By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

After a heartbreaking 40-39 loss at the Battle of the Bayou tournament to Vandebilt Catholic on Sunday, East St. John Coach Troy Giordano said his team really needed a win.

The Wildcats bounced back in impressive fashion.

East St. John outscored John Ehret 26-5 in the second and third quarters and rolled to a 38-24 win over the Patriots.

The win put East St. John at 1-1 in Pool C play in the tournament’s Gold division, with one game left to go against Mount Carmel on Monday night.

“It was a sloppy game,” said East St. John Coach Troy Giordano. “But we needed to win, and a win is a win. John Ehret’s always a good win over a talented team, especially after that heartbreaker last night.”

Mechelle Thomas led the Wildcats (4-2) with 12 points. Christin Hildreth added 11.

The teams were tied at 10 after one quarter, but East St. John would run out to a 22-13 halftime lead. The Wildcats scored 14 of 16 third quarter points to establish a 21-point advantage.

“We picked it up defensively,” Thomas said. “We started hustling and rebounding.”

Said Hildreth: “We were sluggish off of the bus. We realized we had to pick it up and raise our intensity.”

In Sunday’s game, neither team established more than a five point lead in a back and forth contest. Vandebilt Catholic (3-0) led by one with eight seconds remaining in the game. A Thomas shot came up just short, and East St. John fell 40-39.

“(Vandebilt Catholic) is a good, veteran team, one of the top five teams in Class 4A,” said Giordano. “It was anyone’s game. You’ve got to make plays down the stretch in those.”

Thomas led the team with 22 points. Laci Dent scored 11.

On Thursday night, Thomas exploded for 38 points and five assists as the Wildcats surged past Hammond, 60-39, in the Mandeville tournament.

Hildreth added 10 points and 12 rebounds for East St. John.

East St. John led 32-14 at halftime, and Hammond never challenged in the second half.

“We played great defense,” said Giordano. “We clamped down and controlled the boards the entire night. We closed down the middle and they struggled from the outside.”

The Wildcats defense has been a strong point in the team’s 4-2 start. It held Hammond to only nine field goals, and Vandebilt Catholic to 10.

“If our offense can catch up to our defense, we have a chance to be pretty good,” Giordano said.