Bucs beat district rival Tors for first playoff win in 15 years
Published 7:00 am Saturday, February 26, 2022
- Barbe’s Jabbari Barry dribbles past Sulphur’s Kohl Navarre during a Class 5A bi-district playoff game between the District 3-5A rivals Friday night at Sam Houston High in Moss Bluff. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
MOSS BLUFF — The Barbe Bucs weathered a defensive battle against District 3-5A rival Sulphur to win their first playoff game since 2007, 43-33 Friday night in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
“It has been a while,” Barbe head coach Carl Klein said. “It feels good. I think these kids found a way to win tonight.”
Barbe (27-5) will travel to No. 4 New Iberia (28-7) in the regional round. NISH beat Sam Houston (16-14) 65-34 in the first round.
The Bucs completed a three-game season sweep of the Tors.
Neither team shot better than 27 percent from the field.
The Bucs made up for a lack of scoring by winning the boards and the shot-blocking of Ja’Quise Richmond and Jayden Gradney. Richmond had 11 rebounds and four blocks, and Gradney added six boards and five blocks. Barbe outrebounded Sulphur 36-23.
“They did a good job in the paint,” Klein said of Richmond and Gradney. “On the help-side defense, we were there. We were able to get some shot blocks. The thing was we were able to rebound it on that back end.”
Richmond blocked a shot, got a rebound and scored four points in the first 1:13 of the second half to help the Bucs start to distance themselves.
The Tors (20-15) were looking for their first playoff win since 2011 and used physical play early to set the tone. Zavien Trent’s layup gave Sulphur 7-4 in the first quarter. The Tors took their biggest lead, 16-11, on a turnaround jumper by forward Dawson Ortego, but the Bucs finished the first half on an 8-2 run. Gradney scored off an offensive rebound to put the Bucs up for good 17-16 with 1:39 left in the first half.
“It is two teams that obviously know each other,” Klein said. “It is a big rivalry game.
“Both teams came out. I thought early on their physicality was big. It took a toll on us early on. They did a great job preparing for us and knew exactly what we were going to go out there and do. We just had to go out there and find a way to make some plays.”
Ethan Marque and Jabbari Berry led the Bucs with 13 points each and combined for 13 rebounds.
Trent was the Tors’ top scorer with 13 points, and J.D. LaFleur grabbed 10 rebounds.
