NISH players dance as they celebrate their win.

The New Iberia Senior High Lady Yellow Jackets hosted the Westgate Lady Tigers on Wednesday, narrowly defeating their crosstown rivals 42-40.

NISH put points on the board early following a strong performance by Riley Guillotte, ending the first quarter 6-2.

“Riley Guillotte started the game early for us and kept us afloat,” said NISH coach Chris Johnson. “She may have only had 6 points in the whole game, but she led us early.”

“That kid, she comes in every day and performs well, doesn’t bat an eye, and does everything we tell her. She works hard and it showed tonight, she played well.”

The scoring pace increased as the game wore on, but neither team could keep the lead as they battled back and forth. By halftime, only 2 points separated the teams.

The Yellow Jackets had a stronger third quarter, led by junior power forward Laila Sigure.

Despite a strong rally to close the gap, Westgate was unable to catch the Lady Yellow Jackets.

NISH’s Zoriahn Davis finished the game with 12 points. Laila Sigure (10 points) and La’Nasia Lively (5 points) also contributed to the win.

NISH coach Chris Johnson said the game featured a perfect community environment and was a great game for his team.

“A high-intensity crosstown rivalry like it’s supposed to be,” he said. “Those are the games you want to play.

“Granted, it was tight for the coaches, but for the players, those are the games you want. Games that push the limit and bring the best out of you, that’s what we expected coming into this one.”

“It means (a lot) to the community,” added Johnson. “The community is behind NISH and Westgate, and the NISH family came out, the students came out and supported.

“The community was beautiful and I think something like this for the community is what needs to happen every time.”

Westgate coach Neka Jones says that, despite the loss, she is proud of her team and the effort they showed.

“I’m very proud of my girls,” she said. “They executed well. We played with defensive intensity.

“We had a few times where we had small brain farts on defense, allowing teams to make easy buckets, but overall I’m very proud of my girls and the way they played.”

NISH improved to 7-5 on the season and will travel to Centerville on Wednesday.

Westgate is 3-7 this season and will host Cecilia on Monday.