,” he said. “It’s not clear.  It’s not just clear rain water. It’s muddy bayou water and runoff of soil, so that eliminates light.”  
 Bieber farms between 2100 and 2200 acres of rice, and around 400 or 500 of those acres were flooded. He does not know the long-term effect the flooding will have. “We never experienced it at this stage in the rice to know what it’s gonna do,” he said. “I’ve never experienced this much water at this stage of the rice. I’m sure it will have some yield effect. I don’t know.”
 “So we won’t know until we harvest it what exactly the yield loss will be, but there will definitely be a yield loss in the long term effect at this time, but we won’t know until August what’s gonna take place,” added Buller.
 While Buller predicts a yield loss, he remains unsure on how the rice prices will be affected. “Arkansas lost a tremendous amount of rice as well, and I think that could possibly maybe make a price swing, but time will tell on that issue.”
 Soybeans, according to Fontenot, were not as affected as the rice because it is earlier in the planting process. “We’d estimated we had about one-third of the beans planted in the parish, maybe a little less,” he said. “About 60-70 percent of what was planted is most likely going to be replanted, maybe not quite that high because a lot of the farmers who were able to plant soybeans planted on higher ground not so much is rice fields.”
 Like the rice, the stands of the soybean plants will be impacted by the flooding. “Soybeans were just planted, so it’s mostly gonna affect the stand to try to get a stand,” said Fontenot. “If some were planted, they just rotted in the ground because they stayed so wet.”
 Another area of Evangeline Parish agriculture that was impacted is crawfish because some ponds flooded over as well. “Fisherman even in ponds that didn’t flood over weren’t able to crawfish in some of the ponds because you’re already holding a lot of water in a crawfish pond, and then that water gets deeper,” Fontenot said. “Sometimes it covers your traps even before you can let it settle back down, so a lot of crawfishermen were not able to fish some ponds. Some people couldn’t get to ponds. It causes a lot of extra work, and stress, and issues.”
 According to Bieber, “Some of (our crawfish ponds) got flooded, too, but not as bad as the rice.”
 Pastures and hay fields around the parish have also been hit hard. “Several acres have gone under water,” said Fontenot. “A few guys had to move cattle around because the pastures were flooded, and the cattle were standing in water.”
 One crop that was exempt from the flood damage is sweet potatoes that are grown on the higher ground in the eastern part of the parish between the Faubourg and Grand Prairie areas. Larry Fontenot continues to farm his family’s sweet potatoes after the passing of his father Earl.
 “The flood did not affect us that much,” admitted Larry. “The first rain event that took place was a welcomed rain event because we were very dry, and then the one that fell during the middle of the week was not needed, but it did not cause any problems for us other than just a start in planting.”
 “We didn’t have any crop planted at the time,” he continued. “We didn’t have any flooding. We didn’t have any fields that flooded or crops that got destroyed with this recent rain. When you get water backed up into a sweet potato field, usually it’s because we’re very close to a big drainage ditch, canal, or bayou. But for the most part all of your sweet potato ground is relatively high.”    

Warriors dominate at Bernie Moore


 Bernie Moore Track Stadium on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge was again home of the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Outdoor Track and Field State Meet May 4-6, 2017. Oakdale sent 11 students to take part in the second day of the event on Friday with its boys’ and girls’ teams each coming out in the top 10 of the Class 2A rankings as seven of the competitors received medals from LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine.
 “It was exciting,” said boys’ coach Michael Deville. “We had several of our kids make it to the podium, and we had a couple state champions. So that’s always fun.”
 Two feet separated Hunter Longino and Travian Daily in the boys’ discus as Longino threw for 135-feet to come out in first place and Daily came out second with a throw of 133-feet. 
 “Much less qualifying two guys in the same event but going one-two in the same event is pretty impressive,” Deville said. “We have a senior who’s led the way all year, and we had a sophomore who had been chasing him. And tonight the sophomore ended up winning the state championship, and the senior came out second.”
 “What a great senior year I finished out,” Daily said. “I'm the District champion, Regional champion, and now state runner up in 2A. I've been having trouble with my knee but everything happens for a reason. I thank God for allowing me to make it this far. Congratulations to Hunter Longino for being the 2017 state champion in discus. We came out one and two. Coach said we was the first to do this at state for Oakdale. Thank God for blessing me with amazing coaches that pushed me every step of the way.”
 A Lady Warrior also earned a first-place medal throwing the discus in the shadows of Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Darien Phillips with a mark of 113-03 beat out K'Yana Jackson from Jonesboro-Hodge and Anna Bristo from Ouachita Christian. 
 Jondasha Davis, who took home a first-place medal in the state indoor meet, took home two medals this time around. She finished behind Kaprecia Cowans of Jonesboro-Hodge and Carlyle Wirtz of Ouachita Christian to come out third in the girls’ long jump with a mark of 16-11. In the girls’ 4x100, she along with Treshunda Joseph, Alexis Davis, and Shadiamond Johnson finished behind Mentorship Academy and Riverside to come out third running 51.25.
 “It’s always a big deal to have girls come and compete at this level,” said girls’ coach Ladeshia George. “It’s very rewarding for them to understand how they rank amongst other people in the state. Coming from a small parish, it’s good to know that you can compete with other people.”
 Both coaches expressed ways they can use this opportunity to build for next season. “The big thing is that we have another guy a sophomore who’s gonna be able and step in and take the place of the senior, and the kid who qualified tonight should just get better,” Deville said. “I’m excited about our field events for the next couple years.”
 “Luckily and fortunately for the girls, we are a very young team,” said George. “We’re losing two seniors that are a big part of the team; however, we have some freshmen in place right now that will be able to step up into those roles and perform at the same level to keep us where we are.”

Oakdale finishes in the Top 12 at State

 Oakdale finishes in the Top 12 at State
Oakdale Tennis sent 11 players to the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA State Tennis Tournament held April 24 - 28, 2017, at UL-Monroe, Monroe, La. While there the Warriors came out in the Top 12. 
“Another successful season in the books,” said head coach Zealon Solomon. “Didn't end as we wanted, but finishing in the Top 12 is quite the accomplishment itself. Proud of all of my kids, their hard work and their dedication.” 
Solomon congratulated Camryn Bullock on making the Boys Singles Round of 16. He defeated Jarrett Berthelot of Oak Grove 2-1 in the first round but fell in the next round 2-0 to Ascension Christian’s Bryce Walker. Walker went on to lose in the quarterfinals to the eventual semi-finalist Arteen Reza from Newman, Isidore. 
In Boys’ Doubles Andrew Sao and Tyler Tichy lost out in the opening match to the duo from Dunham 2-0. Travian Dailey and Dawson Noblitt also lost out in the opening match to Dunham 2-0. The Kris Pelt, Daniel Rodriguez ticket suffered the same fate losing 2-0 in the opening round to Calvary Baptist.
On the girls’ side, Cheyenne Bertrand and Taylor Willis lost their opening match to St. Frederick 2-0. The ticket of Anna Gill and Madeline Jarnagin similarly went down 2-0 in the opening match to Ascension Episcopal.
“To my seniors, Travian Dailey and Tyler Tichy, thank you for buying in to the program we started building three years ago and going above and beyond to lead by example every match- win or loss,” Solomon said.
“I enjoyed every second of my high school tennis career, said Dailey. “I remember I was just a freshmen who didn't have a care in the world. Then going into my sophomore year, I wanted to be the best. That same drive brought me to state two times in a row. I wouldn't be anywhere without my coach Zealon Solomon. He came and changed the whole program around! Bringing winning records and believed in us as players. My years as an OHS tennis Warrior brought many feelings in play.” 
“Thanks to everyone for the prayers, support, and appreciation for what we strive for each and every match,” concluded Solomon.

Oakdale Track sends 11 athletes to the State Meet


 Eleven track and field athletes from Oakdale High School qualified to compete in the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Outdoor Track & Field State Championships held May 4 - 6, 2017, at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium on the campus of LSU, Baton Rouge, La.
“It’s exciting for us,” coach Michael Deville said. “It’s exciting to get a few more kids every year and give them that experience, and the kids are excited.”
Oakdale runs into the State meet as the Lady Warriors are the 2017 District 3-2A Champions and the Warriors are runners-up. Highlighting the list of winners are Jondasha Davis who won the District Top Athlete Award finishing first in the 100-meter and first in the long jump. Darien Phillips (Outstanding Field Award) finished first in the discus and second in the shot put, and Phillip Poullard (Outstanding Track Award) came out first in the 110-meter hurdles and in the 300-meter hurdles.
 The list of boys who qualified for State is Travian Dailey qualified in the discus, Terrance Holmes qualified in the triple jump, Hunter Longino qualified in the discus, and James Evins qualified in the 100-meter dash.
 Evins is heading into the meet gimpy, but, according to his coach, he is getting back on track. “The meet before the district meet he kinda strained a hamstring, and we got him immediately some therapy and rehabbing him with the trainers and everything,” said Deville. And he’s getting better. Everyday he’s getting better. He ran good enough at the regional meet to qualify, so all he’s got now is that one chance. He says he feels good, so hopefully he’s ready to go.”
 The list of girls who qualified for State is Jondasha Davis qualified in the 100 and the long jump, Treshunda Joseph qualified as part of the relays, Alexis Davis qualified as part of the relays in the 4-by-1 and the 4-by-2, Shadiamond Johnson qualified in all three relays, Annisia Moton, and Darien Phillips qualified in the discus. Two alternates Stasi Adams and Tynishia Murray are also heading to Bernie Moore.
 Deville talked highly of his freshman Shadiamond Johnson. “She qualified in the 4-by-1, the 4-by-2, and the 4-by-4,” he said. “She’s a special kid. She’s gonna be a good little athlete.”
 Over the course of the season, the program at Oakdale had two athletes who set records. Darien Phillips set a possible school record in the first meet of the season at the Red Devil Relays at Pickering. She placed first in the discus measuring 116-feet 10-inches. Travian Dailey set a new meet record at the Gent Relays in Crowley measuring 126-feet six-inches with his first-place finish in the discus. 
“That’s a positive,” Deville said about his record setters. “That means the kids are working, and that’s all we can ask for them is to keep working and try to get better each week out there.”
Also over the course of the season, several track athletes took home outstanding performance honors. “Since I’ve been here at Oakdale, we’ve been fortunate that we’ve had some kids that individually go out there and win some events,” Deville said. “And this year Jondasha Davis has been a strong person for us. Hunter Longino is just a sophomore, and he’s won some outstanding field medals. We getting him two more years, so that’s gonna be fun.”

Mamou advances past Oakdale to reach the best-of-three second round

Mamou advances past Oakdale to reach the best-of-three second round
 It took five innings for Mamou to dispose of Oakdale in the opening game of the baseball playoffs as the Demons won 10-0 at home Monday night. Mamou now looks like it will travel to Many for a best-of-three series in the second round.
Head coach Dale Serie was pleased with his team’s performance coming into the season. “We did well,” he said. “We’re right at about 20 wins. We’ve been playing well as of late. Seven out of our last eight games we won. We had a tough district. Overall we’re young. We have three seniors, two start. So we got a ton of experience we gained this year and a ton of experience coming back.”
Starting on the mound against Oakdale was junior Li’l Paul Williams. “He’s come on as of late,” his coach said. “He’s emerged as one of our top guys a little bit later in the season.”
Serie knew what to expect from his Warrior opponents. “I know Brent McKoy does a good job with them,” he said before the game. “Typically they’re pretty good. They’ll swing the bats real well. It’s gonna be a dogfight. We’re expecting to be in a war.”
The war that Serie was expecting turned rather one sided. The pitching woes that plagued the Warriors to end the season continued against Mamou. Hunter Longino got the start on the mound and labored in the first inning walking four batters including the first three in the Demon lineup. The defense behind him cost him two runs as a dropped pop up at shortstop allowed two runs to come across the plate for Mamou. 
It then took three Oakdale pitchers to pitch into and out of the second inning. Longino was pulled from the game after facing the first batter in the inning. Terrence Holmes came in and walked two of the four batters he faced. Nick Doyle then came in to pitch and settled things down, but the damage was done as Mamou plated seven runs in the inning.
“That inning was big,” said Serie about the second inning. “We executed some bunts. We executed some things we needed to do. We wanted to test their corner guys. Wanted to test their bunt defense. We were just successful putting some timely hits together, and it worked out in our favor.”
On the other side of the coin, Williams struck out five Warriors in his five innings of work. He walked one, hit a batter, and only allowed one hit that came in the fourth inning. “He was good,” said Serie. “He was real crisp. His fastball was working real good. He painted the corners real good. He kept in knee high just like we worked. He was on today.” 
“Many’s in the same district with Oakdale,” said Serie about Mamou’s possible next opponent. “Oakdale’s beat them once, so it gives us a little confidence going in. And we played some teams Many played, so I think it’ll be a great series.”

Oakdale's baseball comes to an end in Mamou

Oakdale baseball comes to an end in Mamou 
It took five innings for Oakdale’s baseball season to come to an end Monday night as the Warriors lost 10-0 to Mamou.
 The Oakdale coaching staff thought they would have to travel to Springfield for the first game in the playoffs, but Oakdale got a bump in the power points when the final rankings came out sending them instead to Mamou. “We know these guys, we know the coaches,” head coach Brent Mckoy said. “Talking to people in their district and ours and knowing these guys player for player, we think it’s a good match. Whereas going way north somewhere we don’t know anybody, it’s kinda hard to kinda prepare.” 
Hunter Longino got the start on the mound. “Hunter’s our guy,” McKoy said. “We’re figuring with him throwing it gives us a chance to beat pretty much anybody. It gives us a shot. He’s throwing the ball well, and the last few outings he’s been healthy and good.” 
Oakdale entered the playoffs after losing at Rosepine 4-3 and losing at Bunkie 11-2 in the final week of the season. The last game was rained out in Iowa. “We hit the ball decent, coulda hit a little better I thought in the Bunkie game,” said Mckoy. “Our defense has been playing really well the last couple games. We just come up short. We threw four or five guys in that game. Pitching wise we weren’t at our best in that last one, but I think our bats are where we want them to be going into the playoffs.”
The pitching woes continued for Oakdale against Mamou. Longino labored in the first inning walking four batters including the first three in the Demon lineup. The defense behind him cost him two runs as a dropped pop up at shortstop allowed two runs to come across the plate for Mamou. 
It then took three Oakdale pitchers to pitch into and out of the second inning. Longino was pulled from the game after facing the first batter in the inning. Terrence Holmes came in and walked two of the four batters he faced. Nick Doyle then came in to pitch and settled things down, but the damage was done as Mamou plated seven runs in the inning. 
“We just didn’t pitch well tonight,” McKoy said. “Tonight Hunter just didn’t have it, and in relief we brought Terrence in relief, and he didn’t either. It took our third guy to finally settle in, and once that took place it was already nine runs down. So it’s hard to come back from that. And we settled down for three or four innings after that.”
The season may be over now for his Warriors, but McKoy turned upbeat when talking about his team next season. “We got some good young ball players,” he said. “The guy that started tonight, Hunter Longino, is a sophomore. It’s his first playoff start, so that may have had a little to do with it. We had two freshmen in the field tonight starting in their first playoff game, so we got a good young core of the team coming back. And we got pitching coming back too. They got the experience of playing in the playoffs to see what it’s about so hopefully we can build on that.”       

Oakdale's softball season comes to an end at Rosepine

 Oakdale’s softball season comes to an end at Rosepine
After winning its first round playoff game at French Settlement on four consecutive bunt attempts in the top of the ninth inning, Oakdale’s softball team tried the same approach against the number one seeded Rosepine team it had faced twice earlier this season. But the end result for Oakdale was a 7-0 loss on the road ending its season.
 “I was trying to do something to change it up”, head coach Alycia McDaniel said. “We’ve seen Rosepine two other times, so I bunted. And the people that I’ve asked to lay down the bunt they did, but when you’re playing a team at that caliber they have great bunt coverage.”
 “It was rough considering the fact that we lost; however, if it wasn’t as rough if you look at the positives”, she continued. “Ending our season we had played Rosepine twice previously because they were in our district. The first time we played them it was 14-1; the second time we played them it was 15-0. nobody thought that we would make that game last seven innings and give Rosepine, the number one team in the state, a run for their money.”
 McDaniel appreciates her team’s efforts getting to this point and the progression that her players have overcoming some early season adversity. “We came a long way,” she said. “When I took the team on, they had only won one game prior to that. So I look at it as a stepping stone. Last year we made the playoffs, this year we made regionals, next year I hope we can go to State. We had a little bit of setbacks with injuries and some unfortunate circumstances with other players that we lost, but overall I will say that I’m very proud my girls.”
 The coach acknowledged the contributions of her two seniors Darien Phillips and Skylar Chambley. “I’m very sad that I will be losing two outstanding,” she said. “I will have some big shoes that will need to be filled for both of them.”
 Also acknowledged for her hard work and progression was pitcher Breanna Hargrove. “I will commend Brie, my pitcher,” McDaniel said. “She did an outstanding job in our first playoff game. Last season she walked quite a few people and didn’t have the consistency that she had this year, but she worked hard. didn’t give up. She turned around a complete 180.”
 McDaniel went on to recognize the rest of her team’s efforts and progression. “A lot of them had attitudes and really didn’t want to be out there, and we molded and watched them grow into better players and people individually,” she said. “We had to go and take people from different positions that they were not used to and put them in places that we needed so that we could physically win as a team. And I’m very proud of the girls that adapted to the position that I’ve put them in and went full throttle with it.”
“I take the positive out of it instead of the negative,” she said. “We did try a lot of different things. I hope that Rosepine goes on and takes the State title home so that we can say we lost in the playoffs to the State champions.” 

Oakdale tennis qualifies 11 for State in Monroe

Oakdale tennis qualifies 11 for State in Monroe
 Oakdale tennis had 11 players qualify for State at the 2017 Tennis Regionals in Alexandria. That number is the most in the region.
 “So proud of the hard work and dedication of our team this season,” said coach Zealon Solomon. “Overall the boys finished regional team runner-up. We had a finalist is boys’ doubles, we had a semifinalist is boys’ doubles, we had a quarterfinalist is boys’ doubles. We had two quarterfinalists in girls’ doubles, and one quarterfinalist in boys’ singles.”
 Qualifying for State were Andrew Sao, Tyler Tichy, Kris Pelt, Daniel Rodriguez, Travian Dailey, Dawson Noblitt, Camryn Bullock, Anna Gill, Madeline Jarnagin, TayLor Willis, and Cheyenne Bertrand. Sao and Tichy were Boys Doubles Finalists. Pelt and Rodriguez were Boys Doubles Semifinalists. The Dailey and Noblitt ticket was Boys Doubles Quarterfinalists. Bullock was Boys Singles Quarterfinalist. On the girls’ side, Gill and Jarnagin were Girls Doubles Quarterfinalists, and Bertrand and Willis were Girls Doubles Quarterfinalists.
 Solomon also thanked all the parents and families such as Erin-Erik Noblitt, Paula Bullock, Kimberly Dailey, Wanda Millsaps, Amanda Watson, Gwen Monk Richmond, Shawn Rene' Pelt, Adam Ashlee Daughtry, Denay Bryant, Jessica Jarnagin Chamberlain and so, so many more for supporting the team this year and gave a special shoutout to the "maestro" Curry Darbonne.
 What impressed Solomon most on this year was his team overall going 19-2. “This was the youngest squad that we had in three years, and the kids definitely went above and beyond in terms of learning the game,” he said. “Their improvement match-by-match, and to win 19 out of 21 matches is impressive all in of itself. We beat 5-A schools, 4-A schools, 3-A schools, 2-A schools, 1-A schools, Class B, public, private. We won a tournament in Natchitoches. I mean we did a lot.” 

Softball gets a playoff win for the first time in over a decade


 It took over a decade to happen, but it happened again Saturday afternoon as the Oakdale Warrior softball team defeated French Settlement 3-2 in extra innings to win a playoff game.
 The Warriors went into the final week of the season as the number 17 seed. They needed to win both games against Glenmora and Iowa to secure a home playoff game, but they maintained their same position in the polls after splitting the pair of games and then went up against the number 16 seed Lady Lions.
 According to head coach Susan Covington, her team has come a long way since the floods to begin the school year. "Personally my own house flooded, and a couple of our players did too," she said before the game. "To experience that to be out of school for a whole entire month and then to come back. This is the only normal some of them see. We've come a long way since the beginning of the season, and they've finally been doing really well at the end of the season."
 "We're very compatible," said head Oakdale coach Alycia McDaniel about the team in the opposite dugout. "I think that we have a better pitching staff because their pitching is average. The only thing that I can say that they have against us is their speed. They're little bitty tiny fast girls, and they take full advantage if we allow them to get on base."
 Oakdale pitcher Breanna Hargrove neutralized that part of the Lions' game by only allowing five baserunners. She struck out 14 batters in her nine innings pitched including striking out the side in each of the first two innings. Her performance in the circle came a game after striking out 11 in a 2-0 win against Iowa last Wednesday. "Breanna has has been doing excellent," McDaniel said of her pitcher.
 The game was scoreless until the Bottom of the Fourth as a lead off walk came across the plate for French Settlement. Hargrove then allowed a single after getting her ninth strike out. The runner also came around to score on a sacrifice fly to center field for the 2-0 lead. Oakdale tied the game in the next half inning as Hargrove ripped a two-RBI double with the bases loaded.
 The score remained tied as each team was retired in order for the next two innings. All either team could manage was a single in the Bottom of the Seventh and in the Top of the Eighth. Hargrove got into a jam in the Bottom of the Eighth allowing a single and a walk, but her defense picked her up by recording the final two outs in the inning.
 Oakdale then scored the winning run in the Top of the Ninth on what had been the team's Achilles' Heel going down the stretch. "Our biggest down fall right now is that we're getting runners on, but we're not being able to push them in," McDaniel said before the game. "So we've left quite a few people on base."
 McKenzie Richmond led off the ninth with a bunt single. Ashton Gilley laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner. Marley Gilley then bunted for a single, and the runners advanced to second and third. Cheyenne Fruge got the game winning RBI on the fourth consecutive bunt attempt in the inning. 
 "I'm super proud of these girls," said McDaniel. "We came a long way, and we didn't play the ball that we're used to playing. We had to adjust, and we had to play some small ball and come through. We were paying attention on the bases and just really had heart this game." 

Baseball honors its seniors


 Oakdale baseball evened up its district record at 5-5 with a 15-0 win against Pickering Thursday on Senior Night. 
 "It went very good," head coach Brent McKoy said. "I mean the last time we played Pickering, we went on a four game winning streak. We started playing good, and here again we played really good today. It was a good way to go out for the seniors."
 Centerfielder Terrance Holmes, according to McKoy, is a very good athlete and baseball player. "He's got all the tools to play at any level," he said.
 "(Senior night) means a lot because a lot of people look up ahead of their years and look for this day," Holmes said. He also said a home playoff game would give his team confidence. "I think it would be very good," he said. "We got rough patches, but when we play as a team we're hard to beat."
 Taylor LaCombe, who is hitting over .500 on the season, starts at second base and left field. "He had a really great season this year considering he plays multiple positions," McKoy said. "We ask him to play a lot of places."
 "Senior night is pretty big," LaCombe said. "You get a chance to congratulate the seniors for playing so long, and it's a big night for me to be playing with these guys. And a home playoff game in my last season would be pretty big and just be fun playing on my home field."
 Also hitting above .500 with five home runs is number five Nick Doyle who plays shortstop, catches, and pitches. "(Senior night) means a lot having been playing ball my whole life and knowing it's our last game here in the regular season," he said. "It just means a lot to me trying to lead the team to the best of our ability. We really need to finish strong the season. If we can come out with three wins, that would be big time for the playoffs."
 John Ross Williams is the fourth senior and plays first base. "He's doing a great job there," McKoy said. "I don't even know if he's made an error this year at first base."
 "Senior night is pretty big," Williams said. He also admitted how big a home playoff game would be for him and the rest of his team. "It really would," he said. "It's been tough, and we have a really hard schedule. So we've been facing a lot tougher opponents. I think it'll really show in the playoffs."
 Going down the stretch, McKoy's team has three games left on the season at Rosepine, Bunkie, and Iowa. He calls the game at Iowa Saturday "a tune up game" before the playoffs. "Really that's gonna make or break us," he said. "If we can win those three, we can sneak in to get a home playoff game" 

Softball on the outside looking in for a home playoff game


 With their last district game behind them, the Oakdale softball players look for a win in either the two final games of the season against Glenmora and Iowa to secure a home playoff game. 
 "We're making some good fielding like catches and throws, and Brie (Hargrove)'s pitching better," said assistent coach Ben Jones. "But we just not making it over the hump of that next tier of teams."
 Head coach Alycia McDaniel agreed and admitted her team was "on a good roll" after a 7-2 win against Pickering on March 21. Her Warriors lost the next game at Rosepine 15-0 but came back and dominated Bunkie 14-1. The team then competed in the Rapides Tournament, which both coaches said hurt their team more than helped.
 In the first game of the tournament on April 1, the Warriors beat Northwood-Lena 13-1. "We hit the ball good, but that was because they had a really slow pitcher," Jones said. "And that ended up hurting us the next game."
 "I didn't know the caliber of Northwood-Lena, but their pitcher was the slowest little pitcher I've ever seen," McDaniel said. "It took a good week and a half for (my girls) to adjust back to a fast pitcher."
 The next game up in the tournament was against Avoyelles Charter, and Oakdale fell victim to leaving too many runners on  base as they lost 3-1. "Their pitcher was a lot like Bunkie's pitcher," McDaniel said. "We should have racked them. Everytime we'd get runners on base, we could not get anybody to get them in. We tried bunting and other different scenarios. One game our bunts would be good, the next game we can't lay down a bunt to save our life."
  Oakdale then lost on Senior Night to Rapides 7-2 and lost the last district game 6-2 at Many, who is the number one team in the state. According to Jones his team was down 3-0 after a three-run homerun but scored two runs in the next half-inning, but the momentum died on a base running error to end the inning and the rally. 
 "I just wish that some of our bigger batters that we're used to coming through all the time would come through," said McDaniel after the loss at Many. "If we would have consistency in our bats, that would be key. We'd be sitting with a home playoff game right now instead of at number 17."
 "I honestly believe this, and not just because Dorien (Phillips)'s a senior, but this group of girls right here have what it takes to go far," McDaniel continued. "And for me coming from Pine (Prairie) to Oakdale and seeing the improvement that I've made, and it's not that I did it. I mean the girls had to have wanted it, but I feel like they deserve to go further than the first round. But they have to want it."

Tar Heels find redemption in The Valley of the Sun

Tar Heels find redemption in The Valley of the Sun
 The championship game of the NCAA Tournament in Glendale had a familiar feel to the one last year as the Tar Heels of North Carolina were paired up against a team from a Catholic university. UNC this time around found redemption in the Valley of the Sun as they cut down the nets this year beating Gonzaga 71-65 after losing the championship to Villanova at the buzzer last year in Houston.
 Gonzaga led by three at the half at 35-32. The Tar Heels then outscored the Bulldogs 39-30 in the second half to head coach Roy Williams his third national championship. Joel Berry, II, paved the way for his team with 22-points and six assists for the win.
 North Carolina trailed in three point percentage going four-for-27 compared to eight-of-19 and trailed in free throws making 15-of-26 baskets from the foul line to 17-of-26 from Gonzaga. But the team from Chapel Hill led in scoring percentage outshooting the kids from Spokane 36-percent to 34-percent. 
 "You know, on game night, kids gotta play. That's the bottom line," Williams told the Associated Press before the game. "I've never won a game from the bench. I may have lost some, but I know I've never won one. We've gotta go out and play and do the best we can."
 Williams' team is led by junior forward Justin Jackson, who averaged 18.3 points per game in his 39 games played on the season going into the game Monday. The 6-8/210-pound native of Tomball, Texas, is shooting at a 44.7 percent clip from the field and 38.2 percent from beyond the arc. He is also the owner of a 74.6 shooting percentage from the free throw line.   
 Berry was behind Jackson and averages 14.5 points per game. He is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 38.7 percent in three-pointers. From the free throw line, he is 102-for-129 at 79.1 percent. 
 The Tar Heels won the ACC championship but lost to in-state rival Duke in the conference tournament championship game. They then earned the number one seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. After stomping on Texas Southern 103-64 in the First Round, they beat a hungry Arkansas Razorback team from the SEC 72-65 to earn a date in the Sweet 16 against Butler. 
 North Carolina won that game 92-80 and then went on a 12-0 run at the end of the game to finish off Kentucky's season 75-73 in the Elite-8. Saturday night in Glendale, they clipped Oregon's wings 77-76. ''If it wasn't for Kennedy Meeks, we wouldn't have been in the basketball game,'' Williams told the AP.
 On the other end of the court, was the Gonzaga Bulldogs who reached the Final Four for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs went 37-1 on the season and went 17-1 in the West Coast Conference. They breezed past the 16-2 Gales of St. Mary's in the conference to win the championship. "To be playing in the last game of the year is just crazy cool," said coach Mark Few to the AP.
 Big man on campus is Nigel Williams-Goss with his 16.9 points per game. He was also rebounding at 5.9 per game and had 4.7 assists per game. He was shooting 49.3 in field goal percentage. 
 "I think the respect thing has to go out the window," he told the AP before the championship game. You have 37 wins in a college season, I mean that's just unbelievable. And to be playing the last
game of the season, we have a chance to play for it all. And we're here to win it."
 Gonzaga as top seed in the West Region outlasted South Carolina 77-73 Saturday in the Final Four. Williams-Goss in that game had 23-points. The Bulldogs got to the desert by taking care of fellow Jesuit school and 11th seed Xavier 83-59 in the Elite-8 and sent West Virginia back to the mountain roads in the Sweet 16 by winning 81-58.
 "I've had some really, really tough teams," Few told the AP. I've had some really close teams. I've had some teams that have been crazy efficient on the offensive end and ones that have been pretty darned good on the defensive end that probably didn't get credit for it," Few said. "These guys are all of that. All of it."

The Marks Post: Ignatian Spirituality at the old ballgame


 This is my first column that I call "The Marks Post." It is a play on my last name and also a tribute, if you will, to Night Court actress Markie Post. In these columns I will offer my insights on current events, pop culture, among a variety of other topics. I might even throw in an advice column or two.
 Before I get too ahead of myself, I want to say how honored I am to become associate editor of The Gazette. I started writing for the paper as a sports reporter two-and-a-half years ago. Looking back my writing was choppy back then. For instance I had an article saying the OC Vikings were worthy of Valhala and an article that led off with a physics lesson.
 Raymond Partsch was then brought in a year later as managing editor and used what he calls "teaching moments" to mold me into the writer I am today. I want to thank him and the rest of the staff for supporting me along the way and for making me sports editor of the Oakdale Journal.
 I also want to thank Randy Deshotel for supporting me in these writing endeavors as I'm still employed at the clerk's office. 
 Now that the obligatories are out of the way, I can get into what I want to talk about in my first column. I got back last Sunday from my sixth retreat at Our Lady of the Oaks in Grand Coteau. I could write column upon column on Ignatian spirituality, the Spiritual Exercises, and the bread pudding, but I want to share an experience from a couple retreats ago because it's a good segue to the rest of this column.
 The retreats end with a talk or talks (depending on the spiritual director) on the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises dealing with the Resurrection, and Fr. Paul Patin, SJ, closed out the retreat in 2014 with a talk that focused on four words mentioned in each of the Synoptic Gospels... "He has been raised."
 I meditated on those words on the way back home that Sunday and came to the following conclusion. When the Cubs lose more games than they win, instead of kicking, screaming, amd wanting to pull my hair out I need to use what I learned at the retreat and hope in the Resurrection because "He has been raised."
 Whether you have been knowing me for a day or a decade, you know that I'm an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs. That season in 2014 was the only one with Ricky Renteria as manager, and they did in fact lose more games than they won. They hired Joe Madden away from Tampa Bay in the offseason and went on the beat arch-rival St. Louis Cardinals in the divisional series to reach the 2015 NLCS. They then got swept by the Mets, but then something happened a season later that hasn't happened since 1908.
 The Cubs won the World Series beating the Cleveland Indians four games to three, but I'll admit they should not have won. Indian Rajai Davis hit a two-run homer in the Bottom of the Eighth to tie the game. The curse appeared to rear its ugly head once again. It was like the black cat running on the field again in 1969 and like Steve Bartman making the catch in 2003, just to name a couple times the curse came to haunt the team. 
 But then after the heavens opened causing a rain delay before the Top of the Tenth, eventual World Series MVP Ben Zobrist doubled in Miguel Montero for the lead and jumped high in the air over the second base bag. Kris Bryant fielded a ground ball and threw it over to Rizzo at first to retire the side in the bottom of the inning. 
 After they won the game and the Series, I jumped as high as Zobrist did the half-inning before, or at least I thought I did. I then ran around the snack bar and picked up Guy Perrodin in celebration. After I left Guy's, I went home and started watching post game coverage. I had to force myself to go to bed at 1:00 AM because I had to go to work in the morning. I don't think I was too effective that day at work, but it was well worth it.
 The club this season returns a roster littered with much of its young nucleus in tact from last year. Returning to the corner of Clark and Addison are Zobrist, Rizzo, and Bryant. Also returning are names such as Addison Russell and Javier Baez. The most important name returning is utility player Kyle Schwarber, who got hurt in the opening series last year in Cincinnati. He missed the entire season but rejoined the team in Cleveland for Game 1 of The Fall Classic. 
 They look poised for another World Series run this season even though they are starting off 0-1 after losing on the road against the Cardinals on Opening Night last Sunday. But it was only one game out of 162, and according to Ernest Lawrence Thayer, "A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to the hope which springs eternal in the human breast."

Softball is putting all the pieces together for a winning product on the field


The softball program at Oakdale is turning a corner and putting all the pieces together for a winning product on the field. This recipe has yielded another notch under the win column overall and in district play as the Warriors again defeated Pickering. This time around the score was 7-2 on the road. 
"I think they've improved greatly defensively, and then Brianna (Hargrave)'s improving week by week," said assistant coach Ben Jones. "The more she's pitching, the better she's getting. Kassie Tichy is our second baseman and our other pitcher. She made two leaping almost diving catches between second base and the outfield, and then our shortstop Marley Gilley made a bunch of plays. So our middle infield is getting better." 
"They're bunting the ball better and hitting the ball better," Jones added. "It seemed like everything kinda came together tonight... the hits, the bunts, the fielding, the pitching." 
With their team up 4-0 in the Top of the Fourth, Lauren Holmes and Skyla Chamblee reached base before third place hitter Hargrove launched a home run over the center field wall on a 3-2 count. 
The win came on the heels of a 1-2 showing at the Sulphur Tournament. In the first game of the tournament, Oakdale was leading 4-0 over Westgate until six Warrior errors allowed the score to be tied. The international tie breaker then went into effect where each team began the next half inning with a runner on second base. Oakdale pushed the run across, and Hargrove struck out the last two Westgate batters to get the 5-4 win. "They were pumped up about that," said Jones. 
The next day was less heroic as Jones' team lost both games to Buckeye 4-1 and Sacred Heart of Ville Platte 4-0. According to the assistant coach, the Buckeye game turned as the umpires reversed a home run call off the bat of Mckenzie Richmond. "The ball hit the catcher's knee pad and rolled forward," Jones said. "The umpire said it was a foul ball. Well I was trying to argue that Darien Phillips shouldn't have to go back to first because it wasn't a foul ball that the ball hit the catcher's knee pad and that's what made it ricochet. So they let the pitcher pitch. Mack hits a homerun over left centerfield, and they said no home run because we had a timeout." 
Jones sees positive signs on the horizon as his team nears the final nine games of the regular season. "It's like the scores are starting to get lower and lower," he said. "We're not giving up as much. We're getting better at defense, and we're starting to hit the ball. I feel like we're just gradually getting better." 

Monday, March 27, 2017

Final Four is set

Final Four is set
 The Final Four which takes place Saturday at the Arizona Cardinals University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale will feature two teams from the Carolinas and two teams from the Pacific Northwest.
 The South Carolina Gamecocks of the SEC as the number seven seed won the East Region beating conference rival Florida 77-70 in Madison Square Garden after knocking off Baylor 70-50 in the Sweet 16. The Bears were the second best team in the Big XII behind Kansas and earned the three seed in the tournament.
 ''Anyone that's in sports dreams of moments like this,'' head coach Frank Martin told the Associated Press. ''It's not something that you start dreaming it the year you win 25 games. You dream it every single day.''
 Leading the way was Sindarius Thornwell with 26 points, seven rebounds, and one assist in his 36-minutes on the court. Three other Gamecocks reached double-digits in scoring as guard PJ Dozier scored 17, forward Chris Silva scored 13, and Malik Kotsar scored 12 from the forward position. 
 "The game was as close as expected until the final minute," according to the Associated Press. "There were 14 lead changes and 10 ties. The last lead change came on two free throws by Thornwell with 2:24 left that made it 65-63. Fourth-seeded Florida managed just three field goals over the final 3:55."
 The Gamecocks now will face WCC champion and top seed in the West Gonzaga Saturday. The Bulldogs cut down the nets in San Jose after an 83-59 win against the 11-seeded Xavier Muskateers, who beat second seed Arizona 73-71 in the Sweet 16. 
 "Just an incredible feeling of elation and satisfaction," head coach Mark Few said in an Associated Press article. "It's been a long, hard journey to get this program here."
 "Few and the Zags have won the West Coast Conference Tournament 16 times, been regulars in the NCAA Tournament since 1999, reached the Sweet 16 eight times," according to the same article. "The Final Four was the only missing piece to their resume."
 On the other side of the bracket, top seed Kansas faced third seed Oregon in Kansas City. It was the Ducks who emerged as champions of the Midwest Region. According to the Associated Press, "With swagger and verve and downright prolific shooting, the plucky team that everybody wanted to count out rolled to a 74-60 victory over the Jayhawks on Saturday night, earning the Ducks their first trip to the national semifinals in nearly 80 years."
 "You feel so good for so many people," said Ducks coach Dana Altman to the Associated Press. "It's a team effort. You feel good for a lot of people."
 The team from Chapel Hill was regular season champions of the ACC and garnered the top seed in the South Region. They went up against Butler in the Sweet 16 in Memphis and then outfoxed Kentucky 75-73 in an epic Elite 8 matchup. North Carolina held Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox to 13 points in the final game Sunday evening. The Tar Heels went on a 12-0 run to take control of the game in the final minutes, and Luke Maye scored with 0.3 seconds remaining sending his team to consecutive Final Fours. 

Softball is putting all the pieces together for a winning product on the field

Softball is putting all the pieces together for a winning product on the field
 The softball program at Oakdale is turning a corner and putting all the pieces together for a winning product on the field. This recipe has yielded another notch under the win column overall and in district play as the Warriors again defeated Pickering. This time around the score was 7-2 on the road.
 "I think they've improved greatly defensively, and then Brianna (Hargrave)'s improving week by week," said assistant coach Ben Jones. "The more she's pitching, the better she's getting. Kassie Tichy is our second baseman and our other pitcher. She made two leaping almost diving catches between second base and the outfield, and then our shortstop Marley Gilley made a bunch of plays. So our middle infield is getting better."
 "They're bunting the ball better and hitting the ball better," Jones added. "It seemed like everything kinda came together tonight... the hits, the bunts, the fielding, the pitching."
 With their team up 4-0 in the Top of the Fourth, Lauren Holmes and Skyla Chamblee reached base before third place hitter Hargrove launched a home run over the center field wall on a 3-2 count. 
 The win came on the heels of a 1-2 showing at the Sulphur Tournament. In the first game of the tournament, Oakdale was leading 4-0 over Westgate until six Warrior errors allowed the score to be tied. The international tie breaker then went into effect where each team began the next half inning with a runner on second base. Oakdale pushed the run across, and Hargrove struck out the last two Westgate batters to get the 5-4 win. "They were pumped up about that," said Jones.
 The next day was less heroic as Jones' team lost both games to Buckeye 4-1 and Sacred Heart of Ville Platte 4-0. According to the assistant coach, the Buckeye game turned as the umpires reversed a home run call off the bat of Mckenzie Richmond. "The ball hit the catcher's knee pad and rolled forward," Jones said. "The umpire said it was a foul ball. Well I was trying to argue that Darien Phillips shouldn't have to go back to first because it wasn't a foul ball that the ball hit the catcher's knee pad and that's what made it ricochet. So they let the pitcher pitch. Mack hits a homerun over left centerfield, and they said no home run because we had a timeout."
 Jones sees positive signs on the horizon as his team nears the final nine games of the regular season. "It's like the scores are starting to get lower and lower," he said. "We're not giving up as much. We're getting better at defense, and we're starting to hit the ball. I feel like we're just gradually getting better."

Oakdale baseball is where it wants to be

Oakdale baseball is where it wants to be
 Before the basketball players returned to the baseball team, Brent McKoy predicted "once we do that I'll think we'll be alright." Since then the head baseball coach has seen his Warriors' record climb to 4-8 and 3-1 in district. 
 After playing in the Tioga Tournament to begin the month, McKoy's team defeated Many at home 8-4 on March 14. Many pitched a senior left hander with a pitch speed that reaches the low 80s who has faced Oakdale each of his four years on the team. He gave up five runs on four hits in the first inning and did not get out of the frame.
 "We did a good job executing," said McKoy. "We did a couple hit and runs and things I ask them to do. We executed finally and put some timely hits together. Our pitching was really good. We did kinda like a team effort, and we've been having success with that."
 Terrance Holmes got the start for the Warriors going three innings before yielding to Nick Doyle and Gavin Johnson for two innings each. The strong pitching performance carried over into the next game a week later with a 13-1 win at Pickering.
 Freshman Josh McDaniel toed the rubber to start the game at Pickering and went five strong innings allowing one run, striking out seven, and walking two. Hunter Longino then came in the game in the sixth inning without allowing a run. 
 "Several people had multiple hits," McKoy said. "We hit the ball good. Probably the best I've seen us hit. Just like against Many, we got that two-out hit with bases loaded, and we scored five runs with two outs."
 The Warriors then got a win at home 8-2 against Rosepine.
 "We always tell our kids that the team that gets that big inning usually is the winner," McKoy added. "We're playing better, and it's where we want to be right now."

March Madness living up to its reputation

March Madness living up to its reputation
 March Madness is again living up to its reputation this year as the field of the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament is set with favorites Villanova and Duke both getting bounced in the Second Round. 
 Reigning tournament champion and 2017 Big East Champion Villanova easily defeated Mount St. Mary's 76-56 as the number one seed in the East Region before getting badgered by Wisconsin 65-62. "I say this every year at Villanova, we can't take it for granted," head coach Jay Wright told the Associated Press. "It's so special to be a part of it. Every time you win and you get a chance to advance, cherish it. You're playing the best teams in the country. You're going to come down to games like this. We had a game like this against Kansas last year and we came out of the good side of it. We had a game like this against N.C. State last year, and we had a shot to win it and we missed it."
 "To me, there's no dishonor in losing in this tournament — and we've lived through it. You are judged by how you play in this tournament and that's the reality of it. So, you have to accept it," he continued. 
 Duke was the number two seed in the East and earned an 87-65 win over Troy before losing 88-81 to South Carolina. "That's the most physical team we've faced all year," Mike Krzyzewski told the AP about the Gamecocks.
 Meeting the Badgers at Madison Square Garden in New York City will be the fourth seed Florida Gators coming off a 65-39 win over Virginia in the Round of 32 and a 15-point win over East Tennessee State in the opening game. The seventh seed South Carolina Gamecocks will face off against the third seed Baylor Bears who reached the Sweet 16 after dispatching New Mexico State and USC.  
 The Northwestern Wildcats reached the Tournament for the first time ever this year and won their first game against Vanderbilt 68-66. They then lost to number one seed in the West Region Gonzaga on a controversial call at the buzzer giving the Zags the 79-73 win in Salt Lake City. The NCAA admitted missing a goaltending call that caused a technical foul to be called on Northwestern's Chris Collins. Nigel Williams-Goss made both free throws and gave Gonzaga enough separation on its way to the school's third consecutive trip to the Sweet 16.  
 "If I see a guy from another team put his hand through the rim and block a shot, I'm going to react to it if the play isn't called,'' Collins said to the AP. ''I think all of you would. Of course. That cuts it to three. We're all emotional. We're coming back from 20 down.''
 Standing between Gonzaga and a trip to the Elite 8 are the Mountaineers of West Virginia with a 12-6 record Big XII record and the four seed in the West Region who got past Bucknell 86-80 in the first round before doing the same against former Big East rival Notre Dame 83-71 in Buffalo.
 Xavier and second seeded Arizona battle each other for a chance to meet the winner between Gonzaga and West Virginia in the Elite 8. Xavier as the 11th-seed upset Florida State in the Second Round 91-66, and Arizona as the second seed cruised past North Dakota 100-82 before escaping 69-60 against the Gales of St. Mary's. 
 "We don't think of anything as pressure," Williams-Goss said according to the AP. "We had pressure all year long. We were undefeated and we didn't feel any of that. This is what we live for, what
we prepare for and we enjoy doing. We all enjoy competing at the highest level."
 "All year we've been telling ourselves that we got the best group of guards in the country, and we truly believe that," West Virginia's Jevon Carter told the AP. "So, when it's time for us to play, we go out there and give it our all. Sometimes it worked. But we're going to put forth 100 percent and we're going to live and die with it."
 With the losses of Villanova and Duke, Kansas and North Carolina emerged as favorites to the win the Tournament. Kansas Jayhawks earned a date in the Sweet 16 against the Purdue Boilermakers after trouncing 16th-seed UC Davis 100-62 and winning 90-70 over Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans. The Boilermakers with the four seed in the Midwest steamed past Vermont 80-70 and Iowa State 80-76. The two teams will meet in Kansas City which is 35 miles from the Jayhawks' home court in Lawrence. "We know it'll be hostile there, but we can draw energy from that," Boilermaker center Isaac Haas said via Twitter according to the AP. "Gotta put ourselves in best position possible."
 Fellow Big Ten team Michigan reached the Sweet 16 as the Wolverines are still riding high off a conference championship in Washington, DC. The team's plane crashed on the runway as it was leaving Detroit due to the high winds affecting much of the Midwest. The team then had to play the first game of the Big Ten Tournament in its practice jerseys as the luggage got delayed. The Wolverines since then won six games in a row and won their first two games in the NCAA Tournament 92-91 over Oklahoma State and 73-69 over Louisville. 
 The third seed Oregon Ducks flew into the Sweet 16 and will face Michigan after a slim three point win over Atlantic 10 Champion Rhode Island in the Second Round 75-72. ''During the game I had to let it go. There was two minutes left, I dropped them and I had to keep playing, and we kept playing and kept fighting and hit the glass and got crucial offensive rebounds,'' Oregon's Tyler Dorsey told the AP. ''I just hit some big shots.''
 North Carolina as the number one seed in the South Region  will go up against Butler in what would have been a rematch of the Second Round in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. That year Butler lost to LSU in the opening round, and the Tigers lost to North Carolina as the Tar Heels went on to win the National Championship. 
 The winner of North Carolina and Butler will then meet the winner of UCLA and Kentucky in the Elite 8. UCLA emerged past Kent State 97-80 then took care of Cincinnati 79-67 in Sacramento. SEC Champion Kentucky narrowly defeated instate rival Northern Kentucky 79-70 and even more narrowly defeated Wichita State 65-62 in Indianapolis. 
 According to the AP, Coach John Calipari said about his Wildcats, "They're young, but they have a will to win and play with courage and are skilled basketball players and great kids."

Softball gets first district win of the season

Softball gets first district win of the season
 In its fifth attempt of the season, Oakdale softball got its first district win with a 12-7 home victory over Pickering. The win improved the team's district record to 1-4 and overall record to 6-9.
 "It was huge getting that win especially because our girls' bats finally came alive," said assistant coach Ben Jones. 
 "We had an excellent game at bat," said head coach Alycia McDaniel. "If we would play like that every game, I guarantee you we could make a huge run into the playoffs. People would be shocked, but we have to bat like that consistently."
 The turning point of the game, according to Jones, was when the Pickering pitcher got hurt trying to field a ball down the third base line. This caused her to take something off of her speed and allowed the Warriors to catch up to her pitches. "Whenever she slowed down, our girls just finally started catching up and started knocking the ball around different places," Jones said.
 The coaches saw production from the top and the bottom of their lineup. True freshman Lauren Holmes led off and earned two walks and a base hit. She also turned in six catches at right field. Skylar Chambley batted in the two-hole and found success at the plate after moving back to slap hitting. Ashton Gilley at the bottom of the lineup also found success at the plate getting a double and a triple. In doing so Gilley earned the game ball.
 "As soon as we started hitting, they got confidence, and we just rolled with it," McDaniel said. "I was so proud of them. You could have sworn we won the State championship because we weren't predicted to beat them, and it was very exciting for our girls. They came together as a team, and everybody hit the ball."
 The success at the plate against Pickering was short lived as the Warriors dropped the next two games 10-5 against Many and 4-0 against Menard. "Every time we face off against one of these faster pitchers, our girls take too long to adjust to the speed, and it ends up killing us in the long run," explained Jones. 
 The Warriors were down 7-3 to Many in the Bottom of the Fifth and scored a couple runs cutting it to 7-5. Kassie Tichy stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and popped up for the second out. Mckenzie Richmond then struck out to end the inning. 
 Against Menard the coaches planned on using their newly improved defense as a strength to get the in against the Eagles. "We had a plan going in to make them chase on the right side and hit to Lauren (Holmes) over at right and Kassie (Tichy) at second to our strongest defensive players," Jones said. "We were working that game plan, and it was working, but we couldn't put the bat on the ball."
 Menard scored a run in the Top of the First as well as the Top of the Fourth before adding two runs in the Top of the Fifth. "I'm proud of the girls for not giving up," McDaniel said. "Usually Menard has never not 10-run ruled Oakdale. So I'm proud that they didn't lay down and let them 10-run us."
 "I have all the faith in the world in them," added McDaniel. "The thing is I know this group of girls, and they have so much potential. If they would only look and see it in themselves, the program would turn around."

Oakdale track sets new records

Oakdale track sets new records
 Two outdoor track competitors at Oakdale set records in the first meets of the year. Darien Phillips set a school record in the discus with her 116'10" at the Red Devil Relays in Pickering, and Travian Dailey recorded a new meet record at the Gent Relays in Crowley with his 126'6" performance in the discus.
 "We are proud of the effort of our kids," said coach Michael Deville.
 James Evins earned first place honors in the 100 and 200-meter dashes in Pickering and followed it up with a second place finish in Crowley and first place in the 100- meters and second place in the 200-meters at the Cowboy Relays at McNeese. In the long jump competition, he finished second at Pickering and at McNeese but came out first in Crowley.
 Sanaa St. Andre earned outstanding field performer at Pickering as she came out first in the triple jump and high jump as well as in the 4X100 meter relay along with Alexis Davis, Treshunda Joseph, and Jondasha Davis. She followed it up with a first place finish in shot put and second place finishes in triple jump and high jump in Crowley and at McNeese finishing third in the shot put and high jump and first in the triple jump.
 Treshunda Joseph along with Alexis and Jondasha Davis also finished first in the Pickering 4X200 meter relays with Shadiomond Joseph. The quartet came out second in the same event in Crowley.
 Also placing first in Pickering were Phillip Poullard in the 300-meter hurdles, Jondasha Davis in long jump and 100-meter dash, and Briana Hargrove in shot put. Hunter Longino placed first in the shot put in Crowley as well as Poullard in the 300-meter hurdles, Jondasha Davis in the long jump, and Shadiomand Joseph in the 400-meters. Longino and Jondasha Davis also finished first in the same events at McNeese.
 "The kids are working hard and doing their best to balance track with other sports and school," added Deville. "We hope to be able to put a complete team together and are looking forward to good things from both our boys and girls teams."

Oakdale tennis nears regional play

Oakdale tennis nears regional play
 Coach Zealon Solomon sees his young tennis team making plenty of strides in the right direction as it nears regional play. It currently has a record of 8-2 winning 115 out of 160 matches with both losses coming against Jennings.
 "We're making a lot of progress," said Solomon. "Our younger players have definitely stepped up this year. We've had several injuries, but we're making do. It's good times."
 Oakdale, according to Solomon, is in one of the largest regions in the State. Other teams in the region are Grace Christian, Academy of the Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart of Ville Platte, Lacassine, Hathaway, Opelousas Catholic, Westminster, St. Edmund's of Eunice, and Bunkie. 
 Solomon sees a tough row to hoe beginning in mid-March. "Westminster will be a tough one," he said. "They are the defending boys' champion. Grace Christian provides a loaded roster, so the rematch from the first match will be totally different the second time around. Academy of the Sacred Heart out of Grand Coteau is always a dangerous girls school, and Sacred Heart of Ville Platte has one of the most talented doubles teams you'll see in the State."
    "So overall we're shaping up," added Solomon. "It'll be balanced all the way around, but we should be able to handle it."

Warrior Softball falls to 6-7 on the season

Warrior Softball falls to 6-7 on the season
 On the first weekend of March, the Warriors' softball team hosted the Oakdale Tournament and went 2-1 losing to Merryville 8-7 in the opener and then exploded winning 13-1 against Lagrange and 15-0 against Grace Christian.
 "The girls were pumped, but we just waited too long to hit the ball," said head coach Alycia McDaniel about the Friday night loss to Merryville. "We waited to the Bottom of the Seventh to score six runs. We had a runner at second base with the opportunity to win the game, and one of our bigger hitters couldn't come through. We had some good offensive plays, but some errors that if we would not have made we would have dominated Merryville."
 Assistant coach Benjamin Jones liked what he saw from his team fundamentally in the next game against Lagrange. He said, "We performed the fundamentals really good like we laid down some bunts, and baserunning was really good."
 "Fundamentals were great," agreed McDaniel.
 Jones credited the two wins in the tournament to fielding precision. "In both those games, we had no errors," he said. "I don't know if it gets in their heads if it's a weaker team they play better, but we didn't make a single throwing error or fielding error in either of those games."
 "I thought it would be a big confidence booster for them because that's what we needed," said McDaniel about her team's performance in the tournament. "We started the season off 3-0. We were pumped, and then we had Rosepine."
 Oakdale lost to Rosepine 14-1 in the first district game, then lost to Bunkie 5-3. Since then they lost 10-0 to Menard and 4-3 to Rapides beginning district play at 0-4. "The Rapides game was tough," said McDaniel. "We were winning the entire game and had a couple of little mental errors that they scored on. We scored three runs, and then after that we were complacent with being three runs ahead of them, and they waited until the Bottom of the Seventh and came up and beat us by one run."
 The team them competed in the Tioga Tournament and faced the host team on Friday night. The Warriors only managed three hits as they lost 3-0. "Against Tioga Brianna Hargrove got on base three different times," said Jones. "She came to bat the first time and walked. The next two times she got a hit, but out of our top four hitters she was the only one to do that."
 Cheyenne Fruge, according to Jones, led off and "popped up almost every time." Skylar Chambley then batted second and "struck out every time." He continued, "And then our third batter which was Darien Phillips didn't get a hit either."
 "My biggest thing is that we want everybody to be able to bunt, and we have not been successful," McDaniel said. "As coaches we want to manufacture runs and try to produce as much as we can because we're doing a good job defensively without the little throws that were errors that cost us."
 "Tioga is a great team that beat Bunkie 10-0, and we held them to three runs," continued McDaniel. "I look for us to improve as long as our bats come around. If the girls will come together and believe that they can win and not let our district intimidate them because our district is brutal, but at the same time we have the talent to go a lot further than people will ever expect us to go." 

Baseball returns to a full deck

Baseball returns to a full deck
 Following an 0-3 start to the season in the Kinder Tournament, Oakdale baseball is now playing with a full deck with the basketball players returning to the squad. Head coach Brent McKoy says the addition of these players will help "tremendously."
 "It gave us more depth at pitching," McKoy added. "I think we get back in the groove with that, and we'll be a little more consistent with our defense. I think we'll win some games in district."
 The only win on the season thus far came in the Rosepine Tournament against Hicks. The Warriors jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the Top of the First and tacked on a run in the Top of the Second before erupting for four runs in the Top of the Third. Oakdale pitching scattered four runs on the afternoon leading to the 8-4 win. 
 In the same tournament, the Warriors lost 4-0 to Vermilion Catholic and lost 11-4 to Ascension Episcopal. "We hit the ball well," McKoy said about the tournament. "We had double digit hits in two games. In the Hicks game, we really hit the ball well, and pitching was pretty decent. We played Ascension Episcopal, and they were really good. They hit the ball well. They just out hit us that game. And a lot of times we get to the third game of a tournament, and our pitching runs out."
 After losing 11-0 to Iowa in the next game, Oakdale began district play and lost at Rapides 9-6. McKoy's team then went on to play in the Tioga Tournament beginning March 9 and lost to Iowa 5-1 in the first game. The Warriors played at Pineville the next night and suffered a 7-0 loss to the Rebels.
       Gavin Johnson and Hunter Longino reached base to lead off the game, but the next three Warriors in the line up were retired in succession. Cam Bates in the bottom of the inning doubled in Brandon Couch and Tyler Atkins giving Pineville the 2-0 lead after the first inning. The score remained the same until the Bottom of the Fourth when Pineville plated two more runs. The first of which scored on an errant pick off throw at third base, and the second came on a sacrifice fly. 
 Pineville then scored three runs in the Bottom of the Sixth. Bates scored on an error at third base by Longino. Matt Sylvia then popped up to the pitcher McDaniel for the first out before pinch-hitter Evan Atkins and Levi Roberts scored on a Garrett Brown double.
 Even with his team's struggles in the early going, McKoy sees hope. "I think we're slowly getting better," he said. "That's the goal to get better." 

Good-bye, old friend

It was three months since I graduated from LSU in May of 2004 that I first met Jl Brignac. I was watching John Wayne play Genghis Khan on TCM when I got a call from Brenda Lafleur. She knew I was looking for a job and told me about a part time job at the clerk’s office. They had gotten a new computer program and were starting to “image” documents. She told me to go in that afternoon at 1 and talk to the clerk Walter Lee. I got down there, and Mr. Walter said we had to wait for JL his chief deputy. I found out later he was cooking at this house for the lawyers for their regular Friday lunch.
I took the job and started that following Monday. I was working Ralph Leday scanning all the old criminal and civil files in the warehouse. He had been working at the office for a while before and knew JL’s habits. Ralph and I would work a while then take our breaks. We knew at 10:30 and 2:30 JL would come check on us en route from getting his free Cokes at Guy Mitchell’s office, so we made sure we were working when he came.
I remember the last time JL came check on us. That Monday afternoon I came back from lunch, and Ralph was gone which was strange because he normally stayed at the warehouse for lunch. He came back later that afternoon, and his face was purple. He had been drinking because he was still hung over from the night before. This had become an all-to-common occurrence on Mondays of Ralph coming to work in that condition, so he was let go that day. That’s when I was moved into the clerk’s office still scanning the records. I knew my time there was drawing to an end about a month later because I was coming to the end of the project, but Walter Lee and JL saw something in me. I was deputized June 1, 2005. 
That August we started doing our recording on computer instead of by hand which we had been doing for the past 94 years. The next step was scanning the recordings instead of microfilming them. That’s where I fit in. I was working in the file room with JL and Jannie Guidry. I got my first lesson from JL not long after that as Hurricane Katrina was approaching. We were preparing to close the office because of the storm, and somebody said to unplug everything in the office. Mrs. Jannie told me to unplug the coffee pot. I was in mid pull when JL fussed me and stuttered, “You don’t need to unplug the coffee pot!”
That’s around the same time I started going to suppers at his house every other Wednesday night. I was then a member of my first supper club and felt like one of the guys. A year later I joined his fantasy football league. I got the nickname “Laptop” at my first draft. I had typed up on my laptop lists of players I wanted to draft. I planned on printing out the lists that weekend before the draft in Baton Rouge, but I tailgated too much for LSU’s first game. So that Sunday for the draft I decided to just use my laptop at JL’s. I was the first person to ever bring a laptop to JL’s house. The jokes started flying, and the name stuck.
Over the years working along side JL, I learned many other lessons besides the coffee pot one. He taught me everything he knew about the clerk’s office. His wealth of knowledge was not measurable.  For example he taught me that the conveyance indexes that are not for normal use are abnormal. That was his sense of humor that livened up the office. 
I could share countless other memories of John Lucas Brignac, but now it’s time to say good-bye. I was in
Sacred Heart Church Tuesday night before the mission when I got an update on his condition. It was a week since the accident. The mission then started, and I processed in from the double doors by Mary’s alter as I was serving as an acolyte. I had to light the candles from the Easter candle as the mission priest led a candlelit guided meditation on coping with somebody who has died. My eyes started welling up because all I could think about was JL. We had become like family over the  years, and if you go back far enough we might actually be family. 
After I finished serving, I sneaked into the Sacristy and cried. I could hear the mission priest talk about the woman at the well. I was thinking, then, about how JL will experience that life giving water from the heavenly stream. He will not be forgotten especially because everything in the clerk’s office reminds me of him. They say God puts people in your life for a reason, and JL is an epitome of that. Good-bye, Big J. Good-bye, old friend. 

Oakdale softball expects big things this season

Oakdale softball expects big things this season
 In their second season at the helm of Oakdale softball, head coach Alycia McDaniel and assistant coach Benjamin Jones are optimistic about the state of the team coming off a trip to the playoffs for the first time last season.
 "We're excited about this year coming up," Jones said before the season. "We should have a pretty well-rounded team this year, and we're expecting to win more games than last year. Last year we were 15-16, so one of our goals is to get on the winning side and go farther in the playoffs than we did last year."
 "I am very excited about this upcoming season and hope that we all work hard and pull together to have a successful year," McDaniel said. "We have a very young team but the girls have what it takes to have a very prosperous year. They not only have the ability to win big, but with the new split we are even more motivated to go big." 
 "My goal for this season is to finish the season with a winning record and make a deep playoff run," McDaniel added. "I think we have a great coaching staff that all meshes well together and will help to bring the girls as far as we can to the top."
 In doing so the Warriors will look toward their two senior captains Darien Phillips, who has signed to play for Baton Rouge Community College, and Skylar Chambley for leadership and will look to Kassi Tichy to relieve some of the load on Brianna Hargrove at pitcher. 
 The Warriors were doing well starting the season with a 3-0 record. "Our girls were on fire hitting bombs and everything," McDaniel said. The team cooled off since then losing the next three games including the first two district games against Rosepine and Bunkie. 
 Oakdale got a run in the top of the first as Cheyenne Fruge reached base on an error and came around to score. Brianna Hargrove walked the lead off batter in the bottom of the inning. The run then scored on the first of two Oakdale errors in the inning. Bunkie plated another run to take the 2-1 lead.
 Lauren Holmes singled with one out in the top of the second inning. She then stole second base and advanced to third on a wild throw before scoring the tying run as the pitch got away from the Bunkie catcher. With one out in the top of the third, Phillips tripled and scored on Hargrove's double as Oakdale took the lead. Hargrove in the bottom of the inning gave up a run as Bunkie tied the game at three. 
 The game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth. Diamony Thompson singled with two out, and Madeline Ducote then hit a ball that rolled to the wall for a two-run inside-the-park home run. Each team was then retired in order in the sixth inning. 
 In the top of the seventh, Alana Guillory and Holmes were retired for the first two outs of the
inning. McKenzi Richmond then singled and stole second base, but Marley Gilley struck out to end the game.

Oakdale baseball begins the season 0-3

Oakdale baseball begins the season 0-3         
 Oakdale baseball began the 2017 season with an 0-3 record after losing 11-7 to Oberlin, losing 5-1 to St. Edmund's, and losing 10-3 to Grand Lake as the Warriors competed in the Kinder Tournament.
 "I think we hit the ball pretty good, we're just missing some key components before we get the basketball (players) back," admitted head coach Brent McKoy after the loss to Grand Lake. "We need those (players) back. We had our whole middle infield gone this weekend. I mean that matters a lot. We're glad to get them back though. We hadn't practiced yet with the full team, so once we do that I'll think we'll be alright." 
 Fresman starting pitcher Josh McDaniel pitched into and out of trouble in the first inning as Grand Lake loaded the bases with two outs. Gavin Johnson fielded the ball at second base and threw to Bobby Odom at first to retire the side. In the bottom of the inning, Terrance Holmes singled with one out off of the Grand Lake left handed starting pitcher and scored on a Nick Doyle double two batters later.
 Gabe Rodriguez drew a four pitch walk to lead off the bottom of the second inning and then advanced to third base on consecutive errant pitches. After a strike out of Josh McDaniel, Taylor LaCombe hit a double down the left field line scoring Rodriguez. Grand Lake struck out the side in the inning, but the damage was done as Oakdale led 2-0. 
 Grand Lake tied the game in the top of the third. McDaniel allowed a lead off walk, an RBI double, and a bunt that went for  two-bases before the first out was recorded in the inning. The first out was a fielder's choice allowing the second run to cross the plate. 
 McDaniel was chased in the top of the fifth inning as he allowed two more runs to score. He went four and two-third innings striking out three and allowing one walk. Holmes relieved McDaniel with two-out in the inning and retired the side on a strike out on only three pitches.
 Following a lead off walk and a stolen base in the top of the sixth, three Oakdale errors produced five Grand Lake runs. Compounding the problem were two hit batsmen, and the inning mercifully came to an end on a fly out to Rodriguez at short stop.
 Grand Lake added its tenth run in the top of the seventh off of new Oakdale pitcher Gabe Rodriguez. In the bottom of the inning, Lacombe led off with a hit by pitch. Garrett Kingman, who entered the game in the fourth, struck out. Lacombe stole second and third and scored as Gavin Johnson flew out to left field. Holmes was retired as the third baseman threw to first to record the final out in the ballgame.
 Oakdale's first scheduled game against Glenmora was cancelled and will be made up at a later date.

Oakdale falls in the playoffs at North Caddo

Oakdale falls in the playoffs at North Caddo
 The Oakdale Warriors earned a berth as the 27 seed in the 2017 LHSAA Boys' Basketball Playoffs, but their prize was a trip to Vivian Friday night for a first round tilt with sixth seeded North Caddo with a home record of 11-5-1. The end result was an 82-31 loss as the Warriors' season came to an end.
 The Rebels of North Caddo finished the regular season with a 23-10-1 record including a 9-1 mark in District 1-2A. Their only district loss came on January 20 as they lost 72-62 to Lakeview in Campti. They then rattled off six consecutive wins to finish the season. 
 "They were bigger, faster, and stronger than us at every position, and the atmosphere was high energy," said head coach Dustin Howard. "It was a good basketball environment if you are the home team."
 "We just aren't ready to compete on that level just yet, but we are a very young team with a lot of potential," Howard added. "And we have some guys that really want to work and do what it takes to win. It was a rough night, but I'm excited about the future."
 Raymond Guillory had 10 points on the night to lead the Warriors. Malcolm Pugh scored eight points, and Maliak Hayward added six. Guillory finished the season with 26.3 points per game and also led the team with 6.1 rebounds per game and 0.3 blocks per game. Leading the team in assists and steals was Pugh with 0.2 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. 
 North Caddo is matched up against twenty-second seeded Pickering in the second round after the Red Devils took care of Kinder 71-62 in Elton. In other first round action involving 3-2A teams, top seed Madison Prep easily took care of Rosepine 134-32, fifth seed Rapides won 73-62 over Bunkie, and fourth seed Many won 59-45 against General Trass . 
 Fairview earned the 18 seed in Class B and lost 52-45 at number 15 Castor, who is matched up with second seed Hathaway in the second round. In Class C Elizabeth garnered a first round bye with the number six seed and meets Phoenix at home in the second round.

Friday, February 24, 2017

Lady Warriors meet the 2016 State Runners Up

 The season came to an end Monday night for the Oakdale Lady Warriors as they lost 55-34 to the Madison Prep Lady Chargers.
 "Well I knew it was going to be a tough game for us to win because Madison Prep was quick and physical," said head coach Ted Fontenot. "The only thing we did not factor in was their three point shooting skills. Every scouting report said that they would not shoot that great from the outside. We knew they would be physical. We just had problems scoring which is why we could not stay in the game." 
 In the losing effort, Sanaa St. Andre led her team with 17 points going six-for-18 from the field. Her Achilles' heel on the night was her inability to make the three pointers as she went 0-for-eight from beyond the arc. Next in line in the scoring department was Setorie St. Andre with nine points. 
 The game started with Madison Prep being called for a technical foul uniform violation. Sanaa St. Andre scored both free throws, and the Lady Warriors maintained the possession in front of a highly partisan Warrior crowd. Both teams did a good job of forcing turnovers in the early going until Madison Prep hit a three-pointer to go up 3-2. 
 Alandrea Cox then tied the game at four, and the Lady Warriors took the lead on the next possession. The lead was short lived as Madison Prep scored on back-to-back possession to double up the score. Cox then scored again to make it a one possession game. Madison Prep again doubled up the score at 12-6 and added a three-pointer. Oakdale called a timeout at the 2:52 mark of the first quarter down 15-8.
 Coming out of the timeout, Oakdale drove down the court, and KeMaesha St. Andre cashed it in with the basket. Sanaa St. Andre got the rebound on a missed three-pointer and drove down for the score. The Lady Chargers then connected from beyond the arc, and Oakdale trailed 21-12 at the end of the first quarter.
 Madison Prep then went on an 8-7 run in the second quarter. Setorie St. Andre scored a jump shot putting her team back down by 11 at 29-18 going into the final minute of the first half, and the first half ended by the same 29-18 score
 Oakdale in the second half was not getting the benefit of the calls from the officials, and the Oakdale faithful that made the trip was letting their frustration known in the stands as the Lady Chargers went up 34-18. Madison Prep called a full timeout with 3:12 before the end of the third up 37-20. 
 The Lady Chargers built a 20-point lead going into the final eight minutes of play to lead 45-22. Oakdale began the fouth quarter on a 7-0 run as Madison Prep called a timeout being up 45-29 with 3:36 remaining in the game. Madison Prep then went on an 8-0 run of their own over the next two minutes. Setorie St. Andre drilled a basket from beyond the arc in a final gasp for her Lady Warriors, but
their season came to a close. 
 Fontenot added after the game, "I am proud of the way our girls fought the entire game."
Also falling the in second round was Elizabeth as the Lady Bulldogs went down 76-34 at Summerfield. Fairview; however, advanced to the semi-finals in Class B after a dominating 91-27 win over Weston in the quarterfinals. The Lady Panthers now play Anacoco at the University Center in Hammond for a chance to earn a spot in the championship game.

Mamou Lady Demons wrangle the Lady Mustangs to advance to the Top 28 - Ville Platte Gazette Edition

 The eighth seeded Mamou Lady Demons wrangled the top ranked Rapides Lady Mustangs to a 68-55 win Thursday night in Lecompte in the quarterfinal round to advance to the Top 28. 
 Mamou used a strategy they employed earlier in the week to get them to the  quarterfinals. "I'm expecting a little of the same look we saw on Monday against Lake View, said head coach Danisha Allison-Lewis. "They're kinda similar in playing styles and defensive styles, so I'm expecting to use almost the same game plan we used against Lake View."
 In her first year at Mamou, the coach credited her team in getting to this point and says it is "huge" for her program. "I inherited a great group of girls," she said before the game. "They were well coached before I got here, so I inherited a great group of girls. And we're not going to be satisfied with the just the third round. We wanna go to State." 
 She then characterized the mood in the locker room. "They're hyped right now," she said. "I mean I'm the one with the nerves. They're telling me 'Coach, don't be nervous. We got this.'"
 Darelzray Bellard led all scorers with 29-points. Four of her baskets came from beyond the arc, and she went eight-for-13 from the free throw line. Kiajah Wilson was next in line in the scoring department with 13-points. Also scoring for the Lady Demons were Braylin Charles with ten, Kazhana Richard with eight, Tia Gallow with six, and Tavia Gallow with two points.
 Rapides won the tip, but Mamou forced the early turnover and got a three-pointer to cap off the possession. Mamou then got another three-pointer as the Lady Demons came out playing with energy. Rapides went on a run to make it a two point game before Darelzray Bellard drilled a long range three ball. Rapides then made it a one point game at 11-10. 
 Bellard was at the line at the 2:22 mark of first quarter and connected on all three free throws. Mamou scored on back-to-back possessions for the 18-10 lead. Braylin Charles added to the scoring run as Rapides called a timeout trailing 20-10 with 1:12 remaining in the first stanza. Katie Couvillion got the bucket as the first quarter came to an end with her team trailing 22-10.
 Charles received the lob pass and put the ball through the net leading off the second quarter, then Bellard added a jump shot. Kazhana Richard was at the line with 5:22 before the half and made both free throws giving her team the 16-point lead. 
 The student section sensing the enormity of the situation erupted in "Let's go Mustangs!" Darylnetta Martin answered the call and scored on both attempts from the charity stripe. A timeout was called on the court 4:08 before the half with Mamou leading 33-17. 
 Chants of "Let's go Mamou!" echoed through the strong contingent of Demon faithful. Martin picked up her third foul coming out of the timeout sending Bellard to the line where she made both free throws. Charles then got the steal and capitalized at the basket. She later got the basket just inside the three-point line. A timeout was called with 1:32 before the half with Mamou up 41-25.
 As Couvillion missed a three heading into the final minute, Kiajah Wilson drove down the court for the layup. The first half ended with Mamou leading 43-25.
 Bellard got the steal on the opening possession of the second half and got the points. Mitchell then scored as she picked up second chance points. Bellard was then at the line at the 5:32 mark and made both free throws to go up 49-31. Rapides went on a 4-0 scoring run half way through the third quarter. Couvillion connected on a long range two-pointer from the far end of the key approaching the final minute. At the end of three quarters of play in Lecompte, Mamou led Rapides 56-42.
 Mitchell got the first points of the final quarter as Rapides was in the midst of a 7-0 scoring run.  She then extended the run making it a two possession game befor Bellard got the basket. Mamou called a full timeout leading 58-51 with 4:45 remaining in regulation, and "Let's go Mustangs!" again erupted in the student section.
 Bellard scored to lead 60-53 going down the home stretch, and "Let's go Demons!" echoed through the stands as a timeout was called with 2:12 on the clock. Richard gave her team the easy basket and more separation. Mamou called a timeout inside the final minute leading 64-55 as shouts of "We believe, Demons!" rang out. Rapides resigned to fouling the Lady Demons, and Mamou took advantage to hold on for the win.
 "This is the first time in 19 years that we've been to the Top 28," said Allison-Lewis. "So I think it means a lot (for not only the school but also the town) going into the Top 28. We had a lot of support today. I thank everybody for coming out to support us. Everybody wanted us to win, and we took it."
 The Lady Demons now face fourth ranked Rayville at Hammond's University Center at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, March 1, 2017. Rayville defeated Loreauville 63-28 in the opening round of the playoffs then beat Kinder 63-36 before knocking out Red River 66-46 in the quarterfinals.

Mamou Lady Demons wrangle the Lady Mustangs in the quarterfinals - Town Talk Edition

 The top seeded Rapides Lady Mustangs' quest for a State Championship ended Thursday night in Lecompte as the eighth seed Mamou Lady Demons wrangled the opposition to win 68-55 in the quarterfinal round. 
 Rapides head coach Shane Henderson before the game characterized his team's mood in the locker room. "The girls are really confident, he said. "They feel good about where they're at. They feel that if they can do what they're supposed to do we should be fine."
 His mood became more somber after the loss. "We just couldn't get anything to fall. In the first quarter their (Darelzray Bellard) couldn't miss, and we dug ourselves a hole. Everytime we'd make a run, we'd miss an easy put back or an easy shot or more free throws. For whatever reason it wasn't our night tonight." 
 Tori Mitchell led all Lady Mustang scorers with 26-points and went four-for-four from the free throw line. She was the only player with double digit points as Darylnetta Martin, Katie Couvillion, and Naomi Lewis each recorded six points. 
 Rapides won the tip, but Mamou forced the early turnover and got a three-pointer to cap off the possession. Mamou then got another three-pointer as the Lady Demons came out playing with energy. Rapides went on a run to make it a two point game before Darelzray Bellard drilled a long range three ball. Rapides then made it a one point game at 11-10. 
 Bellard was at the line at the 2:22 mark of first quarter and connected on all three free throws. Mamou scored on back-to-back possessions for the 18-10 lead. Braylin Charles added to the scoring run as Rapides called a timeout trailing 20-10 with 1:12 remaining in the first stanza. Katie Couvillion got the bucket as the first quarter came to an end with her team trailing 22-10.
 Charles received the lob pass and put the ball through the net leading off the second quarter, then Bellard added a jump shot. Kazhana Richard was at the line with 5:22 before the half and made both free throws giving her team the 16-point lead. 
 The student section sensing the enormity of the situation erupted in "Let's go Mustangs!" Darylnetta Martin answered the call and scored on both attempts from the charity stripe. A timeout was called on the court 4:08 before the half with Mamou leading 33-17. 
 Chants of "Let's go Mamou!" echoed through the strong contingent of Demon faithful. Martin picked up her third foul coming out of the timeout sending Bellard to the line where she made both free throws. Charles then got the steal and capitalized at the basket. She later got the basket just inside the three-point line. A timeout was called with 1:32 before the half with Mamou up 41-25.
 As Couvillion missed a three heading into the final minute, Kiajah Wilson drove down the court for the layup. The first half ended with Mamou leading 43-25.
 Bellard got the steal on the opening possession of the second half and got the points. Mitchell then scored as she picked up second chance points. Bellard was then at the line at the 5:32 mark and made both free throws to go up 49-31. Rapides went on a 4-0 scoring run half way through the third quarter. Couvillion connected on a long range two-pointer from the far end of the key approaching the final minute. At the end of three quarters of play in Lecompte, Mamou led Rapides 56-42.
 Mitchell got the first points of the final quarter as Rapides was in the midst of a 7-0 scoring run.  She then extended the run making it a two possession game befor Bellard got the basket. Mamou called a full timeout leading 58-51 with 4:45 remaining in regulation, and "Let's go Mustangs!" again erupted in the student section.
 Bellard scored to lead 60-53 going down the home stretch, and "Let's go Demons!" echoed through the stands as a timeout was called with 2:12 on the clock. Richard gave her team the easy basket and more separation. Mamou called a timeout inside the final minute leading 64-55 as shouts of "We believe, Demons!" rang out. Rapides resigned to fouling the Lady Demons, and Mamou took advantage to hold on for the win.
 Henderson did not let the loss damper his thoughts on the season as his team went through play in District 3-2A undefeated. "(The season) went really well, he said. We probably exceeded expectations. The girls came together, and everybody knew their roles, and everybody did their job. It translated to a lot of wins. We'll come back strong. We'll give them off a few weeks and start making preparations for next year."