Destrehan Ladycats look for spark in competitive district

Destrehan’s Darielle Richard brings up the ball.

At 16-11, Destrehan stands within the Class 5A girls basketball playoff picture in what’s been a major rebound season, but an -14 start within a highly competitive District 7-5A has the Ladycats looking to bounce-back once again.

Destrehan has fallen to rivals Hahnville (score of 53-47 at R.K. Smith) and East St. John (64-54 at ESJ) to begin the new year, before splitting a pair of games with Central Lafourche (57-42 win) and H.L. Bourgeois (67-46 loss). All seven district teams are in the postseason picture.

The good news for those teams: while no nights will be easy, any district wins figure to yield a nice bump in that power point rank. And for Destrehan coach Meagan Stock, the belief is those wins will indeed come if her Wildcats can start executing on the little aspects of the game they can control.

“It’s been tough because you look at the scores in our losses and then at the missed free throws, the missed layups … we know we had our chances,” Stock said. “If we take care of the easy things, that only makes everything else in the game easier. Our district’s very talented this year, and that makes it fun, but you can also end up frustrated if you leave points out there.

“It’s just a matter of doing it, because it’s right there.”

Breion Richard has started to make an impact as a freshman, Stock notes. Senior captain Sierra Samuels has been reliable all season. And Korriana Reynaud, who played significant minutes as a key piece for the Wildcats’ unbeaten state championship team two years ago, has started to find her best form as the team’s leading scorer.

“She’s been sharing the ball really well,” said Stock. “She’s our leading scorer, but she’s come a long way in terms of moving the ball and getting everyone involved. We look to her to take charge in big spots.”

Stock said that defensively, the team can make some strides. After a strong start to the season at that end, a few recent hiccups have led to the team making a few adjustments to their attack, which they’re hoping will show positive dividends through the remainder of district play, including their next game: a rivalry rematch with Hahnville Friday night at R.K. Smith Middle School.

 

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