Title run begins

PINE PRAIRIE – The Ville Platte Lady Bulldogs used a big fourth quarter to earn a district-opening 66-49 win over the Lady Panthers here Friday evening.
The two teams will resume District 5-3A play on Tuesday. Ville Platte will host Church Point, and Pine Prairie will travel to Eunice.
With the win, Ville Platte improves to 11-6 on the season. Pine Prairie falls to 5-10.
Heading into the game, Ville Platte received some disappointing news. Tyreona Doucet, a junior forward, will have to have surgery to repair a torn meniscus on her left knee.
It is unknown whether she will be able to return this season. She had a similar surgery last season on her other leg.
“There’s no doubt that losing Tyreona will affect our team,” Lady Bulldog head coach Dot Doulet said. “But, we’ve been playing the past ten games without her. This is an opportunity for our bench players to step up and fill in the roles they’re given.”
Part of Doulet’s game plan against the Lady Panthers was to get more of her bench players involved.
“I need to get my bench used to varsity-level competition since they’re going to see more playing time,” Doulet said. “I thought tonight was an ideal game to try to do that. It’s the first district game of the season, so they need the experience right now.”
The Lady Bulldogs took control of the game from the opening tip-off, building a 15-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. Senior post-player Kabreonna Stevens keyed the offense with six points.
In the second quarter, Pine Prairie seemed to find some offensive rhythm, scoring 15 points with Taylar Deville and Brianna Bradley each chipping in six points.
However, the Lady Bulldogs kept pace, also scoring 15 points, in a balanced attack. Six different Lady Dogs scored in the second period, and Ville Platte maintained an 11-point lead at halftime, 30-19.
During intermission, Lady Panthers’ head coach Renotta Edwards (a former Bulldog in high school) made some defensive adjustments that paid off in the third quarter.
“We’re a young team, and we look for any edge we can find to help us,” Edwards said. “We decided to switch back-and-forth from a trap to a regular zone to try to slow Ville Platte down.”
During the third quarter, the Bulldogs committed several turnovers due to the defensive pressure.
Meanwhile, the Lady Panthers took advantage offensively, outscoring Ville Platte in the period and cutting the lead to single digits.
Tori Bordelon led the Panther effort with seven points, including one of her two three-pointers. The Bulldog lead was down to 30-19 heading in to the last quarter.
After watching her team start to fade a little, Doulet pulled put back the starters and applied a man-to-man defense to start the fourth quarter.
The move immediately had an impact, with the Bulldogs scoring seven points in the first minute.
Once again, the Lady Bulldogs used a balanced offensive attack in the fourth quarter. Hala Fontenot led the way with seven points. Both Jalaya Thomas and Keologah Calvin scored six points, and Makayla Ardoin added six points in the 26-point period.
The Panthers, however, did not quit. Hustling after every loose ball and rebound, Pine Prairie scored eight points, mostly from free throws, in the last minute of the game to cut the lead down to 17 points.
Edwards was pleased with her team’s effort.
“Ville Platte is a very good team, and we didn’t stop playing against them,” she said. “We give 100 per cent, no matter what the score. Our motto is ‘We don’t compare; we compete’. And I’m happy to see that we’re starting to build that culture here.”
Calvin was the leading scorer in the game, netting 14 points. Both Zaria Fontenot and Hala Fontenot chipped in ten points for Ville Platte.
Bordelon led the Lady Panthers with 12 points. Deville added 11 points for Pine Prairie.