St. Thomas More was just too big for the Destrehan Wildcats.
The Cougars outrebounded the Wildcats 41-16 and held Destrehan’s top two scorers in check in a 61-49 bi-district playoff victory.
From the outset, the Cougars locked down Wildcat big man B.J. Singleton on the inside and kept sharpshooter Ryan Derbes from making much of an impact on the perimeter.
Derbes, who routinely scores in double figures, was held scoreless. Singleton finished in single digits.
“We played hard, but their size gave us trouble,” Destrehan head coach Todd Bourg said. “We did not match up very well.”
Destrehan did manage to take an 11-10 lead after the first quarter, but was outscored by the Cougars 16-5 in the second. From that point on, STM was in complete control of the game.
“Their defensive scheme shut down our inside game,” Bourg said. “I knew going in we had to take a lead to make them play us man-to-man and we never could get that done. That’s been our strength all season long, take a lead and spread them out to use our speed.”
Xavier Blackburn led the Cougars with 18 points and Jimmy Vining added 17 points.
Though Destrehan didn’t get the victory, Bourg was still proud of how they performed throughout the season.
“We had a very successful season, we just did not fall in a good spot in the bracket,” he said. “You have to be good to win it all, but you also have to have a little luck. Being in the right spot of the bracket sometimes makes all the difference in the world.”
Destrehan will be built for another run next season with forward Singleton and guard Kevin Smith both returning.
“Those are two good players that we can build around,” Bourg said. “We have lots of young talent, but no experience.
“Only time will tell.”
Be the first to comment