Suire’s 3-pointer with four seconds left lifts Loreauville to win
LOREAUVILLE — Reece Suire nailed a 3-pointer with four seconds left to lift the Loreauville Tigers to a 45-44 win over David Thibodaux in a non-district boys basketball game Friday.
LHS senior Collin Jacob drove into the lane, then dished the ball outside to Suire, who calmly swished his only bucket of the game.
“I saw Collin drive in, and I saw the defense collapse,” Suire said. “The only thing in my mind was to shoot it.
“I shot it very confidently. It feels great to be there for my team, no matter how many minutes I play.”
It was a physical contest that included four technical fouls with three coming in the first two minutes and 15 seconds.
Jacob, who finished with seven points from his post position, picked up two quick fouls and was forced to watch much of the game with foul trouble.
“I told them to keep our composure after we got into foul trouble,” LHS coach Darrell Ceasar said.
“We couldn’t apply pressure like we wanted, so we sat back, but they couldn’t hit any shots from the outside. We really wanted to play pressure defense, but with the foul situation, we had to play conservatively with our defense.”
Point guard Calep Jacob scored seven points for the LHS, which brought back all five starters from last year’s team.
“Their motor keeps running,” Ceasar said of the Jacob twins. “They’re always ready to go. It’s fun coaching them. They’re always going to play hard, and they’re great leaders. They play with so much energy and emotion.”
Senior Jahari Williams led the Tigers with 12 points and three 3-pointers.
“Jahari is really shooting the ball well,” Ceasar said. “He’s improved a lot since last year. All the kids have.
“Last year was my first year here. I think they’re starting to understand what we’re trying to achieve, and the come-from-behind win makes our players believe everything I’ve been preaching to them from the beginning.”
Nick Deal, who was often the primary scoring threat last year, scored five points while freshman Kylon Polk came off the bench to add 10 points with two 3-pointers.
“Nick can score, too,” Ceasar said. “He didn’t have his best offensive game tonight, but he gave us a lot of blocked shots.
“Kylon a tough kid, man. He’s the smallest kid out there, but he plays with a lot of heart and energy. When you have a smaller kid with a lot of heart and energy, it makes up for the lack of size.”
As for Suire, his coach wasn’t surprised when the senior guard made the game-winning shot.
“I see him make that shot in practice every day,” Ceasar said. “The kid is really a gamer. He loves the game of basketball. He studies it. I was great for him to hit the shot.”