J. EDMUND BARNES

PHOTO: The River Parish Pros show off the fruits of their labors after placing sixth in the National AAU Basketball Champoinhip Games(14-under). The team consists of Demond Carter, Damarcus Branch, Quinn Johnson, James Causey, Ryan Perrilloux, Dustin Mitchell, Kerry Arvie, Denerio Robiskie, Kevin “Bo” Branch Jr., Dwayn Dennis, Nicholas Narcisse and Lacordio Joseph. The team is coached by Kevin Branch Sr., and assisted by Floyd Mitchell and Timmy Byrd. ORLANDO, Fla. – The River Parish Pros, an Amateur Athletic Union 14-and-under basketball team, recently traveled to Orlando, Fla. to participate in the National AAU Basketball Champion-ship games. Coached by Kevin Branch Sr., and assisted by Floyd Mitchell and Timmy Byrd, the River Parish Pros were one of 140 teams representing the best of the AAU program from across the country. Each of the 140 teams was placed in a four-team pool, with the first and second place teams advancing to the national championships, while the third and fourth place finishers competed in the classic tournament. The River Parish Pros beat each of their three pool opponents with scores of 84-68 against the Atlanta Celtics, 96-61 against the Manhasset All Stars, and 102-39 against the Maine Blizzards. The River Parish Pros advanced to the national championships as the first place finishers in their pool. In the national tournament, the Pros first played the Arkansas Lakers. The Pros emerged victorious, defeating the Lakers by a score of 81-56. The Pros followed up the victory over the Lakers with another win, this time against the 4-D Stars of California. The score in that match was 74-61. By this point, the Pros had been playing for four days and had yet to suffer a loss. Fate eventually caught up with the Pros. In a double overtime game against the Arkansas Hawks the Pros came up short, losing by a score of 78-77. This was the first loss for the Pros all season, one that was hard on the players as they felt the Hawks were a team they could have beaten. But the players did not dwell on the defeat. Instead of giving up and going home, the Pros made the most of the trip through the losers bracket – first beating the Jacksonville Bulls by a score of 75-53, then defeating the Seattle Hoopa Holics by 75-71. In the team’s final game of the year, the Pros were matched up with another Louisiana team, one who they had already met during the regular season – and who they had beaten. The River Parish Pros faced the Opelousas Louisiana Future Stars. The Stars previously lost to the Pros in overtime, a loss that cost them the state title. The Pros knew a loss would mean a 13th place finish overall and a win would make them sixth in the country, medalists, and give them a place on the floor during the closing ceremonies. On July 4th, the Pros decisively beat the Stars by 90-63. While the Pros went to Orlando with hopes of winning a national championship, their sixth place finish was by no means a disappointment. Against the 140 best AAU teams in the nation, the Pros know their finish was something of which they could be proud. More importantly, with their finish, the team is automatically given a berth into next year’s tournament.