March 5, 2005

Hahnville comeback falls short in Slidell

Humphrey, Lockett, Strickland post double-doubles in second-round loss

By Eric LeBlanc
Sports Editor
(Photo by ERIC LEBLANC)

After falling behind by as much as 21 points in the first quarter, the Hahnville Tigers outscored the Slidell Tigers 62-45 the rest of the way but fell three points short as Slidell took a 77-74 victory in the regional round of the state playoffs on Tuesday night.

Hahnville had three players record double-doubles. Irvin Humphrey led in both categories with 20 points and 16 rebounds while Kentrell Lockett followed with 15 points and 15 rebounds. McArthur Strickland was the other Tiger with a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Hahnville was without starting guards Reginald Lumar and Brian Singleton, but the team members that were there picked up the slack and gave Slidell all that they could handle.

The first quarter is what did Hahnville in. Slidell ran out to a 32-12 lead and led 26-5 at one point. Humphrey’s four points led Hahnville in the first.

But Hahnville made some adjustments going into the second quarter and closed the gap from 20 points to 14 points by halftime. Humphrey again led the team in the second with eight points while Lockett and James Ingram each scored four.

The third quarter is where Hahnville showed why they were district champions. Down by 14 points to start the second half, Hahnville clamped down on defense and limited Slidell to just eight third quarter points. Meanwhile on offense, Hahnville put the scoring into high gear as they put up 22 points, led by Strickland’s seven. Humphrey contributed six while Ravon Singleton put up five and Lockett scored four. Singleton brought Hahnville within two at 54-52 with a jumper. Then Lockett tied it up at 54 with two free throws. After Slidell took back the lead, Humphrey tied it up again at 56 with two points to end the third.

Slidell took the lead back to begin the fourth, but Kellen Francis stole the ball and gave Hahnville its first lead at 60-59 with a lay-up. The two teams battled back and forth and Lockett and Strickland each recorded lead-taking two-pointers at 70-69 and 72-71. But Slidell got the upper hand with a minute left and put the game out of reach in closing seconds.

Francis finished the game with nine points as did Singleton. Also contributing for Hahnville were Ingram with four points and Gerren Stipe with two points.

With the loss, Hahnville finishes the season with an overall record of 25-7 and a district championship. Graduating seniors include Francis, Ingram and Ravon Singleton.

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