North Louisiana Spotlight: Tournament Edition (Day 2)
The second day of the Don Redden Memorial tournament and the Bossier Invitational saw top teams in north Louisiana hit the hardwood. Natchitoches Central, Deridder, and Rayville played their first games in their respective tournaments due to first round byes. With these teams playing, fans also got to see some of the top players in Louisiana do their thing. As we move to day three, we will highlight key points from last night and highlight today’s schedule.
Bossier Invitational – Day 2
Top teams roll in quarterfinal play
Natchitoches Central (16-1) and Bossier High (12-6) rolled into their semifinal match-up tonight in pretty convincing fashion on Thursday evening. Northwestern State signee Brian White (18 pts.) and C.J. Carpenter (20 pts.) pressed and confused the Benton Tigers from the opening tip beginning the game on an 8-0 run and never looking back. The Chiefs’ defense suffocated passing lanes and made it hard for the Tigers to run their offense. Benton point guard Jalen Harding backed up his 31 point performance against Red River with 18 points. However, the fast breaking Chiefs never let up and controlled the whole game.
Bossier’s three-headed monster of Jacoby Decker (10), Dante Bell (14), and Kalaas Roots (15) pretty much played a similar style against Green Oaks as did Natchitoches Central. They sped up the Giants from the opening tap. Green Oaks guards found scoring in the early periods pretty easy but wilted under the constant pressure from the Bearkats. The Giants had no one score in double figures and their three point shooting was off. The long rebounds played into Bossier’s game plan and helped them record their twelfth win of the season by 20-plus points.
Deridder fought back from a 12 point deficit late in the second half to take a one point lead in their game against Richwood. After a game-tying free throw, Deridder had the possession and found ULL signee Randy Gladney for what was thought to be a go-ahead layup. Forward Geor’Quarrius Spivey came from behind and blocked the layup attempt. Afterwards, Richwood somehow got the ball to guard Joseph Smith. He buried a three pointer from the right wing with 3 seconds left to seal the Dragons fate. Smith led Richwood again with 21 points. However, none were bigger than the three he had to cap the ending.
Similar drama in the Southwood-Huntington rematch ended the night at the Bossier Invitational. With Huntington up nine with just under two minutes left, Southwood went into press mode. The series of turnovers and bad free throw shooting helped Southwood creep back in. Junior wing Roderick Stinson hit two three pointers and senior Letreavin Black hit numerous free throws to cut the lead to one. Southwood senior Yancey Kelly recovered a loose ball and shoveled a pass to Christian Caldwell. Even after missing the two free throws, Southwood had another chance to secure a victory but Rod Stinson could not get a shot off. Huntington did not have the advantage of their twin towers in this game. Instead, they relied on the three point shooting of Dajerious Jackson. They also held the Cowboys to two single digit scoring quarters en route to the win.
Today’s games (Day 3)
Deridder vs Green Oaks (4pm)/ Benton vs Southwood (5:30 pm)
Semifinal play – Natchitoches Central vs Bossier (7pm) and Huntington vs Richwood (8:30 pm)
Don Redden Memorial – Day 2
Rayville continued its undefeated streak this season as they stung the Bulldogs last night. JaMichael and Mylik Wilson led the way for the Hornets scoring 16 and 13 points respectively. Carroll was able to compete with the size of the Hornets and was tied with the top team in 2A at the half. Rayville finally pulled away in the 4th quarter to make the margin what it was at the final horn. Rayville will play Wossman in the semifinals due to their victory over Lafayette Christian during the first night of the tournament. The Lafayette Christian victory might give Wossman enough confidence to slay the giants of 2A. With a day of rest in between, they will see.
In a game that was seemingly the mirror image of a game 100 miles away, East Ascension pulled out a nail biter against Neville. Neville came back from a double digit 4th quarter deficit to come within a bucket (as Southwood did against Huntington) but could never take the lead. Despite the late turnovers, East Ascension (led by guard Jimel London as the top scorer) held on to face Ouachita in today’s semis. Ouachita, looking like world beaters, dispatched Franklin Parish to the tune of a 30 point victory. If they get past East Ascension, this will possibly be the 2nd tournament final in three weeks where they face Rayville. As the #2 rated team in district 5A, they hope to have a better outcome than they have had prior.
Today’s games (Day 3)
West Ouachita vs Carroll (4pm)/ Neville vs Lafayette Christian (5:15 pm) – consolation bracket games
Semifinal play – East Ascension vs Ouachita (6:30 pm) and Wossman vs Rayville (7:45 pm)