By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

DONALDSONVILLE – In early December, West St. John coach Lester Smith said he hoped for his team to rebound from a loss to Plaquemine with a trio of wins at the then-upcoming Higgins tournament.

In Smith’s case: ask for three and you’ll receive eight.

West St. John indeed extended its win streak to eight and its overall record to 12-2 with a 63-43 win at Ascension Catholic Tuesday.

It was the District 8-1A opener for both teams.

Jaylyn Gordon scored 22 to lead West St. John (12-2, 1-0). Jasmine Young scored 12 and Jujuan Nicholas added 11.

The Rams led 14-7 after a quarter and 27-22 at halftime.

But the third quarter was where WSJ essentially put the game away, outscoring the Bulldogs 24-10 in the frame.

“We were in some foul trouble in the second quarter which limited what we could do,” said Smith.

“In the third quarter we came out and pressed with a lot of success. We pushed the pace and forced a number of turnovers.”

The aforementioned three Rams scored in double figures and six scored four points or more.

“We’ve been pretty balanced all year long,” said Smith. “We’ve had four or five people doing the scoring each time out.”

Smith credited his team’s defensive play with fueling the winning streak.

The Rams were set to face off with East Iberville Thursday night (after press time) in their second district contest. West St. John returns to action Tuesday against Ascension Christian.