Warriors come up short vs. Saints

Tue. February 14, 2012 at 10:19 a.m. | By Mike Wagenheim/Sports Correspondent

Houma Christian's Keamon Sims drives to the basket during Monday's game in Houma. (Photo by Kim Smith/Correspondent)

When everyone else went quiet, St. Martin Episcopal's John Fresreda delivered when it counted, contributing to the final four points in a nail-biting 50-48 victory at Houma Christian to round out regular season play in District 10-1A.

The Warriors' Nate Frye launched a running 3-pointer from the left side at the buzzer, only to miss it short. Frye scored 21 points, including seven in the final period, to give Houma Christian (12-10 overall, 7-3 in district) a chance.

Both teams went nearly four minutes without a basket late in the game, until a tough bank shot from the left block by Frye squared the score at 46 with 1:10 to go.

Fresreda then knocked down a 12-footer to give the Saints the advantage with under a minute remaining. On their next possession, Fresreda, who racked up a game-high 23 points, drew multiple defenders before leading Daniel Achee with a beautiful bounce pass for a layup to stretch the lead to four points.

Houma Christian's Shamar Charles, who was honored as the team's lone senior, caught an air-balled 3-pointer and laid it in with five seconds to go to bring the Warriors within a bucket, but that was as close as they would get.

"I thought their size and our youth really put as at a disadvantage in the second half," said Houma Christian coach Freddy Frye. "Our rotation was just too slow defensively. We need to figure out things personnel-wise. We were missing a couple of key players (Monday night) for various reasons and it hurt. It's not an excuse. It's a learning experience for these younger guys."

Houma Christian grabbed an early advantage, sprinting out to a 15-9 lead after the first period, which included a 9-2 run to close out the opening eight minutes. The Warriors went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the first period and 8-of-10 in the half.

But, the Saints (7-19, 4-6 in district) responded with a 14-4 run of their own to close the half up 29-23.

"We started taking the ball to the basket and making some shots," said Fresreda, who had scored 13 points by the break. "But I thought the key was that we stopped sending them to the line. We build our offense off of our defense. The way we play, it's tough to get going with the opponent shooting free throws."

While the Saints didn't relinquish the lead in the third quarter they never were able to pad it, either. A 3-pointer by Frye just before the buzzer pulled the Warriors within a point at 40-39.

Finally, a traditional three-point play by Frye in the opening minute of the fourth put Houma Christian ahead. St. Martin's Zach Lange drained two bonus balls, while Frye made a pair of tough shots to send the game into the final minute tied at 46.

"I thought both teams kind of lost their poise down the stretch," St. Martin's coach Mike Odom said. "But, we've been in almost every game we've played so we've been in this situation before and we made the plays we needed to in the end. This win might sneak us into the playoffs."

With playoff pairings set to be announced on Friday, Houma Christian anticipates hosting a first-round game at Terrebonne High School.