By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE – As Halle Lennix’s 3 splashed through the net with less than a minute remaining in regulation, the East St. John fans erupted in unison.

Hahnville’s 16-point second half lead had dwindled down to two after Lennix’s shot from the corner, and it seemed for all the world that the Wildcats’ gym would continue to be a house of horrors for the Tigers.

Only this time, Hahnville wouldn’t wilt. HHS pushed its lead to three, and ESJ had no answer as the Tigers emerged with a 47-43 district victory at Troy C. Giordano Memorial Gym on Friday.

“This is the first time Hahnville (10-11, 1-1) has won in this building in I don’t know how long,” said HHS coach Kevin Robicheaux. “I know we haven’t since I’ve been here.”

It was the second straight district loss for ESJ (14-10, 0-2), which fell to Dutchtown on Tuesday night, 53-41 at ESJ.

After a back and forth first half, Hahnville built a substantial lead behind an attacking mentality, getting to the line and perhaps more importantly, getting East St. John in foul trouble.

“In the first half, we were real aggressive with our dribble, getting into the lane,” Robicheaux said. “An attacking team like East St. John doesn’t want to sit back, but once they got into foul trouble, they had to fall into a halfcourt game.”

Tigers point guard Kaelynn Boyd was right at home in that style of play, leading all scorers with 19 points. Teammate Rickell Preston chipped in 11, while Megan Duronslet added eight.

East St. John’s Wanisha Creecy scored 16 to lead her team, while Kanitra Lee scored seven for the Wildcats.

Early on, the Wildcats were the aggressors. ESJ scored 11 of the game’s first 13 points, combining an attacking pressure defense with an ability to get to the basket – ESJ made its first seven free throws, which made up he bulk of its early run.

But HHS quickly climbed back into it. Boyd hit a runner, then scored on a drive to make it 13-7. A DeShanea Sandolph jumper made it 14-12 at the end of the first quarter. Two Boyd free throws gave HHS its first lead of the game, 16-14.

Hahnville’s momentum wouldn’t slow before halftime, as the Tigers finished the second quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 34-21 lead into halftime.

The Tigers pushed their lead to 39-23 before ESJ started to push back. Kemyra Arvie and Creecy each hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 12 entering the fourth quarter. A Lee bucket to begin the fourth made it 41-30. Korielle Tucker made a bucket to cut the lead to single digits, and a Creecy 3 with 4:13 left made an ESJ rally seem even more realistic as the Wildcats swarmed Tiger ballhandlers.

“We got back to our pressure defense, and we stopped fouling,” said ESJ coach Jackson Manuel.

Creecy would get to the line and convert two free throws to make it 42-38, and with a minute left, two Tucker free throws made it 43-40.

Boyd drew a foul at the other end and converted both shots at the line to extend the lead to five. Then came Lennix’s 3 from the corner, right in front of the Wildcats bench.

Boyd got to the line one more time and made it a 3-point game. But ESJ couldn’t draw closer – with 25 seconds left, a Lee shot came up short. After forcing a HHS turnover almost immediately, Phallon Schnyder had a chance to make it a one-point game, but couldn’t convert.

It just wasn’t ESJ’s night.

And for the first time in a long time in Reserve, it was Hahnville’s.

“It’s a tough place to come and win. We’ll definitely take it,” said Robicheaux.

As for Manuel, he was proud of his team’s effort in coming back, praising the tenacity his girls showed on the court.

At the same time, he seeks to see improvement – and fast.

“They showed a great deal of character tonight. I know this is a young team. But at some point, we’ve got to suck it up and learn how to win,” said Manuel.