Clipping wings

VILLE PLATTE - It was a grind it out, hard fought defensive effort that propelled the Sacred Heart Lady Trojans to a 31-28 non-district victory over the Menard Lady Eagles here Monday night.
Sacred Heart’s defense held Menard to only two first quarter points and seven total first half points.
Because of the choke hold that the Lady Trojans put on the Lady Eagle offense, Menard was held to less than 30 percent from the field.
“I thought our defense was definitely the key to tonight’s win,” stated Sacred Heart head coach Stephanie Fontenot. “The girls came out and got after them from the start. We have really played good defense all year long. Now if our offense can become more consistent, will we be a lot better team.”
The first quarter proved to be tough for both teams to put points on the board. Sacred Heart jumped out to an early 7-0 lead when senior forward Andie Landry drained a three-pointer.
Menard cut the lead down to five on a bucket a the 3:10 mark, but two free throws by Sacred Heart’s Catherine Poche brought the lead to 9-2, where the score remained for the rest of the opening stanza.
The Lady Eagles started the second period with a trio of free throws, slicing the lead down to four points.
Sacred Heart’s Sydney Shiver knocked down a bucket at the 4:04 mark to make the game 11-5 in favor of the Lady Trojans.
A basket from the Lady Eagles took the lead down to four again, where it stayed for the next 1:30.
The Lady Trojan defense turned up the pressure a few notches, creating turnovers from the Lady Eagles that lead to a 5-0 run and make the Sacred Heart lead 16-7 as the two teams headed into the locker room.
Not many points were scored in the third stanza. In fact, the Lady Trojans were only able to get points on a two-point basket from Dulcie Miller and a free throw off of the hand of Poche.
Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles continued their offensive woes, managing only five points the entire third quarter. At the end of the period, Sacred Heart held a 19-12 lead.
Things got more interesting in the final period. A Shiver basket and three free throws allowed the Lady Trojans to increase their advantage to 12 points.
However, Menard continued to chip away at the Sacred Heart lead. The Lady Eagles fought their way back into the game and cut the game down to three points, 29-26, with only 30 seconds left to play.
But, Sacred Heart would not let the game slip out of their hands, as senior guard Erin Fontenot hit a two-point basket with only 17 seconds left to give the Lady Trojans a 31-26 lead.
The Lady Eagles did manage to hit two free throws in the waning seconds, but it was too little too late, as the Sacred Heart secured the victory.
“We had way too many turnovers tonight,” stated Fontenot. “Offensively, being patient will be the key going forward. We have to quit forcing things on offense and trust the system.”
With the win Sacred Heart is now 5-1 on the season.