Dealing with Devils

VILLE PLATTE -- Both the Ville Platte High Bulldogs and the Lady Bulldogs came into the game against the Port Barre Devils and Lady Devils with a hint of trepidation.
That angst was not because the Port Barre squads were considered to be a threat. Rather, it was the fact that losing at home in a district contest against two teams with sub .500 records would put a serious dent in both Ville Platte squad’s district championship aspirations and their standings in the power rankings.
That uneasy feeling was quelled with two huge wins, as the Lady Bulldogs rolled to a 58-20 victory and the Bulldogs ran away with a 69-40 triumph here Tuesday night.
“We always want to make sure that we take care of those teams that we should beat,” stated Lady Bulldog head coach Dot Doulet. “When you fall to a team that has a losing record, it pulls power points out of your hands and puts you in a tough position at the end of the season.”
“Winning at home is a must in district play,” said Bulldog head coach Tommy Jones. “It is always tougher to play on the road, so you must secure those home wins if you expect to be on top of the district at the end of the season.”
The Lady Bulldogs left no doubt about their dominance from the start in the early game of the night. Ville Platte came out running and gunning, scoring the first eight points of the contest and 25 total points in the opening quarter to take a 19 point advantage after one period of play.
Oddly enough the second quarter was pretty evenly matched. Port Barre opened the quarter by scoring four of the first six points. Ville Platte responded with two consecutive buckets to bring their lead to 21 points.
From that point on in the period, the two teams traded baskets until the end of the quarter. As the first half came to a close, the Lady Bulldogs held a 35-16 lead.
The third quarter belonged to Ville Platte. Even with Doulet clearing the bench, the Lady Bulldogs scored all but two of the points in the period, as they opened up a commanding 56-18 lead. In fact, running time was put in effect mid-way through the quarter.
With running time still in place in the fourth quarter, and substitutes moving in and out of the game, the two squads were only able to drain one basket apiece.
Miya McKinney led all Ville Platte players with 13 points, while Kealogah Calvin chipped in 12 points.
The Lady Bulldogs move to 19-7 on the year with the win and 4-0 in district. Ville Platte has won their last eight games. They will face off against Northwest at home tomorrow night.
The Bulldogs had to work a little harder in their win over the Devils. Ville Platte came out of the gate on fire, knocking down 13 of the first 16 points of the game.
However, Port Barre scratched and clawed their way back into the contest, going on a 12-2 run mid-way through the opening quarter to tie the game at 15-15 with 1:46 left in the period. Ville Platte would close out the first quarter with a 5-2 run to take a 20-17 lead as the period came to an end.
The Bulldogs wasted no time in the second quarter putting some distance between themselves and the Devils. By the 3:22 mark, Ville Platte had opened up a 32-21 lead, as they went on a 12-4 run.
That lead continued to grow throughout the period. As the first half buzzer sounded, the Bulldogs owned a 47-25 advantage.
It was much the same in the final two periods. Ville Platte continued to play tenacious defense and slowly opened the lead up even more despite emptying the bench. The Bulldogs held a 65-32 lead as the third quarter came to a close.
Running time became the theme in the final quarter. When the final horn sounded, Ville Platte had a resounding win.
Martin Jason led all Bulldog scorers with 21 points, including four three-pointers.
Ville Platte is now 16-5 on the season and 2-0 in District 5-3A. They will take on Northwest at home tomorrow night.