MCHS upsets 3A's No. 1 squad, Madison Prep

Morgan City held off a late run by Madison Prep Saturday to upset Class 3A’s top-ranked squad 56-52 in Morgan City.
While Morgan City (24-6), ranked No. 10 in the latest Class 4A rankings, led 52-41 with 3:52 remaining in the ballgame, the visiting Chargers outscored Morgan City 11-4 in the remainder of the game
for the close finish.
The victory came following a quick turnaround for the Tigers, who were upset 66-63 on the road Friday by Assumption, ranked No. 29 in Class 4A. The loss cost Morgan City an outright District 7-4A title. Due to Morgan City’s loss and Ellender’s win against South Terrebonne, M o r g a n C i t y, A s s u m p t i o n a n d Ellender each finished with 5-1 district marks and shared the league crown.
“I was definitely worried after we lost night if the guys would be able to rebound mentally and be ready for this game knowing we had a good opponent coming in, but the guys, they stepped up,” first-year
Morgan City Coach Terence McCutcheon said. “I give them a lot of credit.”
While the team did get a share of the distr i c t c r o w n , McCutcheon said he had hoped for an outright crown for his squad because it had been awhile since they won one.
“I told the guys basically we still reached our goal,” he said. “That was one of our goals, to be district champions. Now, we have to share it two other ways, but we still hit it, hit our mark.”
“Today, to turn around and be ready to play, the guys were tired,” McCutcheon added. “Their bodies were sore, but it’s playoff basketball. At this point of the year, everybo d y ’ s t i r e d . Everybody’s a little sore. It’s going to take a team that’s willing to dig in. I call it ‘will over skill’. Like some games right now that we’re going to be playing, it’s going to take a lot of will, not so much your skill. Your skill got you here, but it’s going to be the team with the biggest heart.”
Morgan City, which will host a Class 4A first-round playoff game, will learn its opponent Monday.
In Saturday’s victory, Morgan City led 14-11 after a quarter of play, but Madison Prep responded with an 11-8 second-quarter scoring advantage to tie the game at 22 at halftime.
Morgan City outscored the Chargers 20-15 in the third quarter for a 42-37 lead after three q u a r t e r s b e f o r e Madison Prep outscored Morgan City in the fourth period for the final margin.
Singleton led Morgan City with 19 points. Other Morgan City scorers were Kerwin Francois, 13; Deondre Grogan and Ta a j Daniels, eight each; Tywaun Walker, six; a n d M o r r q u i s s e Charles, two.
Friday, Morgan City outscored Assumption 21-12 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough in a 66-63 loss.
The Mustangs led Morgan City 18-16 after a quarter of play and extended their lead to 36-25 by halftime. Assumption led 54-42 after three quarters before Morgan City’s fourth-quarter scoring surge.
Walker and Francois each had 18 points to lead Morgan City. Other Tigers scorers were Daniels, 10; Singleton and Grogan, six each; Ke’Sean Francois, four; and Charles, two.
Patterson clinches district title
T h e P a t t e r s o n Lumberjacks clinched the District 8-3A title outright Friday, but it wasn’t in typical fashion.
The Lumberjacks (22-5 overall, 10-2 in district), who held a one-game lead over David Thibodaux in the district standings entering Friday’s contest, lost to Abbeville 45-41 in Abbeville Friday.
However, David Thibodaux also lost on the road to Berwick, preserving Patterson’s district title.
Patterson Coach Ryan Taylor said the win allowed his squad to continue a streak of eight consecutive district championships the squad has won either outright or shared.
While Taylor said the way the title was clinched wasn’t how the Lumberjacks wanted it to happen, the goal still was met.
“They wanted to continue that streak, and they accomplished that, so it’s still something to celebrate,” he said.
In Friday’s game, Abbeville outscored Patterson 15-9 in the fourth quarter to overcome a 32-28 Patterson lead entering the final and knockoff the Lumberjacks.
Early on, Abbeville led 10-6 after a quarter before Patterson responded with an 11-8 second-quarter scoring advantage. However, Patterson still trailed 18-17 at halftime. Patterson took the lead heading into the fourth after outscoring Abbeville 15-10 in the third quarter.
Kai Schexnayder led Patterson with 16 points, while Reginald Talver also reached double figures with 10 points. Other Patterson scorers were Drew Lucas, eight, and Dajon Richard, James Butler and Tyrone Tillman, two points apiece.
CCHS knocks off Vermilion Catholic
Central Catholic closed its regular season with a 64-46 win against District 7-1A opponent Vermilion Catholic in Morgan City Friday.
Central Catholic entered the contest ranked No. 9 in the latest Louisiana High S c h o o l A t h l e t i c Association Division IV power rankings, while Vermilion Catholic was ranked No. 5.
Central Catholic (14-14, 4-2) will learn Monday whether it received a first-round bye in the Division IV playoffs and who its opponent will be.
In Friday’s win, the Eagles used a 20-6 scoring advantage in the second quarter to push it past the Screaming Eagles.
Trailing 15-12 after a period of play, Central Catholic used the second- quarter outburst to take a 32-21 halftime advantage. The Eagles led 47-38 after three quarters and put the game away in the fourth with a 17-8 scoring advantage.
Elijah Swan led three Eagles in double figures with 24 points. Other Eagles scorers were Brooks Thomas, 14; Davidyione Bias, 13; DJ Lewis, 10; Taylor Blanchard, two; and Seth Williams, one.
Berwick tops David Thibodaux
T h e B e r w i c k Panthers potentially kept their playoff hopes alive with a 72-57 victory against David Thibodaux in Berwick Friday.
Berwick (12-15, 6-6) entered the contest ranked No. 33 in the latest Louisiana High S c h o o l A t h l e t i c Association Class 3A power rankings. The top 32 teams qualify for the postseason. The Panthers will learn Monday whether they qualified for the postseason.
In Friday’s win, Berwick took a 13-8 lead after a quarter of play, extended its lead to 33-22 at halftime and 54-36 after three quarters.
Josh Carver led four Panthers in double figures with 19 points. Other Berwick scorers were Donald Tillman, 16; Travis Whitehead, 13; Tavaris Howard, 12; Reggie James, six; Dayton Clark, four; and
Patrick Robertson, two.