February 19, 2005

Lady Cats fall to Mt. Carmel in first round

Eugene records double-double in final game

By Eric LeBlanc
Sports Editor
(Photo by ERIC LEBLANC)

Despite 20 points and 10 rebounds from senior Amber Eugene, the Destrehan Lady Cats fell to the Mt. Carmel Cubs Thursday night 52-40 in the first round of the state playoffs.

Eugene was the only Lady Cat in double digits, but Shanna Richard and Alicia Sentimore each had nine points while Sentimore and Schamayne Moses each grabbed seven rebounds.

The first half was controlled by Destrehan. Each team's field goal percentage was low in the first half, but Destrehan managed to pull out an 8-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Richard led that effort with six points in the first.

The Lady Cats kept control in the second quarter, outscoring the Cubs 11-9. Eugene and Richard led the effort with three points each with Richard's points coming on a three-pointer at the buzzer to extend the Destrehan lead to 19-14 at the half.

The second half was a much different affair than the first. The Cubs came out shooting and several three-pointers put Destrehan behind. Mt. Carmel outscored the Lady Cats 20-4 in the third quarter, with all of Destrehan's points coming from Eugene. The deficit stood at 34-23 going into the fourth, but the Lady Cats did not give up.

Destrehan almost equalled its first half point total in the fourth with 17 points. Ten of those points came from Eugene and seven came from Sentimore. But the Cubs kept up their third quarter pace with 18 points of their own and claimed the victory.

With the loss, the Lady Cats finish the season with an overall record of 25-10. Graduating seniors include Brittany Clark, Amber Eugene, Tranise Hamilton and Sherri Taylor.

Eric LeBlanc can be reached at EricL@heraldguide.com or at (985) 758-2795, ext. 219.