No. 7 Lumberjacks to open postseason with Jennings

Patterson enters the Class 3A playoffs Friday playing its best basketball of the season.
The No. 7 Lumberjacks (18-6) will host No. 26 Jennings (12-15) Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Patterson clinched the District 9-3A title with a 70-40 victory against Franklin last week, which earned either an outright or co-district title for the fifth straight year.
The ’Jacks have won seven consecutive games after a loss to Central Catholic Jan. 29.
“We found our rhythm around the second or third game of district,” Patterson head coach Ryan Taylor said. “We got a spark with Nehemiah (Augustus) coming off the bench with his energy and strength, and he can also guard anybody, so we can sub him at any position.”
Malik Garrett and Jordan Butler will also be key reserves for Patterson.
“We will continue (to) use our same rotation and count on our guys to perform when they are on the floor,” Taylor said.
Patterson’s starters are Taylan Grogan, Daylon Charlot, Mykel Jones, D.J. Jones and Kenneth Washington.
“This group is very athletic, and they’re all good passers,” Taylor said. “They all can penetrate and find the open man. We don’t care who takes the shot, as long as it’s the best shot we can get. This group can also go from defense to offense quickly to get easy baskets.”
Patterson averaged 63 points per game in district play while holding opponents to 44 ppg.
The ’Jacks also have received strong play in the post from Washington in the second half of the season.
“He’s more confident in his play now, and the other kids are looking for him,” Taylor said. “We don’t have much size, so getting some scoring inside can be huge for us.”
Jennings, the third-place finishers in District 4-3A, come into Friday’s game off a 59-58 win against South Beauregard.
Jennings’ guards Draylan Perkins scored 27 points and Travis Etienne had 15 points to lead the Bulldogs Friday.
“They are a guard-orientated team,” Taylor said. “They like to go to the basket, and if they can’t score, they try to get the others involved. We have to control the guards and not allow them any second-chance baskets.”
Friday’s win against Franklin marked a comeback for the Lumberjacks, who, after dropping their first district game, won their next seven district contests to finish league play with a 7-1 mark. The Lumberjacks dominated their final three district contests, winning by an average margin of 36.3 points.
“I am very proud of this group of guys,” Taylor said Monday. “We started the district season off with a disappointing performance against Donaldsonville, but they battled back and were able to claim the district title outright.”
Washington led the Lumberjacks with 17 points, while Charlot also reached double figures with 11 points.
Additional reporting by www.jenningsdailynews.net.