CCHS to face Houma Christian Thursday

When the Central Catholic Lady Eagles take the court at the Pontchartrain Center Thursday, they will be facing an opponent they went five sets with and beat this season for the second straight postseason game.
This matchup, though, is a much bigger rivalry than their first playoff game.
No. 4 Central Catholic (27-11) and No. 5 Houma Christian (22-11) will meet at 12:40 p.m. Thursday on Court 1 in the Division V quarterfinals.
Central Catholic topped Houma Christian during the regular season 3-2 (26-24, 25-20, 23-25, 20-25, 15-12) for the District 6-V championship. The Lady Eagles finished district with a 4-0 mark, while Houma Christian was 3-1.
After receiving a first-round bye, Central Catholic knocked off Catholic High-Pointe Coupee in the postseason, 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-17), after the teams had gone five sets earlier during the regular season.
The Lady Eagles return to the Pontchartrain Center, where they had been for multiple years before missing out last year.
Meanwhile, Houma Christian returns to the Pontchartrain Center after defeating No. 12 First Baptist Christian 3-0 (25-11, 26-24, 25-23).
Houma Christian is making its second straight trip to the state tournament after falling a year ago in the Division V quarterfinals.
This year’s Houma Christian-Central Catholic five-set match is nothing new as games between the two teams typically are long and competitive.
“It’s always fun when we play Houma Christian,” Central Catholic Coach Latashia Wise said Tuesday, agreeing Central Catholic may have another five-game set on its hands because both teams are familiar with each other.
Because the teams’ district went to a one-round district format this season, Houma Christian didn’t get a second shot at Central Catholic, and Wise said that because of that, she thinks Houma Christian will be ready to compete with Central Catholic Thursday.
Houma Christian features Dionjhae Thomas and Alicia Johnson, who Wise said both spark their offense.
“They (are) very powerful up at the net,” Wise said. “They’re very athletic up at the net, and they have the ability to change someone’s defense. They have the ability to give people problems on the defensive end if both of them together get going at the same time.”
Wise said her team will have to be strong at the net and play solid defensively to win.
She said the Lady Eagles also have to be good in serve-receive, which she said has been an inconsistent part of the Lady Eagles’ game this season.
At the Pontchartrain Center, the Lady Eagles will face a new atmosphere, too, with multiple games going on simultaneously and the set up different than a regular-season or earlier postseason round contest.
“One of the concerns is always it’s a different atmosphere,” Wise said. “It’s a different (facility). It appears to be a whole lot bigger than it really is, and I just told my kids the court is the same size, whether you believe it or not. The opponent is the same opponent, and we just have to come out and we have to play tough no matter where we’re at.”
She said she thought the location would have an effect on Central Catholic maybe earlier in the match before going away once the match really gets going.
She doesn’t expect Houma Christian to have an issue with the different environment because basically its whole team returns from a year ago after an appearance at the state tournament.
The winner of the Central Catholic/Houma Christian matchup will face the winner of the match between No. 1 Ascension Episcopal and No. 9 Episcopal School of Acadiana Friday at 10 a.m.