By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

A monster fourth quarter scoring surge by St. Amant spelled the second district defeat of the season for East St. John, as the Gators topped the first place Wildcats 70-50 in a District 6-5A game at St. Amant on Friday.

The Gators trailed the Wildcats by one entering the fourth quarter, but St. Amant outscored East St. John 34-13 in the final period to secure victory.

“We lost our patience,” said East St. John coach Yussef Jasmine. “We built a nice lead by getting the ball inside, but we kind of went away from it. We got caught up in a faster paced game, and (St. Amant) got going in their gym.”

East St. John (13-14, 4-2) now stands tied for the district lead with Hahnville. St. Amant moves into a tie for second place with Destrehan.

The Wildcats led by as many as 10 in the third quarter.

Guard Brandon Morris had a hot hand from the field, consistently scoring off of his jumper. He led the Gators with 24 points.

Kelth Cameron topped ESJ scorers with 18. Kalen Henderson scored 10, and Malcom Lago added seven.

As has been the case in most Wildcats losses this season, turnovers played a big role, particularly in the fourth quarter.

“It’s what killed us in both of our district losses,” Jasmine said. “Our chances of winning are great when we take care of the ball. If we do that, we could run the table. If we don’t, we’re in trouble.”

Those turnovers were the main culprit in separating St. Amant from East St. John late — while the Wildcats have the capable guards and finishers to play up tempo, only one side was getting in transition off of steals.

“They weren’t turning it over at all. When it’s an up and down game like that, and only one team is turning it over, it can get ugly,” Jasmine said.