LadyCats rock Mr. Carmel with 31-28 win in Reserve Wednesday

By JOHNNY PEPPO

Sports Editor

EDGARD – East St. John’s boys basketball squad put on a show for fans in attendance Thursday night behind a soaring, dunking display that sparked a second quarter run for the Wildcats who went on to get a 60-30 non-district win over West St. John.

ESJ went to work against the Rams quickly with a double-digit lead halfway through the first four minutes. WSJ’s Alvin Joseph and Reynard Thomas helped break the momentum with a pair of first quarter baskets each, and Dray Joseph knocked down a three-pointer to help cut the lead to 23-16 by the end of the period.

The second quarter went right back to the Wildcats though, as ESJ’s leading scorer came in with a steal and a fast-break that ended in an airborne Marshall and a power dunk. And that was only the start of it.

With Marshall propelling the Wildcats, scoring 11 of ESJ’s 22 points in the second quarter, they went into the locker room ahead 43-18.

&#8220He can do that,” ESJ coach Charles Julien said of Marshall. &#8220Trenton is a ball player and he can do so many things on the court. It’s fun to watch.”

The second half looked much the same for the Wildcats as they showed depth from the bench en route to the win.

In the girl’s game on Wednesday in Reserve, East St. John took a 31-28 win over Mt. Carmel. There, Michelle Thomas led the LadyCats

with a game-high 13 points as the ESJ squad went to 18-7 for the year.

In a low-scoring game that went into halftime with a 13-13 tie, the LadyCats took the win with a 10-7 run in the final quarter to secure a three-point victory.

Next up for East St. John basketball, the boys are set for a home stretch that begins with O.P. Walker this weekend and Washington-Marion on Monday. The girls squad will also be returning to their home court next week, in a non-district game against O.P. Walker.