Tigers too much for EA, now on prowl to Lafayette

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 11, 2009

By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

A circle of screaming players, coaches, and fans surrounded Hahnville’s tiger mascot.

All – aside perhaps from the tiger — were making enough noise to make one wonder if the Hahnville faithful could ever be louder that it was at that post game moment.

You may have to travel to Lafayette to find out.

The Tigers defeated East Ascension 63-46 at Hahnville on Friday night in a Class 5A quarterfinal game, punching their ticket to the Cajundome where the team will participate in the Top 28 Boys Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2005.

“This is huge for me,” said Hahnville’s Warren Lebouef, who scored 12 points to lead the Tigers (29-7). “This is the first time I’ve even been in the playoffs, and we’re going to state. Now, we’ve gotta come away with the title.”

Desmond Raymond also scored 12 points for Hahnville. Byron Gauthier and Jarrod Kinsey each scored nine.

Keith Fleming led East Ascension (30-8) with 12 points.

The No. 12 seeded Tigers will now face perhaps their stiffest test of the season, a semifinal game with No. 1 seed Huntington. That game is scheduled for Thursday night at 6:30 p.m.

Hahnville coach Brian Lumar said that there was a “college basketball-type of environment” within Hahnville’s gym on Friday. But district foe East Ascension had already topped the Tigers once this season in the same building.

“It’s always good to play at home,” said Lumar. “But you know, we just won a game at Westgate in a hostile environment. Home or away, these guys can play and win anywhere.”

Hahnville started slowly – Raymond’s pull up jumper with 3:20 left in the first quarter was Hahnville’s first field goal of the night. But its defense was just as stingy as that of the Spartans. The teams were tied at 10 after a quarter, and neither could build more than a five-point advantage until well into the second quarter.

It was at that point that Hahnville made its first big push of the night. Leading 16-14, Gauthier and Derrick Raymond hit back-to-back 3-pointers from the corner to push the lead to eight.

A steal and layup by LeBoeuf made it a double-digit lead. Those buckets started an 18-5 run to end the first half, giving HHS a commanding 34-19 lead.

But the celebration was far from on, as Hahnville got off to another slow start in the second half.

The Spartans charged back early in the third quarter behind center Keith Fleming, who scored nine of East Ascension’s next 15 points, fueling a 15-6 Spartan run. Kerry Weber’s 3-pointer with 1:52 left in the third quarter cut Hahnville’s lead to five, 40-35.

But Jauries Thomas reignited his team with a slam-dunk only nine seconds later, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. It sparked a 7-0 Tiger run to end the quarter, and HHS led by 12.

The Spartans were on wobbly legs and HHS provided a quick knockout punch. The Tigers began the fourth quarter on an 11-3 run, and Hahnville was all but officially moving on.

“I’m proud of my teammates,” said Jarrod Kinsey, who his nose bloodied in the fourth quarter. “We knew whoever played the hardest would win this game, and I feel like we did that.”