ABBEVILLE – St. Martinville Senior High is in the District 5-3A driver’s seat after the Tigers topped Abbeville 67-54 on Friday.

The Tigers’ three seniors – JayVyn Duncan, Harvey Broussard and Jevion Sam – shared the scoring load. Duncan led the way with 18 points with Broussard and Sam adding 17 apiece.

“Our seniors carried us,” SMSH coach Ihmaru Jones said. “They sure did. They were getting rebounds, pushing the ball and getting out on the fast break. They did well.”

Duncan, who connected on 8-of-13 shots from the floor, was playing his first game in a week after the senior point guard was sidelined with an illness.

“I felt pretty good and was really excited to play,” Duncan said. “I hadn’t played in a while. It was a very important game. I knew my team needed me tonight.”

It was the seventh straight win for SMSH (15-11, 3-0), which defeated Abbeville in a non-district matchup in December. Abbeville (12-6, 2-1), which got 31 points from Tyrone Glover, had its five-game winning streak snapped.

“It was a good win,” Jones said. “I knew Abbeville was going to fight. It’s hard to beat a team you’ve played already. We’re going to have to beat them three times. That’s always tough.”

The two teams will meet in St. Martinville on Feb. 3.

Broussard grabbed nine rebounds with four blocks. Sam finished strong, making 3 of his final 5 field goal attempts.

Glover sank two free throws midway through the third quarter to bring Abbeville within 32-28. The Tigers used an impressive sequence over the next few minutes to move ahead 48-33.

Broussard fed as assist to Sam for a wide-open look in the lane, and Sam returned the favor on the next possession. Broussard opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer from the right corner, followed by a bucket from Delian Mallery.

“I was concerned that we were going to relax when we got a 17-point lead, because Abbeville isn’t going to quit,” Jones said. “They hit a couple of 3-pointers. We had to keep pushing.

“The only things that kept them in the game were the offensive rebounds and all the loose balls they were getting. They kept getting three and four shots on some possessions. If we would’ve taken care of that part, it would’ve been a blowout from the beginning.”

The Tigers were efficient in their half-court offense, repeatedly converting easy baskets preceded by assists.

“We’ve been working on that in practice, for everybody to keep their heads up and make that extra pass,” Jones said.

“The assists get everybody involved,” Duncan added. “When people start to score, they want to play defense. That translates well for us.”

The Tigers moved up to No. 9 in the LHSAA Division II non-select power ratings. Abbeville dropped from No. 7 to No. 10.