Tigers fall to Green Devils

In their second meeting of the season, the Plaquemine Green Devils again proved too much for Morgan City, defeating the Tigers 57-37 Friday in the bi-district round of the Class 4A boys basketball playoffs.
No. 4 seed Plaquemine jumped out to a 7-0 lead as No. 29 Morgan City didn’t get its first points until the 2:43 mark of the first quarter.
The Tigers rallied back as the Green Devils had just a 9-7 lead by the end of the quarter.
However, that’s as close as the score would get.
Plaquemine extended its lead to 22-13 at halftime and to 39-23 at the end of the third quarter.
Friday’s meeting came approximately two months after Plaquemine beat the Tigers 50-29 in Plaquemine in December.
Morgan City coach Brandon Harden credited Plaquemine, saying “they’re not the No. 4 seed for nothing.
“I was disappointed in our guys with their effort,” Harden said. “This is probably one of the worst games we’ve played in the last two months. I was just really disappointed in how flat we came out.”
Turnovers hurt Morgan City, Harden said.
“You can’t turn the ball over like that in the playoffs and expect to win,” Harden said.
The Tigers’ missed layups, and free throws also contributed to the loss, he said.
Senior Jaylen Jones led the Tigers with 10 points. Makye Richard added seven points while Deondre Walker and Lloyd Singleton added six points each. Brady Frio scored three points, and Tywuan Walker and Marvin Young each scored two points. Ke’Sean Francois had one point.
D.J. Marshall and Charleston Spears led the Green Devils with 14 points each.
Plaquemine coach Donald Ray Johnson said, “We knew Morgan City would come in and fight hard.”
Though the Green Devils won the earlier matchup by a substantial amount, Plaquemine knew the Tigers would “play harder and different” in the second meeting, Johnson said.
Plaquemine’s defense picked up and converted in transition off Morgan City’s turnovers, he said.
The Green Devils have a veteran team with eight seniors, and they do a good job of staying focused when other teams make runs, Johnson said.
“We’ve been down by double digits in the fourth quarter and came back and won,” he said. “They understand that everybody’s going to make a run at some point in the game.”
Plaquemine point guard Darwin James knows how to run the team, can defend, pass and make open shots, Johnson said.
“When he’s playing well, then we’re playing well,” Johnson said. “When we’re playing good defense and our point guard is playing well, we’re kind of tough to beat.”
Morgan City finished 1-23 during the 2013-14 season and worked their “tails off” in the offseason, Harden said.
One of the Tigers’ goals was to make the playoffs.
The last time Morgan City made the playoffs was 2012.
“They knew what it took to get here, and they don’t have any give up in them,” Harden said. Morgan City finished the season with a 16-9 record.
The 2014-15 season is something for the younger players to grow from and the seniors to be proud of, Harden said.
“They laid that solid foundation of bringing the magic back to Morgan City High basketball,” Harden said of the seniors.
This year’s Morgan City team was young with a starting freshman and sophomore at guard, Harden said.
“This was a great experience for those young guys tonight,” Harden said.
Jones, who has been a four-year varsity starter, will be a big loss next year for the Tigers, Harden said.
However, Harden said the Tigers are looking forward to the future and improving.
Plaquemine (24-6) will face No. 13 St. Thomas More in the next round of the playoffs Tuesday. St. Thomas More is a disciplined, tough, well-coached team that went to two state championships in recent years, Johnson said.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” Johnson said. “We’re going to be prepared for it as I know they’re going to be prepared for us, too. They’ve (Plaquemine) just got a goal in mind to make it all the way, and I think this team’s got the makeup to do it.”