By GEORGE MAHL Sports Editor

RESERVE – It was a match-up of two powerhouses Friday night at Wildcats Gym. Ellender, the defending 4A state champion, against East St. John, always one of the top 5A teams in the state. Putting its 26-game winning streak on the line, the East St. John Lady Cats shut down Ellender Friday night, 46-38. The Lady Cats nailed seven three-pointers in the first half to give them a double digit lead.

“We are giving up 35 points per game,” said East St. John Girls Basketball Coach Troy Giordano. ” The effort defensively has been unbelievable.”

The Lady Cats jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead in the first period thanks to 3-point shooting from Erin Keller, Randi Donald and Kojo Hamilton. Keller finished the game with 10 points, while Hamilton added 13 points.

In the first quarter, the Lady Cats made four 3-point shots.

Leading 14-10, Keller drained a 3-pointer as time expired in the first quarter to give the Lady Cats a 17-10 lead.

Two more 3’s, courtesy of Keller and Donald, built a commanding 25-12 lead with 5:10 to play until halftime.

However, the Lady Patriots fought back near the end of the first half when Brittany Lewis and Sasha Staidom each made two foul shots to cut the Lady Cats lead to 30-24 at halftime.

The third quarter was more of a defensive battle, with each team only scoring seven points. A three-pointer from Donald gave East St. John a 36-30 lead with 4:27 remaining in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter saw the Lady Cats start the quarter by making four consecutive free throws. Two more fouls shots from Donald gave the Lady Cats a 46-35 lead with about two minutes left to play.

“The difference tonight was our shooting. We shot the ball real well and the effort was there,” Giordano said.

The Lady Cats head coach is taking nothing away from the effort put forth by Ellender.

“We beat an excellent team tonight,” Giordano said.

The Lady Cats will return to action Friday night when they travel to play Chapelle in a non-district contest.