Ville Platte competes in Holiday Tournament

The Ville Platte High Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs took to the hardwood starting the day after Christmas to participate in the Northwest High School Holiday Tournament. This annual tournament attracts some of the better competition around the state.
The Bulldogs came in to the tournament having won their last two contests. They were able to able win two out of their three games played, including a big victory over class 4A Northside High school. The win over Northside gave Ville Platte Head Coach Tommy Jones his 50th win. Ville Platte finished third in the tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs have faced some really tough competition the last two weeks. In the five games leading up to the Northwest Tournament, Ville Platte has gone 2-3 against teams whose combined record is 66-14. This includes the number one and two teams in class 5A, the number two team in class 1A, the number two team in 2A and the number eight team in 3A. Ville Platte finished 2-1 in the tournament and placed third.
Here is a rundown of the games played by both squads in the tournament.

Boys’ Action

Ville Platte vs. Lakeview
The Bulldogs started tourney play having to face the number two ranked team in class 2A, Lakeview High School. The Gators started the tournament 8-3 and participated in a tournament in Illinois. Lakeview used their athleticism and experience to pull away from the Bulldogs 91-59.
Ville Platte got off to a slow start against the Gators, falling behind 25-12 at the end of the first quarter. Lakeview continued to put on the pressure, outscoring the Bulldogs 23-18 in the second quarter to take the 48-30 lead at the end of the first half.
The third quarter saw much of the same as the second quarter. The Gators held Ville Platte to 14 points, while netting 22 points in the period. Lakeview still held the 70-44 lead at the end of three quarters. The fourth quarter was no different than the rest of the game as the Gators outpaced the Bulldogs 21-15 to seal the victory.
Leading the way for Ville Platte was Keilan Semien who scored 19 points. Ernest Ardoin chipped in 12 points in the loss.

Ville Platte vs. Mamou
Ville Platte squared off against inter-parish rival Mamou High School in the second game of the tournament. The Bulldogs would fall behind early but finish strong and take the 58-52 win over the Demons.
Mamou outscored Ville Platte in the first quarter 7-6 to take the lead in the first quarter. A seven point advantage for the Bulldogs in the second quarter would give Ville Platte the 23-17 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs continued to keep pace over the Demons as the second half began. Ville Platte took a 41-35 third quarter lead, as both squads netted 18 points in the period. The final period saw the Bulldogs seal the win as the Demons could not gain any advantage in the quarter with both teams adding 17 points to their total.
For Ville Platte, Brandon Dominick knocked down 18 points to lead the Bulldogs. Ernest Ardoin chipped in 12 points for Ville Platte. Mamou was lead by R. Edwards, who netted 18 points. Lil Paul Williams added 14 points in the loss.

Ville Platte vs. Northside
The class 4A Northside Vikings represented the final opponent of the tournament for Ville Platte High. The Vikings came into the game with a 10-4 record and ranked number 13 in the power rating. That did not deter the Bulldogs as they used a nine point second quarter advantage to take the 71-68 win.
The first quarter was an exchange of baskets, as Ville Platte took the early lead 16-15 when the first period buzzer sounded. The Bulldogs took control of the game in the second quarter as they outscored the Vikings 22-13 and lead 38-28 at the half.
Northside tried to ease their way back into the ball game in the third quarter outpacing Ville Platte 21-17 to cut the Ville Platte lead to 55-49. .
Leading scorer for Ville Platte was Doucet, who poured in 23 points. Keilan Semien added 12 points for the Bulldogs.

Girls’ Action

Ville Platte vs. Rayne
The Lady Bulldogs squared off against the class 4A Rayne Lady Wolves to start tournament play. After battling Rayne for three quarters, Ville Platte found themselves trailing at the end of the third period. However, the Lady Bulldogs were able to hold off Rayne and earn a 51-48 victory.
The end of the first quarter saw both squads tied, as each team netted 15 points in the initial period. Rayne outscored Ville Platte 9-8 and held a slight lead, 24-23, as the first half came to a close.
The pace of the game continued into the second half, as the Lady Wolves outpaced the Lady Bulldogs 12-10 to take a 36-33 lead at the completion of the third quarter. However, the resilience of Ville Platte showed in the final period, as the Lady Bulldogs outscored Rayne 18-12 to overcome the deficit and take the victory.
In the game, Deja McKinney was the major force behind the Ville Platte win as she poured in 27 points for the Lady Bulldogs. Miya McKinney added eight points for Ville Platte.

Ville Platte vs. Northside
Once again the Lady Bulldogs faced an opponent from a bigger classification, as they took on the class 4A Northside Lady Vikings. The Lady Vikings came into the game ranked number nine in the power rankings. Ville Platte continued to give fits to ranked opponents as they battled Northside down to the wire, only to come up on the short end of a 58-54 loss.
Ville Platte came out strong in the first quarter, outscoring Northside 15-10. An equally effective second period saw the Lady Bulldogs outpace the Lady Vikings 17-15 to lead 32-25 as the first half ended.
However, Northside took control in the third quarter scoring 19 points to tie Ville Platte at 44 apiece. A four point advantage in the fourth period pushed the Lady Vikings to the win as the final buzzer sounded.
The Lady Bulldogs were lead by Deja McKinney, who netted 22 points in the game. Miya McKinney was good for 10 points in the loss.

Ville Platte vs. Northwest
A battle with district rival Northwest High School capped off the tournament for the Ville Platte Lady Bulldogs. Ville Platte came into the game knowing that this would be a prelude to the matchups the teams are sure to see later in the season. The Lady Bulldogs made this a statement game as they took the 65-53 win over the Lady Raiders.
Ville Platte showed early that they were in control. The Lady Bulldogs gained a 23-7 advantage in the period. The Lady Raiders cut the lead to 37-24 in the second quarter, outscoring Ville Platte 17-14.
Northwest took a bite out of the lead again in the third quarter, outpacing the Lady Bulldogs 18-13 and trail 50-42 as the period ended. However, Ville Platte would not let the win slip away and outscored the Lady Raiders 15-12 in the final quarter to close out the game.
Deja McKinney led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring, dropping 25 points in the game. Brianna Pete added 15 points for Ville Platte.