By GEORGE MAHL

Presently, the high school girls basketball scene in the River Parishes is a mixed bag. Four of the schools post above-.500 records, while five of the schools have below average records.

Here is a look at where teams stand heading into the final week of January.

Destrehan

The Lady Wildcats are having another successful season this year. With more than 15 wins, DHS is well on its way toward a post-season appearance.

Coach Ulysses Frontha’s team recently played solid defense in defeating District 6-5A foe Central Lafourche, 38-26. Led by Ashley Sentimore, the Lady Cats will take on Terrebonne Friday and then host South Lafourche Tuesday.

Key upcoming games for Destrehan include Hahnville (Feb. 7), at H.L. Bourgeois (Feb. 11) and East St. John (Feb. 14).

East St. John

Off to another fast start, the East St. John Lady Cats will be trying to advance farther than they did last year when they made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

They recently defeated South Lafourche 70-42. Kojavona Hamilton led all scorers with 15 points.

Upcoming games against Central Lafourche, followed by two consecutive home games against Terrebonne (Tuesday) and Hahnville (Jan. 31) will be pivotal if the Lady Cats are going to have hope of advancing to the Class 5A finals.

ESJ has gotten balanced scoring from Hamilton and Erin Keller throughout the early part of the season. So far, ESJ has started off with a 5-0 record in district play.

Hahnville

The Hahnville Lady Tigers (13-8, 2-2) did not play their best game recently against East St. John. It was evident in the final score. HHS was upended by ESJ 58-41 before a raucous crowd in Boutte.

Leading scorers for the Lady Tigers included Flora Brown and Whitney Scott. Hahnville will host Thibodaux Friday, followed by a home game against Central Lafourche (Tuesday). The Lady Tigers will need to be on the top of their game in a competitive district if they are going to make it to the playoffs.

St. Charles Catholic

St. Charles Catholic High School head coach Erin Remondet’s team is experiencing a tough start to the 2002-03 season.

The Lady Comets (7-12) will need to rely on starters Heather Heltz and Kelly Cupit if they are going to get through what appears to be a weak District 10-3A. To start off the new year, SCC fell to St. Thomas Aquinas, 54-28. St. Charles Catholic played well in the first quarter, but got sluggish and fell behind as the game progressed. Cupit led all SCC scorers with six points.

Upcoming games for the LaPlace school include Donaldsonville (Tuesday) at home, followed by another home game against Vandebilt on Jan. 31.

St. James

The St. James Lady Wildcats (6-10, 0-1) will likely have a below-average season once again.

Last season, the Lady Wildcats won only one game. This year, they have won six and are looking to add more once district play begins on Friday against St. Charles Catholic.

The Lady Wildcats have upcoming games against Lutcher and E.D. White.

Lutcher

Going into the 2002-03 season, many people expected the Lutcher Lady Bulldogs (2-18, 0-1) to struggle. That has been the case so far.

The Lady Bulldogs dropped their first district game of the season to Donaldsonville on Jan. 14. LHS senior Brandy Derbigny led Lutcher in scoring with 16 points.

Lutcher will be at home Tuesday to play St. James.

West St. John

The West St. John Lady Rams won a hard-fought 49-40 victory over St. Martin’s in their latest game.

WSJ starter Teri Pierce led all scorers with 18 points. The Lady Rams (6-6, 3-2 district) will return home Tuesday to play Newman (16-4, 5-0 district). In their most recent home game, against Riverside Academy, the Lady Rams fell 46-25.

Upcoming games for WSJ include Fisher (Jan. 31) and Riverside (Feb. 4).

Reserve Christian

The Reserve Christian School Lady Eagles are off to another flying start this season. They sport a record of 22-8 (1-0 district) and are currently in first place in District 12-B.

The Lady Eagles, who are led by Trennell Smith, will battle McGehee Friday in New Orleans, then return home Tuesday to take on Mt. Hermon.

Riverside Academy

The Riverside Academy Lady Rebels have gotten off to a quick start this year. Until recently, Riverside was unbeaten in district play.

The Lady Rebels were unbeaten in district play before dropping a close 51-46 contest against defending District 9-2A champions Newman on Jan. 16.

Other than that heartbreaking loss, RA has gotten impressive wins over West St. John on Jan. 10, and Fisher on Jan. 14.

Upcoming games for Riverside include Buras High School (Tuesday) and St. Martin’s at home (Jan. 31).