Moving Forward

VILLE PLATTE--For the sixth straight year the Ville Platte High Lady Bulldogs have advanced to the regional round of the LHSAA playoffs after dispensing of the Carroll Lady Bulldogs 64-45 here Thursday night.
Ville Platte will now face off against an old nemesis, the University High Lady Cubs tomorrow night in Baton Rouge. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
The last time these two Class 3A powerhouses tangled was in the 2014 state championship game, which University won, 63-56.
The No. 3 Lady Cubs come into the game with an overall record of 25-8 and trounced the Academy of the Sacred Heart out of New Orleans 84-24 in their first round game.
“We are familiar with them and they are familiar with us,” said Ville Platte head coach Dot Doulet. “They beat us two years ago in the title game and we are looking to even the score this time around.”
Ville Platte came out against Carroll a little tentative on the offensive side of the court. Each team could only manage a couple of buckets in the first 4:30 minutes of the opening quarter.
With 3:30 left in the first period, Carroll held a 5-4 advantage.
The Monroe version of the Lady Bulldogs jumped ahead 12-9 on a basket with only 12 seconds left. However, a shot by Ville Platte’s Kealogah Calvin with two seconds left found the bottom of the net and cut Carroll’s lead to 12-11 as the horn sounded.
Both teams continued to struggle finding the basket in the second quarter. Only nine points were scored by either squad in the first four minutes of the stanza.
But, as they have done all season long, Ville Platte began to assert themselves defensively and turned the tide on Carroll.
The Evangeline Parish Lady Bulldogs hit the next four baskets in a row and added two free throws from Miya McKinney to pull away from Carroll.
When the second quarter came to a close, Ville Platte found themselves with a ten point lead, 26-16 and the momentum clearly in their favor.
“At the beginning of the game, we had to try and feel them out because we really did not have a great scouting report on them,” stated Doulet. “They have a lot of size and I think we were a little intimidated by that when we watched them warm up in pre-game. But, our players became more at ease as the first half moved forward and we settled into a rhythm.”
That rhythm certainly carried over into the third quarter. After an initial basket by Carroll to cut the lead 9to eight, Ville Platte went on a huge nine point run over the next two and a half minutes.
By the time the run was over, Ville Platte owned a 35-18 lead.
With the lead, Doulet instructed her players to pull the ball out, which forced Carroll to pull out of their zone to defend the ball.
“When we got the big lead, we pulled the ball out to give our girls a breather,” commented Doulet. “And when they came to get us, we were able to penetrate and get some easy baskets.”
Carroll did manage to chip away at the Ville Platte lead in the final minutes of the third quarter, cutting the advantage down to 12, 41-29, as the period ended.
Carroll opened the final quarter with a long range three to bring them within nine points of Ville Platte. But the ladies in purple and white would not let Carroll any closer the rest of the game.
Ville Platte closed out the contest by continually putting pressure on Carroll, forcing errant shots and allowing Ville Platte numerous fast break opportunities.
Calvin scorched the nets for 23 points to lead all Ville Platte players. Kabreonna Stevens added 19 points.