By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

For the third time in as many years, East St. John junior guard Mechel’le Thomas has been named to the Louisiana Sports Writers’ Association Class 5A All-State team.

Thomas was named to the second team, keeping alive a streak of appearances on the team that she’s maintained since her freshman year.

Destrehan junior center Roosevelt Johnson was named a Class 5A first teamer. St. James senior guard Ariel Mitchell was named to the Class 2A second team.

Thomas was one of the few athletes who could boast being named to the team as a freshman, and the point guard has done little to disappoint since then. This year, she posted averages of 19.8 points, 5.9 assists, and three steals in leading the Ladycats to their 13th straight postseason appearance.

“She’s a special player,” said East St. John Coach Troy Giordano. “She’s one that makes everyone on the team look a little bit better. Sometimes she’s almost too unselfish, but she’s that type of kid.”

Giordano said that unselfishness is something that’s allowed Thomas to be one of the state’s top floor generals.

“If I asked her not to score at all, she wouldn’t,” he said. “Never once in three years has she ever checked to see how many points she scored. That’s rare these days.”

Johnson was a defensive force this season, averaging 11.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game – causing Coach Todd Bourg to quip after one district victory that he’d just “hang him from the rim” if he could. He led the Wildcats to the state quarterfinals, where the team fell in a heartbreaker at Lafayette.

After returning this season from a serious injury, Mitchell led St. James in scoring, notching 21.9 points per game. She led the Wildcats to the 10-2A District title.

Honorable mention selections for Class 5A included: Hahnville’s Nadia Cox and Danielle Douglas, and Destrehan’s Dwayne Brown. For Class 2A: St. James’ Charles Geason and Brandy Jeffery.