Hornets take championship

The Rayville Hornets boys basketball team celebrates winning the state Class 2A championship March 8 at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. The Hornets defeated Port Allen 61-48 to take their second state title in a row.

Rayville Hornets take second state title

The semi-final game against Ville Platt was pretty much a laugher  as the Wilsons three scored 54 (Mylik 18,  JaMichael 24, JaMarkus 12) of the 115 points. 

Kashie Natt had his biggest game of the season with 23.  De’Eron Brown followed with 15, and Jalon Qualls had eight, Derrick Dawson had five.   Jay Pleasant and Zyquarius Cowart dropped in four a piece. Christopher Jones had three. Damerion Williams and LaBrandon Butler each had two to complete the scoring.  

This set up the finals with Port Allen with a record of 26-12.  They had averaged a little under 53 points in its playoff games winning by about 7 each.

Rayville (33-6) on the other hand, was averaging over 110 points a game beating their opponents by over 60 a game.  So what’s to keep this from another blowout?  Not a thing, but it never happened.  Why?  You tell me.

It is true, Port Allen did beat Red River, the over rated #2 seed. Could be they improved greatly at the end of the season and were better than their record.  This happens.  It happened to our girls who were under .500 early in the season, worked their way up to the #8 seed and finished the year in the  top four of the state.  So, what else?  Some times a team plays gests hot and plays over its head.  That’s the reason the games are played.

What else?  Two long trips to Lake Charles? Other times a team  gets cold and just has a bad game.  It happens.  No one has ever been able to explain why.

So what did happen?  Rayville 61-48.  Port Allen led by three at 6:40 in the first.  They kept lead for a minute and twenty-four seconds.  Rayville led 19-12 at the end of the first quarter.

So what’s the problem.  It seemed to the spectators a struggle all night.  The Hornets were 10 of 20 from the free-throw line.  They were one of 13 from the three-point line. Port Allen got within 3 (23-20) at the 4;01 mark in the second quarter.  The Hornets led only by 5 (33-28) at the half. What’s happening, are we in the twilight zone? the Hornets usually score 33 in the first quarter.  Hornet fans are spoiled.

Things got back to nearly normal as we led by 16 at the end of the third but Port Allen cut it to eight with 1:32 left.  End of the story, Hornets win by 13.

Again it was the three Wilsons leading the way, Mylik 18, JaMicheal 15 and JaMarkus nine. Jalon Qualls had nine, Kashie Natt eight and De’Eron Brown two.

Some Hornet fans, disappointed at not breaking a hundred for the fifth game in a row said they felt like we lost.  Hey, get over it.  This was for the Louisiana State Championship in 2A. How great must the team be to play the worst game of the year and still win by thirteen?  Mylik Wilson was awarded player of the state.

One thing that helped was having the best coaching team in the state regardless of classification: head coach Damon West, assistants Antwuan James and Ron Ellis, statistician Billy Green and managers: Savion Square, Amarvion Wilson and Johnny Mack Brown.  On camera for videos is Darius Washington.

As I said earlier, a team like this only comes along only once in a lifetime, except in Rayville we had it two years in a row.

In spite of the loss of the three fantastic Wilsons,  I’m betting even money that we go undefeated in district next year.

Richland Today

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