Patterson holds off late CCHS run for victory

Patterson held off a late Central Catholic rally to defeat the Eagles 52-45 in nondistrict boys’ basketball action in Morgan City Thursday.
While Patterson (13-7) never trailed, Central Catholic (15-6) made things interesting late, cutting its deficit to 47-45 with 1:17 remaining in the contest. However, the Eagles subsequently missed two layups to provide no more of a threat, and Patterson cashed in on its opportunities for the victory.
“We relaxed a little, not a lot,” Patterson Coach Ryan Taylor said of the Eagles’ late run. “I think it was more them turning up their intensity, and we tell the guys all the time, when teams become in a desperation mode, they are going to take chances, they are going to play hard, they are going to go all at it.”
Taylor said his team didn’t respond to the press like they had against Abbeville in Tuesday’s victory or against Franklin last week in a win.
“I was a little disappointed, but the guys kept playing hard, and they found a way to get it done at the end,” Taylor said.
The Eagles, who struggled to make shots near the basket much of the night, worked the game down from an eight-point deficit to as little as two using its defense to force turnovers and scoring on offense and at the free-throw line.
Trailing 47-42, Central Catholic’s Brooks Thomas inbounded the ball to Elijah Swan, who connected on a three-pointer with 1:17 remaining to cut the Eagles’ deficit to 47-45.
Patterson’s Elijah Williams sank two free throws after being fouled eight seconds later to extend the Lumberjacks’ lead to 49-45.
Central Catholic later missed a layup on offense, and Patterson’s Kai Schexnayder converted a bucket in transition on the other end for a 51-45 advantage.
The Eagles again missed another layup later, and Patterson’s Tyrone Tillman made 1 of 2 free-throw attempts for the final margin.
The loss snapped Central Catholic’s nine-game winning streak. The Eagles’ last loss was more than a month ago on Dec. 17 against Morgan City.
“Like I told the guys, this loss has been coming for three games,” Central Catholic Coach Ree Case said. “We just been missing, not playing very good defensively and we’ve been missing a lot of easy layups and free throws.”
Thursday night, Case said his squad faced a Patterson squad that was talented enough to make the Eagles pay for their mistakes.
Case said the Eagles’ inability to score led to a subpar defensive performance.
Defensively, Patterson held the Eagles’ two senior leaders, Thomas and Swan, to a combined two points in the first half and just 18 overall (13 for Swan and five for Thomas).
The Lumberjacks, who led 8-4 after a quarter and 23-15 at halftime, extended their lead to as much as 12 points on three occasions in the second half, the last on Schexnayder’s lay in with less than four minutes left in the game.
Defensively, Patterson put forth a solid effort. The Lumberjacks nearly reached their goal of surrendering no more than 10 points a quarter in three of the four periods.
“We wanted to just make everything tough for them, and if we clean up the defensive glass, don’t give up so many offensive rebounds, they don’t get what they had,” Taylor said. “They did a great job of crashing the glass, and some of that had to do with the defense that we were playing.”
Schexnayder led three Lumberjacks in double figures with 17 points. Other Patterson scorers were Tillman, 16; Williams, 10; Dajon Richard, five; and Irvin Celestine and James Butler with two points each.
Swan led three Eagles in double figures with 13 points. Other Central Catholic scorers were Davidyione Bias, 11; Taylor Blanchard, 10; D.J. Lewis, six; and Thomas, five.
Patterson will resume District 8-3A action Friday when it makes the short trip to face Berwick.
Meanwhile, Central Catholic will open District 7-1A action when it meets Gueydan at home.