MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / February 26, 2000

EDGARD – Newman went into the District 9-2A first place playoff game at West St. John Tuesday night wanting to slow down the Rams’ offense.What the Greenies could not solve was the Rams’ defense.

West St. John held Newman to two field goals in the first 15 minutes of thesecond half to pull away to a 44-36 victory. The win clinched the Rams’ third-straight District 9-2A championship and sent West St. John into the stateplayoffs as the number one seed out of the district. West St. John (20-4)played Northeast last night in the bi-district playoffs.

Newman fell to 20-9 with the loss. The Greenies played host to Catholic-NewIberia in the playoffs last night.

West St. John led 24-20 at the break before taking a six-point lead at the6:37 mark as Jeremy Lumar grabbed a steal in the Newman front court and took it the distance. Robert Fitzgerald hit Newman’s only field goal of theperiod, a 3-pointer from the left wing, to cut the deficit to 26-23 with 4:08 left.

West St. John then answered with a 5-0 run to end the quarter. JeremyLumar took a pass from Amone Lumar and knocked down a jumper in the lane to get the Rams back on the scoreboard. After Dwayne Bastain did the job onthe defensive end, blocking two shots and grabbing a rebound, Donriel Louis knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 31-23 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Rams built the lead to 10 on Amone Lumar’s put back to open the quarter. Fitzgerald drove the lane to get Newman back on the board at the7:28 mark. The Greenies would be held to five free throws until JamesLapeyre’s jumper off a rebound with 25.7 seconds left in the game.Louis answered Fitzgerald’s basket by driving the lane and dropping a pass to Amone Lumar driving the baseline. The teams would trade free throws untilJeremy Lumar drove in and found Bastain driving the right baseline for a dunk. Two possessions later, Louis put the exclamation point on the victoryby taking a pass from Jeremy Lumar after a rebound and slamming a shot down, making it 40-30 with 55 seconds left.

Jeremy Lumar finished with a game-high 16 points. Louis contributed ninepoints while Bastain had eight points to go along with nine blocks.

“Our defensive scheme was the key to the game,” West St. John coachAntoine Edwards said. “The defensive pressure was there. The playersstepped it up, they really did. Dwayne was big tonight with his block shots. Itwas a great team effort and I’m glad to win it.”Ben Montgomery led Newman with 10 points. Fitzgerald and Mark Spizer eachhad seven while Lapeyre had six.

West St. John jumped out to an early 7-4 lead as Brian Lumar found JeremyLumar inside. Newman took its first lead with 2:28 left as Matt mann foundMontgomery driving the right baseline. The lead would seesaw withMontgomery hooking in a shot to give the Greenies a 13-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.

It would be the last time the Greenies would lead. West St. John opened thesecond quarter with jumpers by Bastain and Jeremy Lumar to take a 15-13 lead. After Newman tied the game for the last time on a tap-in by Mann,Bastain scored on a put back to put the Rams ahead for good with 5:04 left in the quarter.

Louis converted a three-point play after being fouled on a jumper to make it a five-point game. With under a minute left, Brian Lumar grabbed a steal andpassed ahead to Louis who took it in for a dunk and a 24-18 lead. Spizerscored off a pass from Lapeyre with 20 seconds left to make it a four-point game at halftime.

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