Warren Arceneaux

After returning from up north with a pair of wins, Hamilton Christian will try to protect its turf tonight when it hosts neighbor St. Louis in a nondistrict boys basketball game.

The Saints (8-3) were on a five-game winning streak before losing their final two games at the DeRidder tournament over the weekend. Hamilton Christian (3-3) beat Delhi and Franklin Parish in the Rayville tournament to snap a 3-game losing streak.

Warriors head coach Dexter Washington said his team showed improvement but is still working on cutting down on turnovers.

“We shot the ball better, we played better together and we played harder,” Washington said. “We still have to do a better job of taking care of the basketball. We practiced on that for a few days. The trip was good for us. We got some bonding time.”

Washington said former Warrior and current UL-Lafayette point guard Michael Thomas stopped by a practice session and provided pointers to the current Warriors.

“He is on break and gave pointers on a few things, dribbling and ball-handling. He shared some of his experiences. Just having him out there with our kids was a big plus for us.”

Washington said the Saints make things difficult on opponents with a multitude of scoring options and stingy defense.

“They are so disciplined and well-coached,” he said. “The five starters they put out there are all solid. They are so well-coached and well-versed in what they do, they are going to be in the ball game no matter what because of their style of play and ability to run Coach (Mack) Guillory’s system.”

Washington said he is looking forward to the battle of wits with Guillory. The two were district rivals for a while when Guillory was head coach at LC College Prep.

“I like to get up and down the court, I’m sure he knows that is what I like to do,” he said. “That may not be the style he wants to play. We are going to throw some different things at them, throw some bodies at them and try to make them work for everything they get.”St. Louis point guard Terry Sherman shoots a three over Anacoco’s Shaun Riley during their game at the Hamilton Christian tournament Dec. 2.

Rick Hickman / American Press