By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

ST. GABRIEL – West St. John fell short of a chance to force overtime late and host East Iberville escaped with a 50-48 District 8-1A victory Tuesday night.

The Tigers’ win kept the top of the 8-1A standings in a logjam. West St. John, East Iberville and White Castle are all tied in the loss column with two losses, putting wins and losses in the season’s stretch run at a premium.

After forcing an East Iberville turnover, the Rams trailed by two and had a chance to tie things up to force overtime. But a shot and a putback attempt came up short with five seconds left, and the Tigers held on for the win.

Tigers’ senior Dionickka Calloway controlled the frontcourt, scoring a game-high 23 points. Teammate Tamisha Cummings added 16.

“I thought we were a little intimidated by her,” said Smith of Calloway. “She’s tough to handle.”

The Rams (12-8, 6-2) countered with 22 points from freshman Jaylyn Gordon and 16 from Kyla Morris.

East Iberville (10-13, 5-2) took the early advantage, building a double-figure lead at halftime, 24-14.

“We didn’t play that well in the first half. Too many turnovers and missed on easy shots,” said Smith.

The third quarter belonged to West St. John though, as the Rams settled down and cranked up their defensive pressure. Through turnovers and transition buckets the Rams outscored the Tigers 20-13 in the period.

“We were more under control,” said Smith. “We got our composure back and they had trouble handling our press. It made it hard for them to get it inside to Calloway.”

But the three-point lead East Iberville took into the final quarter would be enough to stave off the rally.

West St. John it gets no easier for West St. John, not with road games against White Castle and Christian Life upcoming down the stretch.

“We need to win at least one of those on the road,” said Smith. “We’ll have to be ready.”