By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Through just nine games, St. Charles’ girls basketball team can definitively point to progress in 2011, as it captured its fifth win of the season last Wednesday, defeating Ridgewood, 41-26.

St. Charles won four games in all of the 2010 season. SCC now stands with a winning record, at 5-4.

“The good thing is that winning breeds confidence,” said St. Charles coach Paul Waguespack. “And we need to be confident. That’s been part of the problem. Hopefully we can keep this going.

“It’s a good thing. We surpassed our record of last season. We’ll have to continue to work hard and good things will come.”

Suffocating defense blew a close game in the first quarter into a comfortable St. Charles victory. SCC led 11-7 after a quarter, but allowed just three points over the next two quarters, including a shutout in the second. SCC led 27-7 at half and 37-10 after three quarters.

Kacie Braud led a balanced effort with seven points. Courtney Snyder, Julia Cupit and Kaitlyn Lowry each scored six.

It was the second consecutive win for SCC at home after the Comets also dispatched Hannan 47-30.

Emily Picciola led the way in that one with 15 points. Snyder scored 12. Braud and Alex Hitt each chimed in with eight points.

Waguespack said that the balanced scoring has been a plus.

“We’re going to run it through Kacie for the most part, yes, because she’s been there before,” said Waguespack, noting Braud as the team’s leading scorer of a year ago. “But I feel like we’ve got a nucleus to where … it can be about who’s hot tonight. It’s not about just get it to Kacie or just get it to Picc. It can be a different girl each night.”

The Comets will slated to face McGehee on the road Thursday and then West St. John this Friday at 6 p.m. at SCC. It’s the first of a row of tough games before district.

Waguespack said that if his team can tread water and go .500 over this stretch, it will be a big positive before district play begins on Jan. 10.

He said he’s extremely happy with the effort his players have put forth this season. The one area he does want to see improvement in is in the turnover department.

“Eliminating the unforced errors will go a long way,” he said. Against West Feliciana earlier this season, we had 24 turnovers and lost by three … that’s the kind of thing you can look at and change and give yourself a better chance going forward.

“Don’t give up chances to score, don’t waste possessions.”