Doc Edwards Day 2 Review
Day 2 of the Doc Edwards Memorial tournament saw no real surprises as far as winners and losers. All games were hotly contested despite some of the final results. From yesterday’s results, Day 3 should be just as good as the first two days. Here is a brief review of what stuck out on day two.
1.) Plain Dealing’s future is bright
Even though Plain Dealing took consecutive losses in the tournament by fifteen or more points, they got some quality play out of their tandem of Jakaleb McGee (freshman) and Derrien Perry (sophomore). These two put up solid scoring numbers in both losses. Coach Norm Picou, Jr. has two guys who he can depend on to score. If these two get some more help this year from their supporting cast , they should be competitive in class 1A this year. If not, the future still looks bright for them going forward.
2.) Jimmie Pittman is a leader
Leaning on their senior guard Jimmie Pittman, St. Amant is on another five plus game winning streak. They head into the semifinals of the after defeating ASH by nine on last night. Look for Pittman to do more of the same tonight as the team takes on Parkway in a 5A match up. With a win in the semis, St. Amant will have played in the final in every tournament they have participated in this season. Jimmie Pittman will be a large reason why that happens.
3.) Red River is on a roll
A 16 point deficit is pretty big in a basketball game. With freshman Emareyon McDonald shooting poorly and Huntington scoring at will in the lane, Red River had to go back to their old standby……..their pressure defense. Coach Johnson began offensive/defensive subs in the middle of the third quarter and extended the pressure full court. Using the smaller guards on his bench, Red River sped up Huntington’s ball handlers into countless second half turnovers. On the offensive end, Lakerreon McDonald kept driving to the basket for layups or to get fouled. During the 3rd quarter, he was pretty much the only offense Red River had. While the older McDonald got them in striking distance, the younger McDonald made the biggest shot. With 58 seconds left, he hit a three point shot to bring the deficit to one. Red River scored the next three points to seal the victory. The win brought Red River to 5-0 against teams in 1-4A and gave them a five game win streak as well. They will look to continue their hot play against Airline tonight.
4.) Airline bouncing back
After the six overtime loss to West Monroe on last week, Airline has bounced back with two quality wins during the Doc Edwards tournament. They dispatched a young Plain Dealing team on the first day and fought hard to beat a top 5 2A team in Many. If they are going to win the tournament, Trenton Ivy and the other seniors on the team will really need to step up their effort. They will be facing a quality Red River team who is as hot as any team in north Louisiana. To grab the next win, they will need to play at a high level. They lost to Bossier last year in the final and hope to take the tournament title this year.
Friday’s Game schedule
Day 3
Airline (1-5A)-Red River (3-2A), 5:30 p.m. at Airline
Benton (1-4A)-Northwood (1-4A), 5:30 p.m. at Benton
BTW (1-4A)-ASH (2-5A), 8:30 p.m. at Benton
Parkway (1-5A)-St. Amant (5-5A), 8:30 p.m. at Airline