By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Lutcher coach Chase Delrie said Monday that his Bulldogs are learning how to win. Judging by the way they closed out the night’s game at St. Charles Catholic, they may indeed be catching on.

Lutcher held SCC to two fourth quarter points, extending a 15-point lead into a 66-32 final, netting the Bulldogs a non-district victory over their longtime local rival.

Jaquan Williams led the Bulldogs (7-12) with 12 points. Jiarrus Steib had nine, while Travell Robertson added seven.

Jeffrey Keys led St. Charles (2-15) with 12. Jarrid Johnson scored nine and Sage Mulkey added six.

Lutcher’s size advantage was the key difference, as the Bulldogs relentlessly worked the offensive glass to earn second and third shot opportunities along with a steady diet of free throws.  

“We knew we had a size advantage,” said six-foot-two inch Tyshon Jackson, who scored six of Lutcher’s first eight points. “We had to use it … box out and play straight up. We usually rebound it well and we did a good job again tonight.”

It was Lutcher’s second victory over the Comets this season. The first came on December 6, a 61-32 win at Lutcher.

The win halted a three game losing streak for a Lutcher team that’s been streaky this season from its outset; LHS lost its first four games of the year before winning its next four.

“This has been a competitive team. We’ve played in a number of close games that just didn’t go our way,” said Delrie. “We’re learning how to win.

“Our game is attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. If it isn’t there, then we shoot the 3. Tonight, we attacked effectively.”

St. Charles hung tough through three quarters after falling behind 8-0 early on. The Comets trailed 41-24 early in the second half, but a charged up defensive effort in the third quarter saw the Comets hold Lutcher to six points in the frame.

After a Keys free throw, Mulkey hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to pull SCC within 13. Mulkey then blocked a shot to fire up his team before Keys hit a shot from the elbow to make it 41-30.

“We came out with some fire,” said Johnson. “They were pushing us around in the first half, and it fired us up.”

Lutcher didn’t let things get away, though. A pull-up jumper by Robertson and a putback by Spencer Roussel capped the third, leaving LHS ahead 45-30.

Deamphrany Davis began the fourth quarter by scoring off of another offensive rebound. Keys made two free throws to answer, but the Comets wouldn’t score again. Roussel scored inside and Darvell Johnson canned a 3 from the wing to put LHS ahead by 20, and the Bulldogs never looked back.

“We just got back to what we were doing in the first half,” said Williams. “We knew we needed to bounce back after a slow third quarter.

PORT ALLEN 81, ST. CHARLES 43 — Port Allen surged ahead early and never let up in a District 7-3A win over the host Comets.

Nicholas Parker scored 22 to lead the Pelicans (10-6, 1-1). Jarious Turner scored 14 and Marcus Keys scored 12.

Kameron Keller scored 13 to lead SCC. Jeffrey Keys scored 12 and Tyson Arceneaux added eight.

The loss dropped SCC to 0-2 in district play.

Port Allen made 7 of their 11 3-point attempts from the first half.

“We wanted to set the tone early and get everyone on the same page,” said Parker.

St. Charles coach Paul Waguespack said he thought the Comets did a good job contesting Port Allen from the outside, but the Pelicans simply made shots in spite of some solid defense.

“Aside from one or two of them, I thought we defended it for the most part,” said Waguespack. “We’re young. One senior available right now, two juniors and the rest are freshman.”

“The kids played hard. They played as hard as I could ever ask them to, even late in the game.”

The Comets’ lone healthy senior is Keys, who said after the Lutcher game that no matter how the rest of the season plays out, he and his fellow veteran players are committed to helping the Comets program get on track.

“We’ve lost a lot of players this year and it’s been tough,” said Keys. “We’re trying to get our younger guys ready, to get them the experience they need so (St. Charles) can turn it around.”