LAPLACE — Perhaps only in Louisiana could a sporting event be canceled due to lack of air conditioning.

In January.

Indeed, that was the cause of Friday night’s cancelation of the much-anticipated District 12-2A opener between Riverside Academy and St. Charles Catholic.

St. Charles is in the first phase of a massive remodeling project to enlarge and improve the facilities, but is trying to carry on as usual.

According to Comets coach Kemper Todd, workers accidentally hit the cooling system for the air conditioning just hours before game time.

“With the number of people expected to be in the gym and the warm temperatures and humidity, it just wasn’t safe,” Todd said.

The game has been rescheduled for Thursday at St. Charles Catholic in LaPlace.

Todd said he fully expects the Comets gym to be packed — it is still a rivalry, after all.

“I hope it will be entertaining in its competitiveness,” Todd said. “Riverside is what I consider a Top 4 team.”

With roughly a month remaining to the season, Riverside has apparently shaken off whatever rust it may have formed after football.

The Rebels went into the week 13-6, but faced a brutal schedule of five games.

That includes their new district opener against Newman on Tuesday, a non-district contest against Karr tonight, the rescheduled game against St. Charles Thursday and the showdown against fellow 2016 district champion Country Day Friday.

Riverside coach Timmy Byrd said the team is pretty much where he expected it to be at this point.

“We may have lost one or two we should have won, but we’re about where we want to be,” Byrd said. “We’ll see how we do with these five games in a row.”

St. Charles is not quite where it wants to be with a record of 9-10.

However, Todd said  he deliberately scheduled tougher teams to help get the Comets  ready down the road.

With Friday’s cancellation, however, the team went a whole week without playing a game.

Their last contest was 46-27 win over Ascension Christian on Jan. 7.

They were slated to host Sophie B. Wright Tuesday night at St. Charles, Riverside today then play at West St. John Friday.

“I don’t think it matters,” Todd said of the time off.

The East St. John High Wildcats have hit a few snags this season.

Coach Yussef Jasmine, who led the team to the District 7-5A championship last year, had to wait for a trio of players to become eligible, including some transfers.

He said they’re all back and Jasmine said that will make a difference.

“We should be OK now,” Jasmine said. “We have no more reasons not to. I can see a huge difference.”

One big piece of the puzzle, Jasmine said, is junior point guard Alan Williams, who averaged more than 17 points in his first three games back.

The Wildcats are 12-11 with two district games remaining to the first half of their district slate.

The team beat Thibodaux, 46-38, and Hahnville, 70-66, but lost to Bourgeois, 82-67, and Destrehan, 76-61.

The have Friday off, then close the first round against Terrebonne on Tuesday.

“We’re still in contention,” Jasmine said. “We’re just trying to find our chemistry right now. It’s taken us a little minute to gel.”

West St. John is still fighting for its first victory.

The Rams (0-16) host St. Charles Catholic Friday and Riverside Tuesday.