New Iberia Senior High girls basketball coach Chris Johnson brings back a wealth of experience from last season’s team that went 13-11.

In fact, he welcomed back the entire team, which opened the season by routing Catholic High 67-16 on Monday at NISH.

The Lady Yellow Jackets are still young with only three seniors on the roster in Laila Sigure, Zoriahn Davis and Jasmine Picard.

Sigure, a 5-foot-10 forward, scored 20 points for NISH (1-0). 5-foot-8 junior La’Nasia Lively added 10 points. Arianna Brown chipped in eight points, and Ahriyel Jeanbaptiste, Kalirie Harding and Davis each had six points.

NISH built an 8-0 lead in the first quarter when power forward Lacee Rodriguez blocked a CHS shot, and the Lady Jackets got the ball in transition to Sigure for a lay-up.

The Jackets stretched it to 17-2 on a 3-pointer by Brown, followed by a basket in the lane by Rodriguez and another shot from Brown.

“We got up and down the floor pretty well,” Johnson said. “We moved pretty fast compared to what I saw in the jamboree.”

Johnson was encouraged by the play of his bench. 10 Lady Jackets scored and there was no drop-off when the reserves entered the game.

“That’s a good thing,” he said. “I think we have 10 players we can go to. For sure, eight, but possibly 10 deep. The past two years, I don’t think we could’ve done that.”

Johnson said that Picard is a shooter who is the the most vocal and hardest worker on the team. Sigure, a first-team all-district selection last season, averaged 18 points and nine rebounds per game as a junior. She showed off a variety of moves Monday and also displayed her range with one of NISH’s seven 3-pointers.

Lively is another versatile player, according to Johnson, who described her as “a great athlete who can do it from every perspective.”

“She can handle the ball,” he said. “She can shoot it. She can post up. She’s started since she was a freshman.”

NISH played tenacious defense which resulted in plenty of steals and fast-break points. That’s what Johnson wants to see from his squad.

“That’s the point of emphasis and the most important part in the first half of the season,” he said. “Buying in and guarding your man. Points will happen on their own.”

Johnson was peeved at what he considered a defensive lapse.

“We didn’t take any charges,” he said. “We didn’t even attempt to take one. That’s big because we want to take charges.”

Last year, the Lady Jackets were 12-6 going into the Christmas Break, but won only one game the rest of the way.

“We were so good early that we thought other teams would just roll over,” he said. “The teams in our district didn’t quit. They punched back, and we couldn’t handle it. We fell out down the stretch, but we were in most of those games.”

Caroline Hebert scored eight points for CHS (1-0).