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Dondre Johnson, Tywan Polidore and Oshay Phillips all scored in double digits, sending the West St. Mary Wolfpack to a thrilling 68-53 District 7-2A victory over the Jeanerette Tigers here Friday at the WSM Gym.
Johnson tossed in a team-high 17 points while Polidore tallied 16 points and Phillips bagged 13 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Wolfpack.
West St. Mary led from wire-to-wire including a 16-7 advantage in the opening stanza. The Wolfpack went on a narrow 19-17 run in the second quarter for a huge 35-24 lead at the half. WSM led by a commanding 57-39 cushion at the end of the third quarter on the way to the thrilling 68-53 triumph over the Tigers.
Johnson led the way in scoring for the Wolfpack with 17 points on six field goals and 5 of 6 charity shots. Polidore canned 16 points on seven shots from the floor along with 2 of 6 charity baskets. Phillips made good on two treys and 2 deuces along with 3 of 6 freeebies all in the third quarter for his 13 points.
Other top scorers for WSM were: Daylon Richard, 9; Tylun Druilhet, 5; James Polidore, 5; Ronald Washington, 2 and Taylun Druilhet, 2.
S. Sparrow and J. Drexler led Jeanerette with 18 and 12 points respectively.
West St. Mary will host South Terrebonne on Tuesday in non-district action.

It was a frosty morning across west St. Mary and Acadiana as a whole this morning, but the weather will worsen for the next two days. Forecasters expect nighttime temperatures of 24-25 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday nights, then returning to more moderate winter conditions. Franklin officials are asking residents to help conserve water during the coldest nights.

St. Mary Parish Councilman Rev. Craig Mathews addressed Baldwin’s board of aldermen Thursday to report that St. Mary Parish Water and Sewer District 5 of Charenton is poised to provide Baldwin with the operational support necessary to ensure standard safety protocols concerning the water tanks the town is working to secure since last week’s freeze.
“I want to begin by apologizing to the citizens of Baldwin for the significant inconvenience that you all experienced during the freeze we had a few days ago,” said Mathews in reference to the town’s water being shut off during the freeze.
He went on to say, “I’m a little bit pleased to say that it somewhat snatched the attention of the folks that are in key positions to help us navigate through the waters of getting Baldwin back to a healthy position. The long term solution is for Baldwin to someday become independent, in terms of being able to provide your own source of water—your own water supply.”
Mathews pointed to Baldwin’s current contract with Dist. 4, which provides their water, as the reason for the town’s water having been discontinued between the days of Jan. 3-4.
He said that the contract stipulates that in the event of an emergency, and if there is a low water supply or low water pressure, Dist. 4 will take care of its customers first.
However, since Jan. 4’s impromptu meeting of civic and government officials, the representatives from Dist. 4 and 5 who were present, have come to an agreement concerning a “temporary fix” to the water quagmire.
According to Mathews, Dist. 5 has consented to provide “operational support,” through an inter-governmental agreement being brokered by parish council legal counsel Eric Duplantis, in which Dist. 4 would provide the water, and Dist. 5 would provide a technician to work in conjunction with Baldwin personnel to operate and sanitize the water tanks and pump.
The agreement is proposed to be complete by the end of the week, in order to arrange for upcoming forecasted freezing temperatures, though it was still incomplete at the time of Thursday’s meeting.
In other business, it was requested that an interim West St. Mary Port Commission representative be sought to fill in for recently deceased, current appointee Wayne Stevens.
Mayor Donna Lanceslin recommended former port director Philip Prejean to the seat, which would only need to be filled for eight months in such an interim capacity. After which, another term would begin.
Additionally, an ordinance was passed to allow for a rate increase for the services provided the town by Pelican Waste and Debris. The increase brings the new rate for collection and disposal of residential, commercial and industrial waste to $16.72 per household per month, retroactive from Dec. 1, 2017.
In further business, it was announced that the previously scheduled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. march will be held Monday, starting at 9 a.m. at Special Providence Baptist Church, weather permitting, and will proceed to Greater New Hope Baptist Church.
Also, the Teche Project will hold its annual banquet on Jan. 27, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Oaklawn Manor, located in the Franklin area.
Finally, the 17th Annual Baldwin Mardi Gras Parade route was applied for and granted the Krewe of Donnis to take place Feb. 10, from 1 p.m. to approximately 4 p.m. and will route from Main Street to Martin Luther King Street in Baldwin.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — There wasn't much left for Case Keenum to do but to fling the ball deep and hope for a miracle.

Miracle answered.

Keenum completed a last-ditch heave near the sideline Sunday on the game's final play, and Stefon Diggs slithered away for a 61-yard touchdown to give Minnesota a 29-24 victory over New Orleans and send the Vikings to the NFC championship game, with one more win needed to become a first-time Super Bowl host.

Drew Brees had driven the Saints in position for Wil Lutz's go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining, punctuating a steely rally from a 17-point deficit that stood until 1:16 was left in the third quarter.

The Vikings were out of timeouts and nearly out of options when Keenum dropped back with 10 seconds to go from his 39 and threw high into a crowd. Diggs jumped in front of Marcus Williams, who rolled awkwardly underneath Diggs during an ill-fated attempt at a tackle.

Diggs held his ground, kept his feet in bounds and raced untouched into the end zone as the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium erupted.

"I'm just thankful," Diggs said. "They count us out all the time. Nobody thinking we can do it. This game was over. I don't stop playing till the clock hit zero. That's it."

This wasn't quite Franco Harris and the Immaculate Reception for Pittsburgh in the 1972 playoffs, but these Vikings are on some kind of special path. They finished 13-3 during the regular season, giving the career backup Keenum the keys to the offense after Sam Bradford went down with a knee injury after the opener.

The Vikings will play at Philadelphia next weekend, after Jacksonville takes on New England for the AFC title. The Super Bowl is in Minnesota two weeks later.

"A heck of a game, wasn't it?" coach Mike Zimmer said. "And the good guys won."

Now the Vikings have spun an unprecedented scenario in NFL history. Next weekend, instead of the usual win-or-go-home stakes, they're in a win-and-go-home situation with the Super Bowl set for Feb. 4 under the reverberating translucent roof of U.S. Bank Stadium.

Though only defensive end Brian Robison remains from the 2009 team that lost in overtime of the NFC championship game at New Orleans, the Vikings exacted some revenge on Brees and the Saints, at least for their long-frustrated fans.

They put them through quite the emotional finish to complete it.

Brees connected with Michael Thomas for two of his three touchdown passes in a span of 3:09 of the second half. The first score came after a 12-play, 80-yard drive. The second was set up at the Minnesota 40 by an interception by Williams after an off-balance throw by Keenum, his one costly moment of either inexperience or recklessness.

When George Johnson blocked Ryan Quigley's punt, the Saints took over at the Vikings 40. Four plays later, rookie Alvin Kamara, whose breakout was a major factor in the team's NFC South title and breakthrough from three straight 7-9 finishes, caught a 14-yard pass from Brees for a 21-20 lead with 3:01 left.

Forbath's 53-yard field goal, his third make of the evening against his former team, gave the Vikings their lead back with 1:29 left. That was more than enough time for Brees, the sure-bet Hall of Famer with a Super Bowl ring and all kinds of records.

But after Brees got Lutz in position, there were just enough seconds remaining for Keenum — the undrafted and undersized all-time leading passer in NCAA history at Houston whose first career playoff start ended in spectacular fashion. He finished with 318 yards, going 25 for 40, with Diggs catching 137 yards on six catches.

"This will take a while to get over," said Payton, who fell to 1-5 on the road in playoff games.

Brees saw his 13th career postseason game end in a crushing final moment, his 25-for-40 performance for 294 yards tainted a bit by two interceptions before halftime. One came on a leaping grab by safety Andrew Sendejo, the other off a tip by Everson Griffen that landed in Anthony Barr's arms at the Minnesota 10-yard line midway through the third quarter.

FIRST-HALF FORCE

The Vikings came roaring out of their first-round bye, forcing punts by the Saints on their first three possessions and moving 55 yards in eight plays for a touchdown on their first drive. The shrewd play calling by offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, culminating with a pitch to Jerick McKinnon for a 14-yard run after a fake jet-sweep, showed again why he was interviewed by four teams last week for head coaching vacancies.

Aided by two pass interference calls on Ken Crawley for 54 yards, the Vikings reached the 1-yard line before settling for a short field goal. They pushed the lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter when Latavius Murray plowed in from the 1-yard line.

The only other time the Saints went scoreless in the first half of a postseason game was five years ago. They fell behind 16-0 at Seattle in the divisional round and lost 23-15 to the eventual Super Bowl champions.

SENDEJO DOWN

The first touchdown to Thomas came one play after he leveled Sendejo with a jarring blindside block, sending Sendejo to the sideline for concussion evaluation and reigniting the crowd when the flag that was initially thrown was waved off.