Lacassine nearly overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit but missed a game-tying shot at the buzzer as J.S. Clark won 59-56 to take sole possession of first place in District 6-B.

It was a battle between two of the top small school teams in the state. Lacassine (30-2, 4-1) is the top-ranked team in nonselect Division V, while J.S. Clark (15-7, 4-0) is ranked No. 2 in select Division V.

J.S. Clark, who never trailed, took its largest lead of the game, 52-36, with 7:33 left on a jumper by Lawrence Pickney.

The Cardinals finally got the spark they needed 10 seconds later when Jordan Garcia the third of his four 3-pointers to start a 7-0 run.

J.S. Clark went to the free throw line 10 times in the final 49 seconds but missed seven of them, leaving the door open for the Cardinals. Garcia hit another long ball with 22 seconds left, and Lucas Corbello turned an offensive rebound into two points that cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 59-56 with 10 seconds left. Kane Broussard got off a three from the corner just before the buzzer, but it rimmed out.

Early on, the Cardinals struggled to score, shooting 20 percent in the first quarter, and started in a 7-0 hole. At the same time, the Bulldogs enjoyed a big shooting night, hitting better than 46 percent in the first three quarters including 63.6 percent in the third.

Lacassine’s Jordan Duhe led all scorers with 19 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Garcia added 14 points, and Alexx Thomas finished with 13.

Ledamien George (18) and Pickney (11) led J.S. Clark, who won for the fifth time in six games.

The loss snapped the Cardinals’ seven-game win streak.