Patterson Lumberjacks upset Catholic-B.R., 43-38

The Patterson High School Lumberjacks upset Class 5A Catholic High-Baton Rouge, 43-38, in nondistrict action Friday.
Patterson entered the game ranked No. 13 in Class 3A while Catholic High was No. 13 in Class 5A, both according to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s latest unofficial power rankings released Tuesday.
While Patterson trailed 5-4 after the first quarter and 17-12 at the half, the Lumberjacks outscored Catholic High, 31-21, in the second half for the come-from-behind win.
“I was very proud of our team’s execution in the (second) half,” Patterson boys basketball coach Ryan Taylor said. “We were able to get some open looks through our sets, and the guys stepped up and knocked them down. I was also proud of our defensive effort for the entire game. We did a great job forcing them to make contested shots.”
Coming out of halftime, Patterson outscored Catholic High, 17-9, in the third quarter for a 29-26 lead after three periods of play.
In the fourth quarter, the Lumberjacks held a 14-12 scoring advantage.
Taylan Grogan led the Lumberjacks with 17 points, while DJ Jones and Mykel Jones each scored four points. Other scorers included Malik Garrett with four points and Kenneth Washington and Tyric Garrett with two points apiece.
Patterson (9-4) will return to action Tuesday when it travels to face Centerville in an 8 p.m. contest. The contest will follow the 6:30 p.m. girls’ contest. Patterson and Centerville will meet in junior varsity boys’ action at 5 p.m.
Berwick defeats Kaplan
The Berwick Panthers defeated Kaplan, 62-4,5 in nondistrict action Friday in Kaplan.
No individual statistics were available from the contest.
The win was the Panthers’ second straight as they defeated Highland Baptist earlier in the week on Tuesday.
Berwick will return to action Tuesday when it opens District 9-3A play at home against Franklin.
CCHS defeats
Ascension Episcopal
The Central Catholic Eagles defeated Ascension Episcopal on the road Friday, 57-40, in District 7-1A action.
While Central Catholic led just 24-22 at the half, the Eagles outscored Ascension Episcopal, 15-0 in third quarter to put the game out of reach with a 39-22 lead heading into the fourth, Central Catholic coach Ree Case said.
The longtime Central Catholic coach said his squad ran their press “the best we had all year” in the period.
Central Catholic had four players reach double figures in scoring, led by 20 from Jalen Johnson.
Samarick Paul and Stefano Guarisco each had 11 while Charlie Solar had 10.
Other scorers for Central Catholic included Tanner Wiggins with four and Blake Byrne, one.
In junior varsity action, Central Catholic defeated Ascension Episcopal 30-18.
Wiggins led the Eagles with 10 points while Demarcus Mitchell scored seven.
The Eagles’ varsity victory was the squad’s fourth straight and improved their record to 4-0 in district.
Central Catholic, who leads the district standings, will meet Lafayette Christian Academy, who is also undefeated at 3-0, in a key district game in Morgan City Tuesday. Lafayette Christian enters the contest ranked third in the latest unofficial Louisiana High School Athletic Association power rankings.
Later in the week, the Eagles will meet Ellender, ranked No. 10 in the latest Class 4A power rankings.
Case said the games come at a point in the season where his squad needs to be “tested.”
The Lafayette Christian game will begin with boys’ junior varisty action at 5 p.m., followed by the girls’ varsity contest at approximately 6 p.m. and the boys’ varsity game to follow at around 7 p.m.
MCHS will return
to action
The Morgan City Tigers will return to the court Tuesday when they open District 9-4A play at Ellender.
Junior varsity boys’ action will begin at 5 p.m., followed by varsity girls’ play at 6 p.m. and the varsity boys’ contest, set for approximately 7:30 p.m.