Bucs try to bounce back Hamilton, Elton meet for control of District 4-1A
Published 4:16 pm Friday, February 4, 2022
- Barbe’s Ja’Quise Richmond lays the ball up while Sam Houston’s Max Quarlles defends at Sam Houston High School in Moss Bluff, Louisiana on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Lake Charles American Press, Kirk Meche)
A road loss earlier this week dropped the Barbe Bucs out of first place in District 3-5A. A win tonight against leader New Iberia would put the Bucs back in the title mix.
In District 4-1A, Hamilton Christian (16-6, 4-0) is coming off a big home win and looking to take sole possession of first place when it travels to face Elton (17-6, 4-0), the defending district champion, which is also undefeated in league play.
Barbe (22-3, 3-1) lost a close one at Acadiana on Tuesday, losing 54-49 to the Rams. NISH (20-6, 4-0) is the lone unbeaten team in district play. The loss snapped a 10-game Bucs winning streak.
They will look to rebound against New Iberia at 7 p.m. today at Sam Houston High School.
The Bucs are led by Jabbari Barry, Ethan Marque and Ja’Qiuse Richmond. The trio combined to score 47 points in Tuesday’s game.
The Yellow Jackets are on a nine-game winning streak and beat Comeaux 52-39 Tuesday night.
Bucs head coach Carl Klein said the Bucs didn’t execute well in the first half against Acadiana.
“We had been doing a good job of staying focused, staying solid on the offensive end,” he said. “We had been sharing the ball, getting it to the right person at the right time until we had the hiccup against Acadiana.”
Klein said NISH is strong on both ends.
“They are very solid offensively and defensively,” he said. “Defensively they do a great job of containment. Offensively they are solid. They run their sets and do a good job of executing.”
Hamilton Christian beat Grand Lake Tuesday night to set up tonight’s showdown in Elton. The Warriors have won 11 straight. Elton has won nine of its last 10. The winner will be in sole possession of first place with two district games remaining.
“Elton has always been a tough place to play,” Hamilton head coach Dexter Washington said. “It’s basically for the district championship; the winner is in the driver’s seat. For us, it’s even bigger than the district title, since we’re trying to stay home all through the playoffs. We’re trying to move up in the power rankings.”
The Warriors are ranked fifth in Division IV. The top four seeds are guaranteed home games in the quarterfinal round.
