MICHAEL KIRAL

PHOTO: ST. JAMES’ LEVAR JOSEPH lays up a shot against Port Allen’s Marco Murphy in the first half Friday night. (Staff Photo by Michael Kiral) ST. JAMES – For St. James, the 2001 playoffs are looking a lot like the 2000 postseason. And if you are the defending Class 3A state champions, that is not a bad thing. St. James defeated Port Allen, 85-74, in the quarterfinals Friday night, setting up a semifinal rematch with Minden. The Wildcats defeated Minden in the semifinals last year, 63-60. St. James (20-6) also defeated Port Allen in the playoffs last season. The Wildcats won the title last year with a 66-65 win over St. Bernard, a team they beat in the bi-district playoffs this year. “Our two previous games (against St. Bernard and Redemptorist) were really tough games,” St. James head coach Lionel Ezidore. “This game was tough. We knew we could beat them. But we had to keep in mind you have to work hard to beat anybody. “I feel good for the kids. They’ve worked hard all season. They showed a lot of character, they worked really hard and they stuck together.” Port Allen ended its season at 18-12. St. James trailed once in the game, 4-3, after James Washington drove the lane for the Pelicans with 5:27 left in the first quarter. Stevenson Jones answered two possessions later with a jumper from the right side. A drive by Justin Aubert pushed the lead up to 11-4 with under two minutes to play. Port Allen broke an almost five minute spell without a field goal as Quentin Brown scored inside off a pass from Quincy Bessie to cut the deficit to 12-7 with 48 seconds left. But Derrick Jones converted a three-point play and LeVar Joseph scored off a steal by Stevenson Jones to make it 17-7 at the end of the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Jones and a goaltending on a layup by Joseph made it 24-9 with 6:32 left. Another 3-pointer by Joseph and a free throw by Henry Washington gave the Wildcats a 28-11 lead with just over five minutes to play in the half. A three-point play by Marco Murphy started a late rally by the Pelicans. A 3-pointer from the top of the key by James Washington cut the lead to 10 with three minutes left. Two free throws by Bessie and a 3-pointer by Murphy from the right corner made it 35-32 with 30 seconds remaining. But Jones answered by banking in a jumper in the paint, giving the Wildcats a 37-32 lead at halftime. St. James began pulling away again early in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Derrick Jones opened a 10-0 run for the Wildcats. Aubert followed with a jumper and Joseph glided in for a dunk to make it 48-36 with 5:23 left. A 3-pointer by Erron Hickerson built the lead to 51-36 with 3:39 remaining. Bessie got the deficit down to 10 with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. But three free throws by Washington and a tip in by Stevenson Jones helped the Wildcats take a 58-45 lead into the fourth quarter. Jones knocked down a jumper and Aubert drove in for a slam to give the Wildcats their biggest lead at 66-48 with six minutes left in the game. Port Allen again chipped into the lead, getting it down to 79-70 with just over a minute to play on a pass from Bessie to Murphy. But Jones and Washington hit four straight free throws in the final minute to preserve the win. St. James again got balanced scoring with five players finishing in double figures. Stevenson Jones led the way with 23 points. Derrick Jones added 19 and Washington 13. Joseph had 11 points and Aubert 10. Hickerson finished with nine points. Bessie led all scorers with 26 points for the Pelicans. Murphy tossed in another 20 while Washington had nine.