Basile squeaks by Grand Lake 16-14

GRAND LAKE – When the game between the Basile Bearcats and Grand Lake Hornets was moved to Thursday night on a day’s notice, because of the impending weather situation, Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand hoped that his team would be able to handle the quick move and play with as much intensity as they had shown over their four wins in a row.
However, the Bearcats came out as flat as a pancake, but were able to hold on to a 16-14 win over the Hornets in a closer than expected contest.
With the win, Basile moves to 6-3 on the year and 5-1 in District 4-1A play.
The Bearcats will close out the regular season this Friday when they Hamilton Christian.
“We just came out really flat and they punched us in the mouth to start the game,” stated Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand. “I won’t even try to explain why, because who knows what goes on in the mind of a group of teenagers. It could have been the sudden move of the game or it could have been the fact that we thought this would be an easy win. Still, I am proud of the way we fought through it and came away with the win.”
The Hornets, on senior night, came out ready to play, as they were able to deal the first blow scoring the only touchdown of the first quarter on a Chris Renea five-yard run. The Jose Rosal kick was good and Grand Lake took the early 7-0 lead.
Basile was able to settle down in the second quarter scoring on two separate occasions. The first touchdown came via a 70-yard touchdown pass from Dawson Ashford to Jaylen Thomas. A Jacob Guillory 33-yard field goal came later in the quarter and as the first half closed out, the Bearcats led 10-7.
Basile would put up the first points of the second half when Ashford plunged over the goal line from one-yard out.
The extra point was no good, however, making the score 16-7 in favor of the Bearcats.
Grand Lake would not go away quietly. The Hornets tried to make a game of it later in the third quarter when Jaren Sonnier collected a 10-yard scoring pass from Kade Delcambre. The extra point was good and the Basile lead was cut to 16-14.
But, the Bearcats were able to shut down Grand Lake the rest of the way, preserving the win and improving the playoff power rating for Basile.
“This is a big win for us as it keeps us in terms of power points,” said Bertrand. “One of our goals all season was to be able to host a first round playoff game. This win keeps us in that position.”