By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

NEW ORLEANS — St. Charles scored just 19 points in a 2013 district loss at De La Salle. The Comets outdid that in a half Thursday night in New Orleans, and rode a suffocating defense from there.

SCC earned a 33-22 win over the Cavaliers this time around, earning their 13th win of the season and extending a season-long winning streak to six games.

Lela Hill scored 13 points and added six rebounds to lead the Comets (13-6, 5-1), while also setting a tone of intensity on the defensive end.

“We put pressure on the ball,” Hill said. “We wanted to attack their ballhandlers because we didn’t think they’d be able to handle (SCC’s pressure), and obviously it worked out. Coach told us to go after them and keep it up.”

Heaven Mamou scored eight points and added six rebounds, while Maddie Murphy scored seven points and grabbed eight rebounds.

De La Salle led 2-1 before Hill got rolling, first making a free throw before scoring three consecutive baskets, the last on a putback near the end of the first quarter. SCC added a bucket on an inbounds play with just 0.3 seconds on the clock, Mamou scoring off a pass from Murphy to make it 10-2.

In the second quarter, Murphy hit a jumper, then assisted Mamou on a bucket. Hill made a steal and scored a layup, and SCC led 16-2. Gabrielle Chatelain finally scored again for the Cavaliers on a 3-pointer with 5:15 remaining in the quarter, the first DLS basket since the first two minutes of the game. SCC led 21-7 at halftime.

That lead grew to 25-9, SCC’s largest of the night, on a Hill basket off of a give-and-go. De La Salle began to stir,  with Jasmyne Bracy and Madeline Salmon each scoring on consecutive plays, but the Comets never let the lead fall below nine.

“You’re happy to get the win, but with so many young girls, we’re trying to teach them to put these games away,” Louque said. “We tend to play to the level of our competition too often. I thought we came out with a lot of intensity (Thursday). In the second half, we played a little like we thought we had it won. That’s what we’ve got to change, because someday the team we let hang around is going to get hot.”

It was the third win of the week for the Comets, who also bested St. Katherine Drexel, 32-31, and McGehee, 38-34, in District 11-3A action.

Against St. Katherine Drexel, Mamou scored 12 points to lead SCC, which rallied from behind to win. Murphy added six points.

In the McGehee (6-4) win, Hill got rolling for 22 points, with Caroline Julian adding eight and Murphy six.

SCC’s six-game win streak comes on the heels of a district-opening 56-11 loss to John Curtis, a game Louque said turned around the Comets’ season.

“We responded after a bad loss and you like to see that,” Louque said. “That really got us going.”

Hill has made a big impact throughout this season.

“The thing with (Hill) is we want her to play to her strengths, and we have her in position to do that right now,” Louque said. “Having Caroline (Julian) play the point lets (Hill) freelance off the ball, and we can isolate her in advantageous matchups. She’s done a great job.”

The Comets were 8-11 at this time last season with a 2-4 district mark. The Comets basketball program is on an upswing these days, and Hill said it’s satisfying to see the team’s hard work paying off in the win column.

“Now, we’ve got to keep pushing,” Hill said. “We want to make it to the playoffs.

“We’re all pulling together for the same goal, and when you’ve got a team doing that, it’s hard for them to be stopped.”