Johnson Bayou coasts by
Published 4:30 pm Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Rebels overcome mid-game slump against Westlake
Johnson Bayou’s Gracie Young goes up for the block on Westlake’s Destiny Peltier during their game at Westlake High School in Westlake, La., Monday, Nov. 20, 2017.
WESTLAKE — Johnson Bayou held a big lead early in the game, but had to overcome a mid-game slump to beat host Westlake 48-46 in the first round of the Lakeside Bank Holiday Classic on Monday.
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“It was mental errors,” Johnson Bayou head coach Andrew Monceaux said. “The pressure got to us.
“We got complacent with being ahead. Instead of playing hard the whole game, we sat back on our heels and Westlake played hard and got back into the game. At halftime we made some adjustments and switched some players, played hard towards the end, never gave up and we came back and won it.”
Johnson Bayou (6-3) started the game with a 12-1 lead, but late in the second quarter Westlake started to close the gap. The Rebels’ Amy Theriot hit a three with 4:03 left in the second for a 26-16 lead. But Westlake went on a 7-2 run with Destiny Peltier getting a putback on a missed free throw by Jena Johnson with 1:41 left in the first half to cut the deficit to 28-23.
Westlake (0-1) started the second half with a 14-3 run to take a 37-32 lead with Jena Harrison and Peltier combing for nine points.
“The defense needed to pick up the intensity which they did going into the third quarter,” Westlake head coach Gloria Fontenot said. “We worked on the offense a little bit more.
“We took our time working the offense because turnovers are killing us right now. We are throwing the ball all over. We told them we had to have rebounds. We had a few rebounds and we had been getting the fastbreak all do, so we knew we could kick it and go.”
After scoring just three points in the first half, Rebel sophomore point guard Gracie Young, an All Southwest Louisiana selection last year, hit a trio of three-pointers in the second half to help Johnson Bayou take back the lead. Young finished with 14 points.
“She plays hard,” Monceaux said. “Once she starts hitting, she is pretty consistent.
Westlake’s Jena Johnson and Johnson Bayou’s K. Trahan fight for control of a loose ball during their game at Westlake High School in Westlake, La., Monday, Nov. 20, 2017.
“She hit some big shots. At halftime, we tried to make some adjustments to get her confidence back up. The first half she didn’t hit very many shots. She came back and responded and hit some big shots.”
With 24 second left in the third quarter, Young hit a three to tie the game at 37-37. Westlake went back ahead on a layup by Peltier with 7:24 left in the game, but Young hit another three with 4:39 left on the clock to put the Rebels up for good, 43-40.
Westlake had a chance for the win with two seconds left, but Jada Gasaway missed a three from the corner.
Peltier led Westlake with 14 points and center Desiree Jackson added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Johnson Bayou will face DeQuincy today at 12:30 p.m. in the second round of the tournament.
