Back in the mix

VILLE PLATTE – After three games in District 5-3A play, the Ville Platte High Bulldogs found themselves with a 1-2 record; a predicament they had not been in for a very long time.
Pine Prairie on the other hand was 2-1 and riding high after a big win over Port Barre.
So, when these two teams met on the hardwood Tuesday night a number of things were riding on the outcome of the game.
First and foremost was another district win. Secondly, a victory against an inter-parish rival.
As always, the game was a barn burner that turned into a huge 66-60 win for the Ville Platte Bulldogs.
With the win, Ville Platte is now 8-11 on the season and 2-2 in district play, which puts them right back in the hunt for a district title.
Pine Prairie falls to 11-5 on the year and 2-2 in the district standings.
“I thought it was a well played game,” said Ville Platte head coach Tommy Jones. “Both teams came ready to play and it was a tight contest as always. We did a really good job of fending off their rallies and took advantage of our free throw attempts, especially down the stretch.”
As the final score indicated, the game was in doubt down to the final minutes of the contest.
Ville Platte started the game strong, taking a 5-0 lead right from the tip.
Pine Prairie knowing they need to respond, crawled back on three straight free throws from Sylus Carson.
Two late quarter buckets by Shanicole Holland were answered by a three-pointer from Dylan Doucet and a put back basket from Carson, giving Ville Platte a 17-15 lead as time expired in the opening quarter.
Defensive intensity from both squads slowed the offensive production in the second quarter. Neither team could get on track shooting the basketball.
Ville Platte jumped out to a 25-15 lead after going on an 8-0 run in the first 3:04 of the quarter.
Things leveled out for both teams in the latter part of the quarter, as Ville Platte took a 30-22 lead as the first half came to a close.
Sensing they needed to pick up the intensity, Pine Prairie opened the beginning part of the third quarter with a 10-4 run to cut the lead to 34-32 at the 4:48 mark.
The big key to the Panther run was a halftime adjustment by Pine Prairie head coach Chris Guillory.
“We started to trap the ball on the press and at the top of our zone defense,” stated Guillory. “That allowed us to get some turnovers and help get our offense on track. But, hats off to Ville Platte. They took our best punch and did not fold. I thought we just took some ill-advised shots down the stretch.”
Pine Prairie actually took the lead, 39-36, at the 2:16 mark of the third quarter on a three-point basket from Darnell Durgin.
That lead was short-lived, as Ville Platte closed out the quarter on a 10-3 run to overtake Pine Prairie 46-42.
The final quarter was a heart pounding eight minutes, as both teams refused to give in.
After five minutes of play in fourth quarter, Ville Platte only held a 55-54 lead.
In the end, Pine Prairie was forced to foul, and Ville Platte was up to the task, hitting seven of seven from the charity stripe to close out the game.
Ville Platte was led by Holland, who pumped in a game high 24 points. Kelian Semien added 22 points for the Bulldogs. Martin Jason chipped 11 points.
Carson scored 20 points to lead Pine Prairie. Durgin knocked down 16 points and Vontrevis Thomas tacked on 14 points for the Panthers.
Ville Platte will travel to Church Point on Friday, while Pine Prairie will host Eunice in key district games.