Rebels get ready for district play

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 19, 2005

BY DAVID FOLSE II

Sports Editor

This time, Josh Labiche didn’t have to do it all.

Thanks to four players in double-figures, Riverside will head into district play on a winning note after a 70-51 victory over French Settlement on Friday.

Freshman point guard Jarid Caesar led the Rebels with 21 points. Labiche had 18 and Matt Rogers had 12. Chris Fontenot added 11 in the victory for Riverside.

“We got off to a good start early,” Riverside head coach Tommy Monier said. “We took a lead early and that allowed us to play a little more comfortable. I really felt like we played a lot more comfortable out there than we had the last couple of games.”

Playing with one of the shortest benches in the district, Monier said his team has to continue toget some contribution from his non-starters.

“We don’t have to play 10-12 guys,” Monier said. “But we have to get that sixth, seventh or eighth guy to come out and play well. Our guys have been playing much better in that regard.”

With Caesar, Rogers and Fontenot combing for 44 points, Monier said the Rebels cannot just rely on Labiche for their offense.

“Getting 21 from Jarid really helped us out,” Monier said. “I think that was a career-high for him. When you have one guy like Josh who opposing teams knows you rely on for 25-30 points, it won’t always happen.”

“If we get guys to step up like we did this past week, we’ll be okay.”