Terrebonne holds off Thibodaux's rally, wins 66-58
Sat. February 04, 2012 at 12:21 a.m. | By Steve Holley/Sports Correspondent
Terrebonne’s girls’ basketball team fought off a hard second-half surge by Thibodaux for a 66-58 win in District 7-5A play on Friday.
Terrebonne (19-7 overall, 8-1 district) led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, but Thibodaux (7-15, 2-7) had cut the lead to three at one-point down the stretch and had possession of the ball with a chance to tie it in the final minutes.
Instead, Terrebonne forced a pair of turnovers in clutch situations and responded with a nice run of its own to put the game out of reach.
Tyroneeka Howard had 20 points to lead Terrebonne, who remained in first place in the 7-5A district.
“It wasn’t a playoff game, but they were trying to knock us off,” Terrebonne coach Gus Brown said. “Whenever you’re the top team in the district, everyone is gunning for you.”
The late run by Terrebonne put the Lady Tigers ahead, 60-52, with 1:03 to play after Raina Diggs stole an inbounds pass and hit a layup.
It was Howard’s 3-pointer — the Lady Tigers’ second on as many trips down the court — that closed out the third quarter and gave Terrebonne a 45-40 lead going into the fourth.
“We had a few girls that got a little winded and overheated (in the second half),” Brown said. “They had to get rehydrated and suck it up a bit, and we also had some girls that got into foul trouble. But we played well. Both teams shot well in the second half.”
Waneka Robinson had 15 points, Darian Dees had 14, and Raina Diggs added 10 for Terrebonne.
Terrebonne held a 15-8 lead after the first quarter before Thibodaux began to make their first run.
Thibodaux got down by 12 early in the second, but when Eris Stove sank a 3-pointer with 1:30 left in the first half, it cut the lead to 22-19 as Thibodaux was in the midst of an 11-2 run – their best of the first half.
Thibodaux would cut the Terrebonne lead to one before Robinson added a layup just before halftime, and Terrebonne had a 25-21 lead at intermission.
Terrebonne had no problem scoring in the third quarter, grabbing 12 points in the first four minutes of the period. But Thibodaux refused to go away and responded with a 10-0 run to make it a one-possession game with 1:45 to play in the third.
On Thibodaux’s next possession, Plaisance sank a 3-pointer from the corner and made it a one-point game at 39-38 with under a minute to play in the third.
Robinson responded on Terrebonne’s next possession with her own 3-pointer, and Howard’s 3-pointer at the buzzer made it a five-point lead going into the final period to set up a game that wouldn’t be decided until the final minute.
“It sure would have been nice to beat the first place team in the district,” Thibodaux coach Damian Robinson said. “I thought we might steal one (Friday night). We haven’t packed it in yet this year. It would be easy for a team to lay down, especially getting down early. But the kids are fighting and improving. We just want to taste some (success).”
Elise Plaisance led Thibodaux with 15 points.
Terrebonne’s 12-point lead in the first half was their largest of the game.
TERREBONNE 61, THIBODAUX 56 (BOYS)
At Houma, Terrebonne (13-14, 4-6 in district) led 27-19 at halftime and 42-34 after the third quarter.
Thibodaux (9-14, 3-6) took their first lead of the second half with four minutes to go at 45-44 after being down by 16 at one point in the third.
Trevon Cole had 20 points for Thibodaux in the loss.
NEW IBERIA 38, SOUTH LAFOURCHE 28 (GIRLS)
At New Iberia, the Lady Yellow Jackets pulled away in the fourth quarter for the win. Darian LeBlanc led the Lady Tarpons (7-12, 3-5 in district) with 10 points.
