Monroe scores 22, leads Helen Cox over ESJ; Kenner scores 16 to lead ‘Cats

By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Jamaan Kenner scored 16 points, but it wasn’t enough for East St. John to topple powerful Helen Cox on Tuesday. The Cougars walked away with the win, 81-43.

Malcom Lago scored 10, while Tralin James added six.

East St. John Coach Yussef Jasmine said that while his team has improved throughout the course of the season, Helen Cox simply played a more complete game.

“They were able to shut down the lane,” said Jasmine. “They’re bigger than we are inside, and really outplayed us overall.”

Georgetown-bound senior Greg Monroe led the Cougars with 22 points in the win.

Helen Cox (12-1) established a big early lead, scoring 41 points in the first half, and leading 57-33 after three quarters.

East St. John (5-7) participated in the H.L. Bourgeois tournament last weekend, and lost games to Ellender, 65-49, and Bourgeois, 74-65.

Kenner led the Wildcats in the Bourgeois game on Friday with 22 points. Lago added 16. Kelth Cameron and Ladaria Ratcliff each scored seven.

On Saturday, Kenner again led East St. John against Ellender, this time with 13 points. Cameron, David Hampton, and James each scored eight points.

“Both games were very similar, almost mirror images,” said Jasmine. “We didn’t protect the ball enough to win, and those teams took advantage. We made too many unforced turnovers.”

Jasmine says that he expects improvement gradually over the course of a long season from a team younger than in recent years at East St. John.

“We’re getting experience for our younger players,” he said. “We just need to focus on getting better and better.”