SCC falls in slow pace playoff battle
Published 12:02 am Wednesday, February 21, 2018
- SCC senior Caroline Julian dribbles up the court Monday during St. Charles Catholic’s playoff battle with St. Thomas More.
LAPLACE — The St. Charles Catholic Lady Comets basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 31-28 regional playoff loss against No. 10 seed St. Thomas More Monday night.
Knowing St. Thomas More to be a patient team willing to pass the ball numerous times to get a good shot, the No. 7 seed Lady Comets entered the game ready to pick up the pace but ended up falling behind.
Head coach Tommy Julian said the Lady Comets struggled to keep control of the ball, and a high number of turnovers allowed St. Thomas More to take the lead.
“St. Thomas More played a very disciplined game defensively,” Julian said.
SCC seniors Caroline Julian and Jori Bryant were to leading scorers, putting up eight points each.
Pylar Zeringue looks to jumpstart the SCC offense during St. Charles Catholic’s playoff game.
Julian said the result was disappointing, particularly for the seniors who have experienced premature playoff losses more than once.
However, it did not reflect on the season as a whole.
Coming into playoffs with a 16-10 record and a fairly small team, it’s been a successful season for the Lady Comets, full of challenges and learning experiences.
“You know what to expect from your players, their greatest assets and how to use them after you get about halfway through the season,” Julian said. “We don’t have a lot of size, only having 10 players, so we rely on athleticism and smart play.”
Jori Bryant was part of SCC’s senior leadership that propelled the Lady Comets to success.
All players on the team have stepped up at one point or another, Julian said, and there are no obvious leaders in terms of ability.
“Generally, you have one person who leads in scoring throughout the season,” Julian said. “What’s unique about our team is that every player on the starting lineup has led the team in scoring in one, two or more games. It has been refreshing because we can count on all of the girls.”
Seniors Julian, Bryant, Heaven Mamou, Pylar Zeringue and Tyler Lennix were strong forces, Julian said, adding the four girls have played together since their freshman year, experiencing exhilarating highs and heartbreaking losses. He said experience is what motivated the upperclassmen to regroup after a series of unsuccessful late season games and position themselves to make the playoffs.
“They came around to finish what they started,” Julian said. “They’re a good group of girls. Whatever they choose to do after high school, they are going to be successful.”
Comets Playoff
The No. 9 seed St. Charles Catholic boys basketball team (7-20) faces off against No. 8 seed Loyola Prep in a regional playoff game at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Shreveport.
