Prep basketball rewind: Finale brings taste of playoffs
Published 8:00 am Tuesday, February 13, 2024
The final week of the girls high school basketball regular season closed with two big top-four matchups.
Rosepine overcame a double-digit rally to win the District 4-2A championship and extend its win streak to 18 games.
In a battle of defending state champions, Rosepine trailed Oakdale by 10 points late in the second quarter and won 65-54 to win its fourth consecutive district championship. The first meeting went into double overtime on Jan. 23 with the Eagles winning 75-71.
Hayley Calcote’s buzzer-beater at the end of the first half cut Oakdale’s lead to 32-25 and the Eagles went on a 19-4 run to close out the third quarter and take their first lead since the opening quarter. Amaya Shine, who led the Eagles with 21 points, hit her third 3-pointer with 1:32 left in the third quarter for a 40-38 lead. She stole the ball on the Warriors’ ensuing possession and went coast to coast for a layup.
Rosepine led 50-40 after Kailea Blankenbaker’s 3, but the Warriors almost erased the deficit with an 8-0 run. Amani Young hit a shot in the lane to cut the Eagles lead to 50-48 with 5:37 left.
Blankenbaker and Nevaeh Rivera scored 11 points apiece for the Eagles. Kelly Norris had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Young led Oakdale with 17 points. Kaylee Bradley scored 10 points for the Warriors, and Akeelah Hobson had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Led by senior forward Kenzie Hudler, South Beauregard won its second consecutive district championship.
With the Lady K’s clinging to a 35-33 lead, Hudler scored 13 of South Beauregard’s 18 points. Hudler finished with 34 points.
South Beauregard (24-7, 6-0) won its 13th consecutive game.
Gabby Guillory led Westlake (22-5, 5-1) with 13 points.
Both teams are ranked in the top four in the power ratings.
a STREAKING: The Lake Arthur girls won their 15th consecutive game and wrapped up a second consecutive undefeated run through District 4-2A.
In a 69-16 win over Vinton, Vivian Sketoe led three Tigers in double figures with 19 points. Avery Marcantel added 11 points and Ella Istre finished with 10 points.
a HIGH-POWERED WARRIORS: The Oakdale boys hit the century mark in a 100-78 road win over Rosepine.
Senior guards led D.J. Johnson and Derrick Green the Warriors, who have scored more than 70 in five of their last six games. Johnson scored a game-high 40 points, including five 3-pointers, and Green finished with 30.
The teams combined for 21 3-pointers with Rosepine’s Hayden Brister leading all shooters with six. Brister led Rosepine (13-14, 4-5) with 32 points.
Rosepine led 14-11 in the first quarter until Johnson’s buzzer-beater tied it at 14-14.
Brister drove the lane for a bucket with less than 3 minutes left in the first half to cut the Warriors lead to 37-34. Aiden Snell’s three-point play with 2:44 left in the third quarter cut the Eagles’ deficit to 64-61, but the Warriors used a 10-0 run to pull away.
The Warriors (14-6, 8-1) need a win today at Avoyelles to secure the District 4-2A championship.