Panthers take key district win over Dogs

A battle of teams with perfect 1-0 records in district 5-3A took place on Tuesday night as the Pine Prairie Panthers hosted the Ville Platte Bulldogs. The winner would take a big step toward controlling their own destiny in district play, while the loser would have to continue to battle to stay in position for a chance at the title. The Bulldogs were able to cut a 26 point deficit in the third quarter down to nine in the final period. However, the Panthers were able to steady themselves and take the 94-85 victory.
The first quarter set the pace for a wild game, as each team was able to score in double digits before the period ended. Pine Prairie jumped out quickly scoring the first eight points of the game. At the 4:37 mark, the Panthers had extended the lead to 12 points, 14-2. The Bulldogs crawled their way back into the game using quickness on defense to cause some key turnovers. As the horn sounded to end the period, Pine Prairie held an 18-14 lead.
Opening the second quarter, the Panthers knocked down five quick points, including a three-point basket. Ville Platte cut the lead down to seven with 5:31 left in the period, only to have Pine Prairie move the advantage back to 12 points in the next minute. Each squad continued to put pressure on the other and traded buckets for the rest of the quarter. As the time ran out on the first half, the Panthers had extended their lead to 12 points, 42-30.
Ville Platte came out in the second half looking to pull themselves back to within single digits. Baskets by JaQualen Doucet and Ernest Ardoin accomplished that goal, as the Bulldogs cut the lead to eight in the first 45 seconds of the period. Pine Prairie answered the Ville Platte push by running off 20 of the next 24 points in the quarter, including four three-pointers, to take a lead by 26 points, 62-39.
The Bulldogs would not go away, however, as they collected 11 straight points to cut the score down to 62-47 with 3:15 left in the quarter. The teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the period and Pine Prairie led 71-53 as the third stanza came to a close.
A short run by Ville Platte to open the fourth period allowed the Bulldogs to slash the lead down to nine with 4:58 left in the game. But every time Ville Platte looked like they were going to keep the game under double figures, the Panthers had an answer. The Pine Prairie advantage stayed over 10 points from the 4:21 mark until the final buzzer sounded.
Leading scorer for the Panthers was Douglas Fontenot, who poured in 23 points. Josh Freeman chipped in 18 points, while Sylus Carson and Javon Ardoin each added 16 points for Pine Prairie. Ville Platte was lead by Shanicole Holland, who knocked down 20 points. Ernest Ardoin put in 17 points and Alex Gooden added 11 points in the loss.
With the win, the Panthers now move to 20-4 on the season and 2-0 in district. Ville Platte drops to 11-10 on the year and 1-1 in district play. Pine Prairie will host the Northwest Raiders on Friday, while the Bulldogs travel to Livonia to face off against the Wildcats.