By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

On the back of a strong third-quarter push, East St. John remained undefeated in District 6-5A play after a 68-63 victory on the road over East Ascension Tuesday night.

The Wildcats have now swept the Spartans after a 76-66 win in Reserve on Jan. 21.

Joseph Williams led all scorers with 21 points. Chester Victor Jr. scored 12 ,and Patrick Washington scored 11.

For East Ascension (17-10, 2-3), Jamal Steward scored 11. Tyler Wright added 13.

East St. John (16-12, 7-0) led by one at halftime, 40-39, but outscored the Spartans 10-10 in the third quarter to take a double-digit lead entering the fourth quarter.

East St. John coach Yussef Jasmine noted that East Ascension shot extremely well in the first half – he estimated they made at least 70 percent of their shots – but that he felt his Wildcats wore the Spartans out.

“Our defense wasn’t bad, but they made some very tough shots,” said Jasmine. “But I don’t think they could withstand our numbers once the third quarter began. We put 10 out there and don’t miss a beat when we sub.”

Jasmine said his team’s depth has been a major lift this season as the Wildcats sit in first place in District 6-5A.

“Most teams are going to play five or six guys, maybe seven at most. We feel like we’ve got 10 that can play at that starters level,” said Jasmine. “That’s a big advantage even if you assume they’ve got six or seven that can start. Most teams don’t, and it becomes even wider when a team may only have two or three main guys that can play up at that level.

“I feel like my eighth, ninth and tenth guys can play at the level of a one, two or three. They’re all guys I feel comfortable with.”

***East St. John defeated St. Amant Friday night in Reserve, 59-43. ***

This time, a suffocating second quarter by the ESJ defense told the story as the Wildcats outscored the Gators 18-2 to take a 32-13 lead into halftime.

Rashad Green led ESJ with 13. Williams added nine.

With three games remaining (including ESJ’s scheduled clash with Destrehan last night in Reserve), the Wildcats led 6-5A by a game over rival Destrehan.