NISH rallies to beat Westgate
Published 12:15 am Sunday, January 13, 2019
- New Iberia Senior High’s Xavier Smith (5) goes up for a shot as Westgate’s Keydrain Calligan (3) tries to defend during the cross-town rivals game Friday.
Sometimes it’s not how you start, but how you finish.
That was the case for homestanding NISH in a come-from-behind 55-49 win over Westgate before a raucous crowd Friday evening.
Westgate scored the first six points of the game and led by as many as seven early in the second quarter before the Yellow Jackets rallied behind 23 points from Ralph Johnson and timely contributions from Jake Lovette, Xavier Smith and Jaterius Fuselier.
“We didn’t play very well,” WHS head coach Oliver Winston said. “We kind of got away from our game plan while they did a good job of sticking to theirs. They disrupted our rhythm. We turned the ball over a lot and when a team does that they’re vulnerable.”
Trailing 32-28 at the half, NISH canned the first five points of the third period to take its first lead of the game.
The two teams then went back and forth for the remainder of the contest.
After Westgate went up 40-36 late in the third quarter on a jumper by Derryon Sam, NISH matched the Tigers basket for basket and eventually regained the lead for good (48-47) with just under four minutes remaining on a three-point play by Johnson, a smooth 5-11 swingman.
Johnson also helped neutralize Westgate’s top scoring threat, Mar’keyvrick Eddie, who poured in eight of his 10 points in the first quarter and was held scoreless after intermission.
“Ralph missed some free throws that could have been huge, but I thought he did a phenomenal job defending a really talented player in Mar’keyvrick Eddie by making it tough,” NISH head coach Todd Russ said. “You don’t stop Mar’keyvrick. You just make it as tough as you can and I thought he did a good job of that.
“That’s what the fans don’t appreciate. You’re watching two kids who have been competing against each other since middle school. They both laid it out on the floor. I’m excited with the way Ralph played. He played a good game, controlled the tempo, picked his spots real well and shot the three-ball well, which is something he has struggled with at times this season.”
A three-pointer from the left wing by Lovette, who had 11 points, extended NISH’s lead to 51-47 with 2:50 remaining.
“That was huge,” Russ said. “He struggled early on and missed those two free throws (on a technical foul called against Westgate prior to tipoff). On the bench he kept telling me, ‘I’m ready to go. I’m ready to go,’ so I’m not surprised, but that was a huge three by Jake right there.”
Sam, who finished with nine points, hit another shot to bring WHS within 51-49, but Jaterius Fuselier sank a 12-footer near the left baseline with less than a minute on the clock and Lovette made two free throws to clinch the game for the Yellow Jackets (13-8).
“I had my confidence the whole time before the ball got to me,” said Lovette, a 5-7 senior. “It was a big win and we needed that one.”
Russ talked about Fuselier’s crucial field goal.
“That was when the coach goes, ‘No, no, no…yes, yes, yes,'” Russ said. “He’s a sophomore that has a real bright future and was ready for the moment. He missed some open ones that he normally makes that he’s capable of making. I guess he figured that he was shooting this one and making it, and that was big.”
The game ended prematurely and on a somewhat sour note.
After a flagrant foul was whistled against Westgate with less than 20 seconds remaining, tensions grew high. An altercation ensued between a fan and a WHS player and a technical foul was purportedly assessed against NISH, but the officials evidently decided to run out the clock without additional discussion.
“There was a cheap shot, then a fan threw a drink on the floor,” Russ said. “Player safety is important. I don’t want my kids getting hurt, and I don’t want their kids getting hurt. The two schools deserve better than the way this game ended.”
More than once, the officials requested help from law enforcement to keep fans off the court.
“I hate for it to end that way,” Russ said. “There were two quality teams teams playing and playing well and playing hard. Kids were competing. You don’t want to see a game end that way. I think both programs are better than that.
“It’s just, sometimes, emotions take over and kids do foolish things but I think there’s some adults that need to grow up and understand it’s a good rivalry. It’s good for the community. It’s good for both schools. Both schools need it, but fans need to keep things in the stands and not put players in jeopardy.”
Winston said, “It’s unnecessary at the end of the day. These kids grew up with each other in the same city. They know each other and most of them are related. Adults can make a good rivalry into a spectacle and that’s not good for the kids or the schools.”
Smith (11 points) joined Johnson and Lovette in double-figures for the Jackets.
Keydrain Calligan paced WHS (13-6) with 12 points.
Center Keith Lopez, who added nine, recorded double-digit blocks as he and power forward Ron Madison kept a much smaller NISH squad off-balance in the lane.
“Westgate uses Keith Lopez as a kid who protects the paint and he did a phenomenal job of doing that,” Russ said. “He did a good job of controlling the paint and making it hard for us to get easy buckets. We don’t have the size to match up with him so he has you thinking twice sometimes when you go in there.”
Winston added, “I thought we did a decent job defensively. We rebounded well – out-rebounded them by double digits easily, but we didn’t do a very good job of getting the ball inside offensively and when shots don’t fall you’re limited.
“I thought as coaches we didn’t a very good job of getting our kids to block out what was happening around them.”
Westgate opens district play Tuesday at home versus St. Thomas More with the boys tipping at 6:00 P.M., followed by girls in the nightcap.
