By Ryan Arena

L’Observateur

St. Charles Catholic coach Chris Perrone knows District 7-3A is no picnic.

Each of the district’s six teams enters with a winning record, including Perrone’s Comets, who concluded pre-district play with a mark of 7-6.

Two of those teams, E.D. White and Port Allen, are ranked in the top seven in terms of power points. St. Charles is ranked 21st currently, and all six teams sit within that range.

Perrone admits his team doesn’t enter the division as the favorite, but has reason for optimism. The Comets started the season strong against a solid slate, and while SCC must break three-game losing streak, those losses included two to 5A Hahnville and a loss to De La Salle on a three-quarter court shot as time expired.

“It’s a really tough district. What do we need to do to compete? Minimize turnovers, work together and defend as a unit,” Perrone said. “We play against some really good people. Even if we allow 60 points, 58 points, we have make them work for all of them.”

St. Charles’ final predistrict game came last week, the second of back-to-back losses against Hahnville, 66-57.

Hahnville led throughout after taking an 18-12 lead into the second quarter. The Comets would trail by eight at halftime, but climbed back within one in the third quarter before Tyrenn Hills (20 points) and the Tigers reestablished a lead and some breathing room.

John Williams scored 23 points and Mike Green scored 13 to lead SCC. Trey Southerland scored 12 and Marcus Hall added seven for the Comets.

Perrone noted progress despite the loss, which came on the heels of a game that the Tigers won by 33 in Hahnville.

“I thought we played really well and with a lot more energy after the first quarter,” said Perrone. “In the first game, we came off of that heartbreaker against De La Salle, and Hahnville was scorching hot from outside. They didn’t repeat that shooting effort … it would have been hard for anyone to. We handled their pressure better this time.”

Indeed, SCC turned the ball over just 12 times in the game, something that bodes well as it enters a district stacked with teams that can defend.

“I thought we showed who we are,” said Perrone. “You’re never pleased when you lose and there are no moral victories. But I was glad to see our kids compete and mix it up.”