Bulldogs blow past NC Hurricanes

When Ville Platte High and North Central get together on the basketball court, it has always been a battle. The two basketball powers met Tuesday in Ville Platte and that trend continued.
The Lady Bulldogs and the Lady Hurricanes collided first. The game was one for the ages. It would take two overtime periods before a winner would be crowned in this game. When it was all said and done, the Lady Bulldogs took an 89-80 victory.
The contest started out quickly, as both teams started out fast. It was 18-17 at the end of the opening frame. North Central held a slight edge on the shooting of Jerez Robertson and Adrianna Edwards. Ville Platte battled back with an eight-point opening period from Deja McKinney and a three-point shot from Breanna Pete.
The close play from both teams continued into the second stanza. Ville Platte shot just seven points, while the Lady Hurricanes doubled that with 14 points. The advantage gave the visiting team a 32-24 lead at the halfway point.
In the third period, North Central was slowed down a bit by the Ville Platte High defense. The Lady Hurricanes scored just 15 points, while VPHS put up 19 points. Edwards led the charge for the visiting team with five points in the frame. Tyreonna Stevens caught fire and hit nine points. She would have a high of 18 points in the game. The Lady Bulldogs got closer and made it a 47-43 contest as the final period began.
The Lady Bulldogs battled with an impressive attitude in the final period. They would not let the visiting team breathe. On defense, they forced turnover after turnover without any fear. McKinney and Pete combined for 13 points as the Lady Bulldogs out-scored their opponent 21-17 and tied the game at 64-64.
It was a great game. The fans were on their feet and fired up. In the overtime periods, the two teams didn’t quit. Ville Platte High kept the momentum thanks to their crowd noise and the amazing play from McKinney. She dumped 11 points in the frame. As the team tried to gain a step on each other, the Lady Bulldogs moved out in front. NCHS lost two key defensive players when they fouled out. That gave VPHS the break they needed.
The Lady Bulldogs played patiently and took advantage of the breaks they got in the second overtime period. This allowed them to get the win.
For NCHS, Robertson led the team with 22 points, while Edwards ended her night with 18 points. McKinney was the high-point girl for the local team. She ended the night with 31 points. Pete finished with 13 points and Shalinda Thomas scored 10 points.
The boys game was not as close as it has been in the past. Ville Platte went on top 29-16 in the opening frame. Ernest Ardoin caught fire and hit 13 points, including a three-point shot. Alex Gooden was big in the period also with a three-point shot. Gooden would end the night with 13 digits.
In the second period, the Bulldogs kept the lead with a 39-26 score. The Hurricanes kept a lot of pressure on the Bulldogs by taking advantage of miscues. However, the VPHS boys held onto the lead and the momentum going into the locker room.
The third period saw Ville Platte out-score North Central 16-15 and maintain their lead. Gooden hit another triple-point basket. Kelian Semien and Jaqulen Doucet each hit a pair of buckets. It was 55-41 going into the final frame.
Ardoin knocked down nine points in the final frame and ended the night with a team high 25 points. Semien was second with 15 points in his performance.