MICHAEL KIRAL

PHOTO: ST. JOAN OF ARC’S MARY CLEMENT drives by St. Peter’s Katie Norman in the first half Thursday afternoon. (Staff Photo by Michael Kiral) LAPLACE – St. Joan of Arc showed Thursday it can win the close ones as well. Reynique Perkins hit two free throws with 13.6 seconds left, giving the Lady Vikings a 31-30 victory over St. Peter in the first round of the Catholic Schools Athletic League playoffs at St. Joan of Arc. St. Joan of Arc, which won every game by double figures in becoming the first Lady Vikings team to go undefeated in league play, played St. Angela yesterday at St. Charles Catholic. The win Thursday was the first for a St. Joan of Arc team in the Archdiocese playoffs. Perkins finished with a game-high 19 points for St. Joan of Arc. Jelessa Gair added six and Angelle Cupit four. Ashley Aucoin led St. Peter with 11 points. Meg Smith and Elise Richard added six points apiece. Aucoin gave St. Peter a 30-29 lead with 30 seconds left with a jumper from the right wing. That came after Perkins hit a free throw to give the Lady Vikings a 29-28 lead with 41 seconds remaining. Aucoin’s jumper gave St. Peter a 24-22 lead early in the fourth quarter. St. Joan of Arc tied the game at 25 on a put back and free throw by Perkins. Another free throw and a drive by Perkins gave the Lady Vikings a 28-25 lead with 1:20 left. Aucoin followed with a jumper, then added a free throw to tie the game at 28 with 54.3 seconds remaining. St. Peter led 16-14 at halftime and took an 18-15 lead on a jumper by Katie Norman. After a put back by Richard made it 20-16, the Lady Vikings tied it at 20 on consecutive drives by Perkins. Two free throws by Perkins gave St. Joan of Arc its first lead before Smith tied the game at 22 with a jumper from the left corner. St. Peter jumped out to a 6-2 lead on a jumper by Smith. After a jumper by Gair, Smith added a jumper and Amanda Matthew scored on put back to make it 10-4 at the end of the first quarter. Cupit scored on a put back and off a pass from Gair to bring the Lady Vikings to within 12-8 in the second quarter. After a jumper by Matthew pushed the lead back to six, Perkins drove in, then found Kayla Rebaldo underneath to make it 16-14 at the half.