Led by sophomore B.J. Singleton, the Destrehan Wildcats captured the Mandeville Tournament championship with a 57-45 win over Fontainbleau.
Singleton (6’4, 230 pounds) has been unstoppable so far this year, and scored 58 points in the three tournament games on his way to MVP honors.
“B.J. brings us a post presence and he can also shoot the perimeter shot if he needs to,” Destrehan head coach Todd Bourg said. “By having a good post player, it allows us to have good, high percentage shots from the perimeter.
“Basketball is like football, you need a balanced attack and I feel like we have that.”
The Wildcats jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first quarter of the championship, but Fontainbleau fought back to get within four at 14-10. By half, Fontainbleau had tied up the game at 25-25.
In the third quarter, Destrehan got back on track and went on an 11-3 run to take a 36-28 lead into the fourth. Though Fontainbleau cut the lead to 38-33 with 5:36 left in the game, the Wildcats scored on their next five possessions to put the game away.
The Wildcats shot 51 percent from the field while holding Fontainbleau to 42 percent.
The win by Destrehan avenged a 44-46 loss to Fontainbleau in late November. Since that loss, the Wildcats have reeled off six straight wins.
“We have played five really good games so far and four not so good games, but we were still able to come out with wins in those,” Bourg said. “We just need to be more consistent.”
Destrehan will not enter district play for another month, but Bourg knows that his team will need all the fine-tuning it can get before it begins.
“Our district is brutal,” he said. “Hahnville will be strong again and East St. John has athletes and is doing very well.”
East Ascension, who lost most of their starters, and St. Amant, who is also rebuilding, could pose problems as well.
“East Ascension did lose most of their starters but Coach Almond does a good job over there and I’m sure he will have them ready to play,” he said. “St. Amant looks like they have to rebuild, but you can never count out Coach Duhe – another good coach that will be tough to beat in the gold dome.”
Bourg also cited Dutchtown, his teams first district opponent, as a solid ball club.
“We just have to take it one game at a time,” he said. “I tell my guys you got to hold serve at home and win at least half on the road and we will be just fine.
“Our goal is always to get in the bracket for the postseason, then it’s just another season. We take it one game at a time and try to get better each practice and every game.”
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