ST. MARTINVILLE — Faced with a double-digit deficit late in the game, the St. Martinville Tigers mounted a last-minute comeback but ultimately fell short in a 69-64 loss to Crowley at home on Friday.

The Tigers (25-8, 8-2) dropped both District 6-3A games to the Gents, who won the league championship.  

Crowley (20-8, 8-2) leaped to an early 11-4 lead only to have the Tigers respond with 11 straight points. 

A steal and a lay-up by Jalen Mitchell put SMHS ahead by 2 at the end of the first quarter.

6-foot-3 freshman Harvey Broussard then added a bucket in transition to expand the lead to 15-11 with 6:30 remaining in the half.

In the early minutes of the third quarter, the Tigers sputtered on offense.  

Crowley scored the first 10 points of the second half and pushed its lead to 36-26 on a field goal by Braden Board, who led all scorers with 21 points.  

“We came out slowly and missed shots,” SMHS head coach Ihmaru Jones said.  “Our defense was lacking.  We gave up easy buckets and fell behind.

“We did well to come back, but then we had some turnovers right before halftime.  We had a 4-point lead, then it became a tie game.  Then, we came out in the third quarter sluggish and fell behind by 8 or 10 again.”

Sparked by Andrew Savoy’s 18 second half points, SMHS got within 65-64 with under a minute to play.

Savoy led the Tigers with 20 points, followed by Jalen Mitchell (14) and Datayvious Gabriel (11).

“Right here at the end, we had some chances, but we missed some free throws,” Jones said.  

“The first time we played Crowley, we played defense halfway.  You can’t do that and expect to win.  You have to bring that defensive intensity every night.

“We usually play better at home.  

Defensive rebounds, we have to get that.  That’s been a problem.  We’ve been giving up offensive rebounds and teams are getting extra shots.  Opposing team’s guards are chasing down long rebounds, and we’re not blocking out.”

The Tigers are seeded No. 9 in 3A in the latest bracket projections.  The LHSAA will announce the playoff pairings on Monday.

“I told them it was a great regular season, to learn from their mistakes and let’s get prepared for the playoffs,” Jones said. 

With four players in the 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-5 range, Crowley was able to use its size advantage vs. a young SMHS team that has only one senior.

“I’ll tell you what,” Crowley coach Jason Lewis said. 

“St. Martinville is a good ballclub.  They won a lot of games, and this is what they do best.  They showed they’re a good team by hitting big shots. 

“We were up 10 points with a minute to go and they cut it down to one point, so that was huge.  I have to give credit to them.  

“They fought hard.”

SMSH now waits to see where they will be seeded in the playoffs.