By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Hahnville pulled into a first place tie with East St. John on Friday night, as the Tigers tagged the Wildcats with their first district loss of the season, 61-45, in a District 6-5A game in Boutte.

ESJ was the last undefeated team in the district. The Wildcats and Tigers are a game separated from Destrehan and Dutchtown, which are tied for third place at 2-2.

“They had a great home court advantage,” said East St. John coach Yussef Jasmine. “Their fans were really into it, and we made some uncharacteristic turnovers. We had been taking care of the ball really well.

“But that’s a credit to them — Hahnville played really well.”

Jarred Kinsley scored 19 to lead Hahnville (22-5, 3-1).

Malcom Lago led ESJ (13-13, 3-1) with 12 points, all in the first half.

East St. John led 35-31 in the third quarter, and a 4-0 district start was still in reach. But from there, Hahnville’s defense dug in. The Tigers handcuffed the Wildcats’ offense, propelling Hahnville on a 26-4 run that for all intents and purposes removed all doubt of the victor.

“They forced the tempo,” said Jasmine. “They forced us to play the way they wanted to. We talked about that after the game, and our guys recognized that we got caught up in it.”

The Wildcats led 28-22 at halftime.

By all means, Jasmine wanted to see his team emerge with a win — “I want to win them all,” he says. But he also says that a loss like this can prove useful later on.

“In the playoffs, you’re going to have to play games in a hostile environment. We’ve got to find a way to win those games, so in a way, this could be a good game to learn from.”