Ville Platte Lady Bulldogs own District 5-3A crown

By: TONY MARKS
Staff Reporter

PRAIRIE RHONDE — The dust had settled after another Mardi Gras had come and gone.
But there was still dust to settle on the road to the district championship in District 5­-3A as the Lady Bulldogs of Ville Platte forced a playoff game against Eunice for the title.
Nineteen points separated the two teams at the end of the game Thursday night on a neutral court in Prairie Rhonde, but Eunice drew the short end of the stick. Ville Platte took home another district championship by the score of 41-­22.
Dot Doulet described winning the championship as awesome. “Every year since we started coaching here we’ve been district champs, and tonight to come in and compete for it with an extra game meant a whole lot to us,” said Doulet.
Shay Vigors knocked down a three ball to put Eunice on the board first, and Miya McKinney gave the Bulldogs the lead with back­-to­-back baskets. Kealogah Calvin stole the ball away and scored to go up 9­-3.
Great ball movement for the Bulldogs translated to another lay-up giving them a healthy lead half way through the first quarter.
Eunice’s coach Wayne Fontenot yelled at his team to settle, and they responded and stemmed the tide at least for the moment.
Vigors puts an end to the Ville Platte scoring run with back­-to­-back scores. Stacie White knocked down a trey making it a one point game in the waning seconds of the opening quarter.
Makayla Ardoin extended the lead on the other side of the court,and Ville Platte led 13-­10 after one quarter.
White scored a lay-up for Eunice and was fouled. She converted on the three-point play putting her team within two at 15­-13. She tied the game at 15 with 3:16 as a time out was called on the court. Calvin put the Bulldogs back up by two, and the first half clock expired with Ville Platte leading 17­-15.
Lajaia Leday extended the lead to 19­-15 early in the 3rd quarter. Calvin thenscored on the assist from Ardoin to go up 23­-15. Vigors picked up the offensive rebound and scored, making it a 23­-17 game with under two minutes to play in the third quarter.
Zaria Fontenot sunk a three-ball and added an easy lay-up giving the Bulldogs a double digit lead. At the end of three quaters of play in Prairie Rhonde, Ville Platte led 30­-19.
McKinney made an apparent shot from behind the back for a basket to go up 32­-19 as a timeout was called on the court with all fives remaining on the clock. Calvin scored on a put back to extend the lead to 15 and close the door on the Bobcat hopes of a district title.
Doulet, after the game, talked about the road foward going into the playoffs.
“We have to wait until the brackets come out on Monday, and we have to get back in the gym and start preparing quickly just to brush up on some things that we know that we are decent at, and we are going try to push our way through with what we know.”