Eunice earns split on Senior Night

By John Burson
Sports Writer

The Eunice High Lady Bobcats struggled in the second half, allowing the Crowley Ladies to stage a late comeback for a 40-38 victory in District 4-4A action at the Bobcat gym on Thursday.
Coach Durell Peloquin’s Lady Cats dropped to 14-10 overall and to 5-7 in district play with the loss. The Lady Bobcats now await word on their opponent in the 4A state playoffs. The game will likely be on the road.
The Lady Bobcats trailed 10-8 at the end of the first quarter, but they dominated Crowley in the second quarter to build a 24-17 halftime lead. But the Lady Cats saw their lead begin to evaporate during the third quarter.
After a three-point field goal by Hali Jack and Ashley Washington’s driving basket with 3:34 left in the third quarter gave the Lady Cats a 30-24 advantage, the Lady Cats struggled on both sides of the ball. Crowley went on a 5-0 run to cut the lead to 30-29 by the end of the quarter. All five points came from the free throw line.
Eunice got the first basket of the fourth quarter to make it 32-29, but goals inside the lane by Myah Rodgers and Nykelia Winters put Crowley on top by a 33-32 margin. The lead bounced back and forth, with a free throw by Dashaya Vigers giving the Lady Cats a 38-36 lead with 1:36 left in the game.
Crowley’s Alana Plumbar tied it seconds later with a field goal inside the lane. The Lady Cats had the ball with a chance to regain the lead, but a turnover with 1:02 left on the clock gave the ball to Crowley. The Ladies ran down the clock and Plumbar was fouled by Jack with 10.8 seconds to go. Plumbar made both ends of the one-and-one free throws to put Crowley ahead 40-38.
Another turnover by the Lady Cats gave the ball to Crowley and a foul sent Winters to the line for a free throw with five seconds left.
Winters missed the attempt and the Lady Cats rebounded and got the ball to Vigers who heaved a desperation shot toward the Crowley goal which fell short.
Vigers and Jack led the Lady Bobcats with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Washington had five, Bethany Issac had two, and Kate McLemore had one to complete the Eunice scoring.
Plumbar scored 15 points to lead Crowley. Rodgers added 12 for the Ladies.
Close losses in district play have plagued the Lady Bobcats. Five of the seven losses in district play have come by a combined total of 11 points.

EHS 62, Crowley 39
The Eunice High Bobcats celebrated Senior Night by taking a 62-39 District 4-4A victory over the Crowley High Gents in basketball action Thursday night at the Bobcat gym.
Coach Chad Andrepont’s Bobcats, now 8-19 overall and 2-7 in district action, dominated the early action as they roared out to a 15-0 lead in the first six minutes of the contest. The Gents were forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game.
The Gents managed to cut the Eunice lead to 20-14 at the 4:12 mark of the second quarter, but Crowley would never get any closer as the Cats enjoyed a 30-23 lead at the half.
The Bobcats opened the third quarter much as they did in the first quarter, going on a 15-2 run in the first six minutes of the quarter to basically put the game away.
Coach Andrepont felt that his team came out with a lot of energy. “I think Senior Night was definitely a factor,” he commented. “Everyone was finding the open man, playing tough defense, and crashing the boards.”
Eunice High’s three seniors, honored prior to the game, all made solid contributions to the victory. Jerwaski Thomas, who led the early surge with nine points, finished with a team-high 19 points. Paul Hebert and Khaleel Deville added 11 and nine points, respectively, to the Bobcat team total.
The senior trio got a huge assist from underclassman Travis Godfrey, who scored 15 points on the night. Brandon Ndubueze finished with four points, while Ray Rougeau and Kevin Williams added two points apiece.
Leading the scoring for Crowley was Christopher Lewis with 13 points. Andre’ Larry added 11 points.
The Bobcats will complete their season with two games next week. The Cats travel to Crowley on Tuesday and host Beau Chene on Friday to finish the season.