MICHAEL KIRAL

ST. JAMES – Kaneeka Taylor scored a game-high 22 points and Lutcher held St. james to 11 first half points as the Lady Bulldogs rolled to a 78-30 victory Friday night. Lutcher improved to 3-2 in District 9-3A play and 13-17 overall. St. James fell to 0-17 overall and -5 in district. “We’ve put in most of our presses, offenses and defenses,” Lutcher head coach Janie Ryland said. “Now we’re just striving to fine tune them and correct any mistakes we make. We’ve been playing really well lately. We’ve improved as we got into district. We lost a heartbreaker to E.D. White last Friday but they bounced back.” Jauntrell Williams and Brandi Derbigny each added 13 points for the Lady Bulldogs. Javonne Ross tossed in another 12 points while Jessica Williams added eight. Raven Malancon was the high scorer for St. James with 14 points. Natalie Smith added five points and Ramona Jackson four. Lutcher never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 7-0 lead as Taylor buried two jumpers and a 3-pointer from the top of the key. St. James got on the scoreboard with 5:07 left in the quarter as Smith banked in a jumper. But Lutcher answered with a 10-0 run. Jauntrell Williams got the run started by taking a pass from Taleisha Jacque inside. Taylor followed with jumpers on consecutive possessions and Jessica Williams took a steal in, making it 17-2 with 3:25 left. St. James cut the deficit to 10 behind a jumper and a 3-pointer from the left wing by Malancon. Taylor answered with a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Ross cored off a pass from Derbigny to make it 24-7 at the end of the first quarter. Derbigny converted a three-point play to make it a 20-point game early in the second quarter. Smith banked in a 3-pointer for the Lady Wildcats but that would be the last field goal Lutcher would give up over the final seven minutes of the half. Derbigny made it 32-10 with a put back and Taylor followed by taking a steal in. A pass from Brittany Somrow to Derbigny inside made it 41-11 with 1:41 left. Erin Gant and Jauntrell Williams took steals in to give the Lady Bulldogs a 46-11 halftime lead. After Jessica Williams buried a jumper on the second possession of the third quarter, St. James went on a 9-0 run. Jackson scored on a put back for St. James with 6:30 left and Malancon followed with jumpers on three of the next four possessions to cut the deficit to 48-20 with 5:06 left in the quarter. But two free throws by Jessica Williams and a jumper by Taylor capped an ensuing 7-0 run for the Lady Bulldogs, giving them a 55-20 lead. Malancon and Jackson buried jumpers for the Lady Wildcats but Jauntrell Williams came back with a jumper of her own to make it 63-26 going into the fourth quarter. A put back by Derbigny gave the Lady Bulldogs a 67-26 lead with 6:42 remaining. Lutcher held St. James without a field goal in the quarter with the Lady Wildcats’ points coming on two free throws by Jarrolyn Gros and one apiece by Malancon and Kaylin Dennis.