By GEORGE MAHL

LUTCHER – Through three quarters, the Lutcher High School Bulldogs were not playing up to their potential. Then came the fourth quarter.

Trailing 44-39 at the beginning of the period, LHS went on a 30-8 run and cruised to a 69-52 victory over Chalmette High School in a recent non-district contest.

“It felt like we hit a wall in the first half. Once we went on that run in the second half, I knew we were capable of being consistent,” said LHS head coach Mike McNamara.

Bulldogs forward Gerard Landry led all scorers with 26 points. Thanks to three consecutive three-point shots to start the game, the CHS Owls did not score a field goal until 3:02 left to play in the first quarter.

Back-to-back three-pointers by CHS player Taylor Beatman gave Chalmette a quick 6-0 lead to begin the first quarter. Henry Tilton’s put-back cut the Owls lead to 8-6 with 3:48 to play in the first quarter.

Leading 18-15 at the start of the second quarter, both teams exchanged baskets on several occasions resulting in the Owls having a 31-30 lead with 14 seconds left until halftime.

Landry had 16 points and Beatman had 17 points going into the lockeroom.

“Landry and (Gerard) Michael did a good job for us tonight in the paint. We had certain players tonight that had different roles,” McNamara said.

The third quarter saw a great deal of action with the lead changing hands several times. With the Bulldogs leading 34-33, LHS forward Ashlon Albert stepped up and sank two free throws, giving Lutcher breathing room at 36-33.

However, LHS’s lead quickly evaporated thanks to a 6-0 run by Chalmette making the score 39-36. During the run, Lutcher was held scoreless for three minutes. Both teams exchanged field goals on their final possession of the quarter to give the Owls a 41-39 lead with 25 seconds left in the third.

The victory improved the Bulldogs to 13-6 overall, while CHS fell to 9-14 overall.