Battle-tested Bears shine against Delcambre

Published 8:00 am Sunday, December 11, 2022

The HBCS Lady Bears put in a dominant performance on Thursday when they defeated Delcambre 73-23 at home.

Entering the contest with a 4-5 record, the Lady Bears had already been through the ringer this season against some of the top 4A and 5A talent that Louisiana has to offer.

Losses to STM, Walker, Thibodaux and Carencro not only gave Highland a huge boost to their power ranking, it also provided the team with the experience needed to make a deep run in this year’s playoffs.

“When I put the schedule together, I told one of my coaches that I didn’t know if it was a good idea,” said head coach Carol Sensley. “We’re really stretching and extending our young ladies, but we set a goal to return to state. We’ll take it one game at a time but that’s the ultimate goal. I knew that if we were going to do that, we’d need to beef up the schedule and be challenged early on. We want to be battle-tested early on and play in some power rating tournaments and we did that. It was tough and it was tough to keep them encouraged and positive, but I kept assuring them that we’re working for what is down the road. I think they’re understanding that now.”

Before they can turn their attention to the postseason, however, the Lady Bears had a job to do against Delcambre.

Highland wasted no time in establishing their on-court dominance early, picking up a 33-3 lead in the first quarter. With solid performances in all phases of the game, the Lady Bears controlled the tempo and were able to execute their gameplan to [perfection against Delcambre.

“I was really pleased with our intensity level and our focus,” Sensley said after the win. “I think we shot the ball well and got people involved as a team. That’s something that we were working on with offensive execution, being patient and working for not just the open shot but the shot that we want. Defensively i thought that our pressure and intensity was there. We got to play a lot of kids and work them into the system, which is very important, so I’m pleased tonight.”

After holding the Lady Panthers to just 10 points in the first half, Sensley said that her focus was on maintaining the intensity level through the end of the game.

“They enjoy playing the game, but I talked to them in the second half about making sure that we’re staying focused and not getting lax. We still have to work even though the score was high, we want to make sure that the team is executing correctly and they did that. I’m proud of them. I want them to play hard and they did that.”

Highland’s offense was led by M’Kiyiah Olivier, who picked up 26 points against Delcambre thanks in part to six three-point shots. Adding 17 points each were Kiara Comeaux and Logan Boutte. Yvette Olivier added 11 points.

Delcambre’s top scorer was Mortaysia Carter, who scored 14 points in the loss.

The Lady Bears were fortunate to return Najah Johsnon back to the roster after injury, but suffered a scare when Yvette Olivier suffered a blow to her back against Delcambre. Sensley said that Olivier should make a full recovery by their next game, and praised the rest of her team for stepping up throughout the season.

“(Yvette)’s a pretty tough kid but we wanted to make sure that we played it safe. She took a hard hit but she came back. You’re not going to keep her out of it. We also have Najah who is working her way back from injury. This is her second game back so she’s still trying to get her timing down. Kiara (Comeaux) and M’Kiyiah (Olivier) continue to lead the team and Logan and Madison have also stepped up for us. We just have to stay focused and keep getting better as a team.”

Highland’s girls and boys basketball teams are scheduled to return to action on Saturday against Catholic High. Full coverage will be included in the Wednesday edition of The Daily Iberian.

Panthers do the double over Highland, 67-54

After defeating Highland Baptist 57-36 in the Erath tournament early this season, the Panthers came into Thursday’s game with a well-earned swagger.

The Panthers executed their gameplan early, dominating possession and keeping Highland scoreless for the first five minutes of the contest.

Senior Jaxon Wiggins, Delcambre’s star running back on the football field, proved himself to be just as unstoppable on the basketball court as he racked up 22 points to lead his team to victory on Thursday.

The Bears managed to out-score Delcambre 14-12 in the second quarter, but the damage was already done. Going into halftime with a 31-16 lead, the Panthers just needed to see the game out to secure their fourth win of the season.

Highland did their best to mount a comeback, adding 12 points in the third quarter before rallying back to score 26 in the fourth, but it was too little, too late as Delcambre emerged victorious for the second time this season.

Despite the loss, Highland’s Charles Dartez had a phenomenal game, scoring 31 points. Dartez’s 17-point fourth quarter performance nearly dragged Highland back into the game.

Delcambre will return to action on Monday when they travel to Franklin to face Hanson Memorial. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m.