Pios come up short in finals

EUNICE – While Notre Dame’s defense was on point for the better part of four quarters, the same could not be said for the Pios’ offense Wednesday evening.
The Pios scored just one point in the third quarter and were outscored 20-9 in the second half in a 35-25 setback to Class 5A Sulphur in the finals of the St. Edmund Holiday Shootout.
The loss put a halt to the Pios’ seven-game winning streak and sent them to 7-1 overall.
Sulphur improved to 11-7 with the victory.
Early on, neither team had much success on the offensive end.
The Pios got an early 3-pointer from Teddy Menard to start the game but they managed just one more point the rest of the frame on a Zach Lamm free throw and trailed 7-4.
Nick Swacker got hot from beyond the arc in the second quarter and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers for the Pios and Parker Faust dropped in two free throws with 2:41 remaining in the half to knot the score at 12-12.
Menard scored the Pios’ final two baskets of the half, including a jumper just inside the arc at the buzzer to give the Pios a slim 16-15 advantage at the break.
Things went south from there, however.
Kohl Navarre hit three straight baskets for the Tors in the third quarter before Notre Dame’s lone point of the frame was a free throw by Menard with 39 seconds remaining.
The Tors went on a 9-2 run to start the fourth quarter to push the lead to 30-19 before Lamm connected on a 3-pointer with 2:45 remaining.
Lamm added another long ball with just over a minute remaining to get the Pios within two possessions (31-25) but the Tors sank four clutch free throws down the stretch to close out the game.
Overall, the Tors went 10-for-22 from the free throw line but they made seven of their freebies in the final quarter.
Navarre paced the Tors with 10 points and Dawson Ortego had eight, all in the second quarter.
Menard was the leader for the Pios with 10 points. He also pulled down four rebounds, dished out three assists and had three blocks.
Lamm added seven points, five rebounds and two assists and Swacker had six points, eight rebounds and three steals. Faust rounded out the Pios’ offense with two points.
The Pios will have a week off before returning to action on Monday, Jan. 10 with a home game against Port Barre.
Warriors top Bearcats
In other tournament action, the Northside Christian Warriors cruised past the Basile Bearcats, 93-57, in the consolation game of the St. Edmund Holiday Shootout.
The Warriors (11-12), who moved up to No. 4 in the most recent Division V power ratings, bolted out to a 21-13 lead in the opening frame and exploded for 29 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 50-27 lead at the break.
Things didn’t get any better for the Bearcats in the second half.
The Warriors put up 24 more points in the third quarter and added 19 in the fourth.
Basile scored 30 points in the second half.
The Warriors used a balanced offensive attack that saw five players score in double figures.
Jagger Thibodeaux led the charge with 17 points and Joseph Woods had 14. Caleb Hanks and Carson Tweedel followed with 13 points each. Garrett Kidder finished with 10.
In addition to the leaders, Christian Myers scored nine points, Jake Morgan added seven and Andrew Woods had six. Andy Wang and Owen Rue rounded out the offense with two points each.
The Warriors return to action on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. with a home showdown against Division V’s No. 3-ranked ESA.
Iota slips past Abbeville
LEROY – Trailing by one with 26 seconds left and Abbeville inbounding the ball, things did not look good for the Iota Bulldogs Wednesday in their matchup with the Wildcats at the North Vermilion Tournament.
That is until Luke Duhon stepped in front of the inbounds pass to steal the ball and hit the go-ahead layup to give Iota a 40-39 lead.
The Bulldogs then forced a turnover with nine seconds remaining and Duhon sank a pair of free throws to seal a dramatic 42-39 victory.
Iota snapped a three-game skid with the victory and, in doing so, improved to 8-6 heading into Tuesday’s home showdown with the Crowley Gents.
Chase Lalonde got the Bulldogs going in the first quarter with two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to help Iota take a 10-9 advantage.
The Bulldogs went on a 7-2 run to begin the second quarter and outscored the Wildcats 13-4 to take what seemed to be a commanding 23-13 lead at the break.
The Wildcats chipped away at the lead in the third quarter by scoring the first eight points of the frame to get within two at 23-21.
The Bulldogs answered with a 6-2 run to end the frame with a 29-23 advantage.
Lalonde scored all six of the Bulldogs’ points in the quarter.
There were three ties in the fourth quarter and the lead switched hands three times down the stretch before Duhon’s heroics.
Zalen Landry and Chad Nolan were the leaders for Abbeville with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Lalonde led the charge for the Bulldogs with four 3-pointers and a game-high 17 points. Duhon also scored in double figures with 10 points.
Payton DarDar added eight points and Kolton Morgan had three. Andrew Thibodeaux and Cole Breaux each score two points.