MICHAEL KIRAL

BOUTTE – Each game this year, it seems a different player has stepped up to lead Hahnville. Tuesday night, it was Dawan Landry’s turn. Landry tossed in 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help the Tigers to a 61-31 victory over East St. John in District 7-5A play in the Hahnville gym. Hahnville remained in a first place tie with Thibodaux with a 5-1 mark in district play while improving to 22-5 overall. East St. John fell to 1-5 in district and 4-17 overall. Harold Comminie contributed 16 points for the Tigers. Nick Cannon added another 10. East St. John was led by Darwin Pittman with 10 points. Louis Gardner tossed in another seven. Hahnville led 24-17 at the half, then broke the game open in the second half, shooting 70 percent from the field while holding East St. John to under 30 percent. The Tigers opened the half on a 6-0 run. Aaron Alexander hit a jumper and Cannon and Landry followed with drives to make it 30-17 with 6:35 remaining in the third quarter. Richard Johnson buried a jumper from the free throw line to keep it at 13 with under four minutes left in the quarter. Hahnville then went on another 6-0 spurt as Corey Woods found Alexander inside and Al Mott buried a 3-pointer from the left corner, building the lead to 42-23. After a drive by Landry, Ronald Johnson scored on a put back for the Wildcats to make it 44-27 going into the fourth quarter. Cannon and Pittman traded jumpers early in the final quarter before Comminie buried a 3-pointer from the right corner. Pittman got the Wildcats final basket with over four minutes left to play after taking a pass from Richard Johnson in. Hahnville closed out the game on a 7-0 run behind a three-point play and jumper by Jermaine Scott and a layup by Landry off a steal. Comminie gave Hahnville a 5-0 lead on its first two possessions of the game on a 3-pointer from the right wing and two free throws. East St. John came back to tie the game at 5 on a 3-pointer by Karnacio Hamilton and a drive by Gardner. The Wildcats took their only lead of the game at 9-9 as Hamilton found Rynelle Joseph inside with 2:45 left. Comminie put the Tigers ahead to stay with a drive off a rebound a possession later. Landry scored on another put back to make it 12-9. Gardner knocked down a jumper from the left wing to close the Wildcats to within one in the final minute. With time running down, Woods launched a 3-pointer from the left wing that fell short. Landry caught the ball in the air and tapped it in at the buzzer, giving the Tigers a 14-11 lead. “We try to concentrate on certain things every night,” Hahnville head coach Alvin Gauthier said. “Tonight we wanted to concentrate on rebounds.” Cannon scored inside early in the second quarter for a 16-12 lead. East St. John closed to with one on a drive by Gardner and two free throws by Richard Johnson. But Comminie answered with a 3-pointer from the top of the key on the next possession. A possession later, Davon Mitchell buried another 3-pointer from the left corner, giving Hahnville a 23-17 lead with 1:48 remaining in the half. “We have not reached our peak yet,” Gauthier said. “We’re winning because of experience and defense. They know how to win. “We haven’t had our A’ game yet. We’re not hitting on all cylinders. But I think it’s right down the road, in the next two or three ball games.” Hahnville is off until next Friday when the Tigers host Thibodaux in district play. East St. John travels to Destrehan Tuesday.