By RYAN ARENA
Sports Editor

West St. John finished out last week’s Plaquemine tournament with a pair of losses in the consolation bracket, 59-45 to Amite, and 58-49 to St. James.

In defeating the Rams, Amite (8-3) earned fifth place at the event.

Alton Joseph scored 20 points to lead West St. John. Blake Carter and Dray Joseph each added nine.

Brandon Mitchell led Amite with 21.

The Warriors led 21-12 after a quarter and maintained a consistent advantage throughout.

In the fourth quarter, West St. John (5-8) had to shift gears to try to make a comeback.

“We played a lot of zone because we had a short bench,” said WSJ Coach Antoine Edwards, who was missing a handful of players due to the holidays. “We didn’t want to get guys in foul trouble. In the fourth we felt like we had to go back to the man to man to get back in it.”

But while Amite’s size allowed the Warriors to match up well against the zone, it was just as efficient against the man defense. The Rams were unable to close the gap.

Against the Wildcats (4-11), West St. John had greater success early on. The Rams led 26-23 against their fellow River Parish competitor. But St. James outscored the Rams 35-21 in the second half.

Terrance Green led the Wildcats with 22 points. Marcus Dumas chipped in 14.

Alton Joseph again led West St. John with 24 points. Dray Joseph chipped in eight.