After a 2-0 start to the season, Hahnville hit a rough patch, falling in its next four games.
Those contests may prove a positive in the end, however, as the season rolls along. The Lady Tigers are testing themselves early against upper tier competition: three of the Tiger losses came to Salmen (7-1), Warren Easton (5-4) and De La Salle (6-2), while the fourth came to an out of state opponent in Vigor that reached the semifinals in the Alabama state playoffs last season.
“(Vigor) presented a pretty good challenge for us. They have a girl committed to Troy who’s about 6’6,” said Hahnville head coach Joshua Bellaire. “A tough matchup for sure, but it was a good opportunity for us to get better. And that’s what we need to do, just keep getting better and better week by week.”
Three of those losses came at the Edna Karr tournament. Hahnville fell in close games to Vigor, 34-31, and Warren Easton, 34-28. De La Salle captured a 62-44 win over the Tigers. Salmen hosted HHS and won 60-32.
Amani Williams led the Tigers in scoring against Warren Easton and Salmen with 10 points in each game.
HHS opened the season with wins over Booker T. Washington, 49-34, and McMain, 54-21.
Hahnville is looking to build on a 2024-25 season that saw the Lady Tigers reach round two of the playoffs – on the back of a thrilling first round, buzzer-beating win over H.L. Bourgeois.
Several core members of that team are back leading the way this season, among them A’Kjha Kenner, Paige Friloux and Amani Williams.
“They’re kind of stepping up into that role of scoring the ball,” said Bellaire. “With Dihlynn Mitchell’s graduation, she did a lot of that scoring for us in the past, and these three are picking up the slack and leading us on offense. They’ve all taken steps forward there for us.”
The Tigers also have a strong infusion of youth from its freshman class in the form of guards Demi Mitchell and McKijha Strickland.
“Demi Mitchell’s come in and been a really good ball-handler and playmaker for us,” Bellaire said. “McKijha Strickland’s done a good job off the bench for us. They both have a really bright future, and they’re giving us a boost.”
The Lady Tigers are known year in and year out for their relentless, pressuring defensive style. This season, that’s an area Bellaire sees a lot of potential for growth in – and if Hahnville can achieve that, it’ll only help the team offensively as well.
“Getting turnovers and getting out in transition,” said Bellaire. “If we can get into those passing lanes a little bit, we can run, and that gets us going before our opponent can set their defense. It’s something we can do well, and it really helps us a lot.”
Bellaire said the tough competition is aimed at getting his team ready for January and February basketball, where district games – and ultimately the playoffs – are often won by teams who have sharpened their skills against high-level opponents.
There’s more strong competition on the way when Hahnville tips off its annual holiday invitational tournament, which will be contested on Dec. 18, 19 and 20. Destrehan, H.L. Bourgeois, Vandebilt Catholic, Lutcher, Warren Easton, Cabrini, Carver and White Castle will be part of the tourney.
