Jays grab key district wins

With their backs against the wall in the district races, St. Edmund earned a pair of key wins over False River Academy.
The Lady Jays are presently ranked No. 30 in the LHSAA power rankings entering their final week of the regular season.
A 56-44 win over the Lady Gators put the Lady Jays at 5-17 overall and fourth place in District 5-1A at 3-4.
St. Edmund jumped out to a 10-6 first quarter lead, sparked by six points from Payton Crowell.
The Lady Jays continued their first-half domination with an 11-5 second-quarter surge.
Sam Bertrand and Sydney Thibodeaux each pushed in four points in the period to give St. Edmund a 21-11 advantage at the break.
False River Academy (7-14, 1-6) exploded for 18 points in the third period, led by eight points each from Kaitlyn Simonron and Mackenzie Foret.
The Lady Jays kept their lead with a 17-point output in the period, including four points each from Allison Lafleur, Constance Fontenot and Crowell.
The second-half battle continued in the fourth quarter as St. Edmund outscored FRA, 18-15.
Bertrand scored seven of her 12 points in the final eight minutes, including a key three-pointer.
Fontenot added four points in the period to finish with eight points.
Maddie Andrus scored three points in the frame to finish with seven points on the night.
Crowell finished with 17 points, including four points in the quarter.
After a Friday night trip to Pointe Coupee Central, the Lady Jays close the regular season with home games against False River and rival Sacred Heart of Ville Platte.

SEH 70, FRA 61
The St. Edmund Blue Jays picked up their first district win of the season with a 70-61 victory over False River Academy.
The Blue Jays (5-16, 1-6) opened the game with a 19-11 run before pushing ahead 35-17 at the break.
St. Edmund outscored the Gators 16-13 in the third period to take a 51-30 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Gators exploded for a 31-19 run in the game’s final eight points to close the gap to nine points.
Christian McFarlain led the Jays with 25 points, while Stone LeJeuene chipped in 15 points and J.R. Guillory added 13 points.
St. Edmund sits at No. 53 with the top 32 teams earning playoff spots heading into their final three games against Pointe Coupee Central, FRA and Sacred Heart of Ville Platte.