By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

DONALDSONVILLE – West St. John rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to nail down a hard fought District 8-1A victory on Friday night, toppling host Ascension Catholic 44-41.

“It was such an emotional game,” said West St. John coach Antoine Edwards. “Defensively, we were very good, especially in the fourth quarter. We held them to nine there, which was a big plus.”

Dray Joseph led the way for West St. John with 11 points. Teammate Corey Warmington scored 10, all coming in the second half.

Ascension Catholic led 16-11 after the first quarter and 26-18 at halftime as the Bulldogs attacked the basket, getting to the foul line and hampering the Rams with foul trouble.

“That hurt us, and they also shot it real well from the perimeter,” said Edwards. “We had to settle down at halftime.”

But in the second half, West St. John’s defensive play keyed a comeback victory. The Rams (7-11, 3-2) held Ascension Catholic to 15 total points in the second half – less than the Bulldogs scored in the first quarter alone – including six third quarter points as WSJ cut its deficit to one entering the fourth quarter.

“You’ve got a kid like Stephen Brignac able to step up and draw some key charges,” said Edwards. “Dray Joseph hits a pair of critical 3-pointers in the second half. Corey Warmington scores 10 after halftime. It was a good team effort on the road, which is a good sign.”

That’s because West St. John is scheduled to be on the road for the next four games, returning home on Feb. 9.

“We’re in a fight for that third spot right now,” said Edwards. “We need to continue to play well away from home.”