MICHAEL KIRAL

(Editor’s Note: This is the eighth installment in the East St. John Lady Cats basketball diary, a special project of L’Observateur.) RESERVE – When the East St. John Lady Cats walked out of the East St. John gym after defeating Destrehan Jan. 5, a cloud of certainty surrounded the team. Yes, the team had defeated its main rival, 58-51, to take over sole possession of first place in District 7-5A with a 4-0 record, improving its overall record to 19-3. But the team members agreed they had not played their best game, knowing they had to improve in order to extend its streak of district titles to five. A week later, that cloud had not only dissipated but the team was looking forward to a bright future in the district. It starts that following Tuesday as the Lady Cats head south to Raceland to face Central Lafourche and return home with a 67-30 victory. The team’s two fab freshmen, Erin Keller and Kojavona Hamilton, each score 19 points to lead the team. Kinya Lennix adds 14 and Danielle Stemley 10. Three days later, East St. John returns home to defeat South Lafourche, 81-19. The Lady Cats jump out to a 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and take a 46-5 lead at the break. South Lafourche would also be held scoreless in the final quarter. Lennix scores a game-high 25 points. Hamilton adds 14 points, Keller 13 and Stemley 12. The news gets better for East St. John when the players open the paper the next day. Hahnville has defeated Destrehan the night before, 58-54, giving the Lady Cats a two-game lead over their rivals and a game lead over the Lady Tigers. East St. John takes a breather from District 7-5A action the following Tuesday, traveling to Bogalusa. Once again, the game is over early as the Lady Cats lead 22-3 at the end of the first quarter and 40-3 at halftime. The starters see limited action. Freshman Whitnee Chatman leads the way with 14 points while Hamilton and Velinda Ard chip in with 10 points apiece. The Lady Cats again receive help from another team as Central Lafourche knocks off Hahnville, 69-60. The lead is now two over both Destrehan and Hahnville. East St. John returns to District 7-5A play that Saturday, hosting South Terrebonne. Lennix has a career night, setting a school record with 43 points, as the Lady Cats come away with an 82-33 victory. That breaks the old mark of 42 set by Ginina Louis the year before against South Terrebonne. East St. John again takes a big lead early, going ahead 25-2 at the end of the first quarter. Hamilton helps out with 20 while Keller tosses in another eight points. The victory is the 12th in a row for East St. John and improves them to 7-0 in district and 23-3 overall. The lead in the district race remains two over both Destrehan and Hahnville. The state rankings are also out. East St. John is ranked sixth in Class 5A. But the Lady Cats know that lead and rank could quickly disappear with games on the road against both Hahnville and Destrehan coming over the next week.

In the driver’s seat

East St. John enters the Hahnville gym this Tuesday night in a situation where every coach likes to be in – with the opportunity to control its own destiny. With five district games left, the Lady Cats hold a two-game lead in the District 7-5A race. A victory over the Lady Tigers tonight will take some of the pressure off the team as it heads down the stretch. “Get focused,” East St. John head coach Troy Giordano tells the team in the locker room before the game. “You know what’s on the line. Box out tonight. Everybody get the ball and run. If the ball is on the floor, you are on the floor. “Everybody is hoping you lose this game tonight so they will have a chance. Win it and you are in the driver’s seat in the district race.” East St. John quickly grabs the game’s momentum, jumping out to a 6-0 lead on a jumper by Kinya Lennix midway through the opening quarter. After a 3-pointer by Hahnville’s Elizabeth Landry, the Lady Cats respond with a 5-0 run to take an 11-3 lead. A 3-pointer by Raeonda Jasper gives East St. John a 17-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Jasper buries another 3-pointer at the beginning of the second quarter to push the lead to 13. Hahnville closes to within seven midway through the quarter on drives by Toyelle Rickson and Cashmire White. But again East St. John answers, going on an 11-3 run to end the half. Two free throws by Courtney Drayton helps the Lady Cats take a 33-18 lead at the break. “You’re doing a good job boxing out,” Giordano tells the team at halftime. “They are doubling in on the defensive rebound. Don’t let them get us out of our running game by doubling in on us. Besides that, you are playing a good basketball game. Don’t let them get back in the game.” Joe Williams, who does the score book for the team, comes in and tells Giordano that Rickson, Hahnville’s leading scorer, has been held to six points in the first half. “That’s excellent defense,” Giordano tells the team. “Keep doing that and you will win the ballgame.” East St. John begins to put the game away early in the third quarter as Erin Keller drives in for a score and Velinda Ard converts a three-point play after putting back a shot. Keller scores on a put back and Lennix buries a jumper, building the lead to 42-22 with 5:23 left in the quarter. Hahnville uses a 7-1 run late in the quarter, highlighted by a 3-pointer by Landry, to pull to within 53-35 heading into the fourth. But East St. John ends any thought of a comeback by opening the final quarter on a 12-0 run. Ard and Courtney Drayton score on put backs to make it 65-35 with under four minutes to play. The final ends up being 77-41. Kojavona Hamilton finishes with a game-high 22 points for East St. John. Lennix scores 20 while Ard tosses in another seven. “We’ve got four games left,” Giordano says in the locker room. “I want to go undefeated. But the pressure is off as far as needing to win every game. We are in the driver’s seat. It is up to you to finish it.” Assistant coach Bob Payne then steps up. “Do you want to go undefeated,” he asks the team. “Yes!,” the whole teams shouts. “I’m proud of the defensive effort tonight,” Giordano adds. “If everybody continues in their roles, we will be in good shape.” The team gathers together for their final cheer. “District champs!” they yell in unison. “I’m proud of you all,” Giordano tells them as they file out. “Good job.”

The drive for five

Before the 2000-01 season opened, East St. John coach Troy Giordano and the team came up with three goals for the season – win the District 7-5A championship, go undefeated at home and advance to the state final four. As they prepare to play at Destrehan this Tuesday night, Giordano and the team knows they can get the first one out of the way. A win over the Lady Cats would give them a three and a half game lead with three to play and a sweep over both Destrehan and Hahnville. East St. John put itself in this position with a 64-18 victory at home over Thibodaux the previous Friday. Kojavona Hamilton scores 20 points to lead all scorers. Erin Keller adds 15 and Ashley Porter nine. The Lady Cats take an 18-6 lead at the end of the first quarter and roll from there. The Lady Cats know tonight’s game will not be as easy. Ashley Sentimore, who missed the teams’ early matchup in the season, is back, teaming with Joevone Markey and Quinina Sinceno to give Destrehan a distinct height advantage. “We had three goals before the season,” Giordano tells the team before the game. “One can be finished right here. It is sitting right out there. If you want it, you can go out and get it. Let’s get it. I want to order it (the district championship trophy) soon. “Play hard. They have to play hard. They will put everything on the line. They will give you everything they’ve got.” Both teams have scoring early on. Keller finally gets East St. John on the scoreboard with two free throws with 5:01 left in the quarter. Hamilton converts a three-point play off a steal by Danielle Stemley, making it 6-0 with 3:59 left. Destrehan gets on the scoreboard on its next possession on a jumper by Sinceno. But two jumpers by Stemley and a 3-pointer by Raeonda Jasper from the right wing gave the Lady Cats a 13-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. East St. John keeps it up as the second quarter opens, taking a 20-7 lead on a three-point play by Kinya Lennix. Destrehan closes to within 20-13 on a drive by Sentimore but Stemley answers with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Lennix gets hot, hitting three jumpers in four possessions as East St. John takes a 32-15 lead into the break. “Defensively, keep doing what you are doing,” Giordano tells the team. “You are playing excellent. You are 16 minutes away from the district championship. They have to make a run at you. Keep your head in the game. Take your time. Do you want to be district champions? It’s yours if you want it.” It is East St. John that makes the run early in the third quarter, taking a 38-18 lead on a 3-pointer by Keller and a hook shot by Lennix. Destrehan then makes its run. Johnniesha Luckett, Sentimore and Meagan Stock score inside to make it a 39-24 game. Markey and Sentimore follow with baskets to pull Destrehan to within 39-28 with under a minute to play in the third quarter. But two possessions later, Courtney Drayton comes away with one of the biggest defensive plays of the game, slapping away an outlet pass by Markey at midcourt. Stemley races down the ball along the right sidelines and finds Drayton driving in, making it 41-28 at the end of the quarter. That play gives the momentum back to East St. John as the fourth quarter opens. Hamilton hits two free throws and Lennix drives in for a hook shot, giving the Lady Cats a 45-28 lead with 6:58 left. The leads shrinks to no less than 15 as the Lady Cats go on to a 62-43 victory. As soon as the teams walks into the locker room, Giordano starts spraying them with a Gatorade bottle. “How does it feel?” Giordano asks the team. “You had three goals at the start of the season and one has been accomplished. That’s five straight district titles. For the seniors, that’s four in a row and you leave with a win over Destrehan to clinch it. “I’m proud of the performance. I think everybody did a good job. You are playing as well as any team in the state. Let’s carry that momentum into the playoffs.” The Lady Cats would do just that, defeating Central Lafourche at home, 59-31, the following Friday. Runs of 14-4 and 18-4 in the first and third quarters keyed the win. Lennix scored a game-high 11 points and Velinda Ard and Jasper add 10 points apiece. East St. John follows that up the next day with a 62-51 victory over defending Class 2A state champion Ridgewood in the Hall of Fame Tournament. The Lady Cats jump out to an 18-11 first quarter lead and expand it to 33-23 at the break. Lennix again leads all scorers with 18 points while Stemley chips in with 14. The following Tuesday, East St. John wraps up an undefeated district record with a 63-36 victory at South Lafourche. Lennix scores 16, Stemley 13 and Hamilton 12 as the Lady Cats take a 14-6 first quarter lead and continue to build on it throughout. The season ends with East St. John ranked sixth in the state in Class 5A with a 29-3 record, including a 12-0 mark in District 7-5A. But the Lady Cats know their goal is to further than they have the past four years when they have been bounced from the playoffs in the second round. “I’m happy we’ve won the district championship but I want to go further,” Lennix said after the Destrehan game. “I want to go to the final four.” Talk then turned to the hotel rooms in Hammond where the girls’ Sweet 16 tournament will be played this year. Lennix said she doesn’t mind where the team stays along as she gets to play in the tournament. “If I get to play on the Southeastern gym floor, I’ll sleep outside if I have to. I’ll sleep in that big yellow bus out there.”