Karr upsets Scotlandville in Sugar Bowl tourney

WESTWEGO – As the defending tournament champions and defending Division I state champion, Scotlandville was a solid favorite heading into its opening game of the 2018 Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic Tournament against Karr Wednesday afternoon.

The old axiom of “fatigue makes cowards of us all” certainly came into play, though the play of the Cougars was the biggest factor as Karr upset the Hornets 50-46 at the Alario Center.

Karr dominated for three quarters before Scotlandville awakened with a big fourth quarter effort which came up just short.

Scotlandville whipped a solid East Ascension team 68-44 Tuesday night and turned around to play less than 17 hours later.

“No, I don’t think fatigue was an issue or excuse,” Sample said. “We just didn’t have the effort or intensity or focus for 32 minutes that we needed. We finally had it in the final quarter. With the type of team they have, you cannot afford to come out like we did and expect to win. We didn’t do a good job of matching their intensity level. We settled for jumpers too often and did not get the ball inside.”

LSU signee Ja’Vonte Smart scored five straight points, including a 3-pointer with 1:29 to play in the game to cut what was a 15-point deficit to start the quarter to just one point but Skylar Perry made one-of-two free throws before Quindell Johnson drained a pair of clutch free throws with 14.6 seconds left to seal the big win for Karr.

The Cougars started fast, taking leads of 4-0 and 11-6 before leading 17-11 at the end of the first quarter as De’Antray Hughes had five points and three rebounds. Karr held LSU signee Ja’Vonte Smart scoreless in the quarter.

Scotlandville pulled to within 21-16 in the second quarter but Karr lengthened the lead to 30-21 by halftime. Skylar Perry finished with six points and three rebounds while Myron Green had six points and five rebounds in the half. Smart had a pair of three-pointers for six points in the half for the Hornets.

Karr held scoreless Scotlandville for the first 5:25 of the third quarter before Reece Beekman scored his first points of the game on a field goal. Marc Bowie had eight points in the quarter for the Cougars as they stretched the lead to 43-28 by the end of the third quarter.

The Hornets went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 45-41 with 2:44 to play but Kendall Johnson answered with a key basket for the Cougars to make it 47-41 with 2:31 to play, setting the stage for the frantic finish.

Marc Bowie led a balanced Karr attack with 10 points and seven rebounds.

“Coach told me to come out with a lot of energy and match their intensity,” Bowie said. “We knew if we did the little things well that we would come out victorious. That was the whole game plan, not to come out soft and to match their intensity.”

Bowie was asked to guard Smart in the first half and did an excellent job, holding him to scoreless in the first quarter before the Cougars went zone defensively.

“Coach told me I was going to guard him and I knew I had to be aggressive and accept the challenge,” Bowie said. “We had to maintain that kind of defensive intensity.

Karr head coach Taurus Howard was ecstatic with his team’s effort and relieved that his team held on for the win.

“I give credit to Scotlandville first,” Howard said. “They are a really good program, one of the best programs in the state. Our kids really played hard. We didn’t do a good job taking care of the ball, especially in the fourth quarter, but we had enough to come away with the win.”

Quindell Johnson, De’Antray Hughes, Myron Green and Perry each finished with seven points while Kendall Johnson had eight points for the Cougars. Green had nine rebounds while Perry added seven. Karr outrebounded Scotlandville 38-22, a huge factor in the victory.

“Defense and rebounding were a point of emphasis,” Howard said. “Our help defense was very good because they have a lot of shooters capable of scoring. Our initial energy made a difference in establishing the lead with some easy buckets.and we were able to hold it.”

Smart finished with 14 points to lead Scotlandville (15-4) while David Thomas, III had 12. The Hornets sank ten 3-pointers to account for 30 of their 46 points but got little in the paint.

The two teams will meet again next Tuesday in Baton Rouge.

Karr advances to play Helen Cox in the quarterfinals Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m.

“I’m real proud of our guys,” Howard said. “We’re improving.”

Final
SHS 11 10 7 18 46
Karr 17 13 13 7 50

Scoring
SHS—Ja’Vonte Smart 14, David Thomas, III 12, Trevon Smith 7, Tai’reon Joseph 5, Reece Beekman 4, Brandon Harton 2, Trelvis Griffin, Jr. 2

Karr—Marc Bowie 10, Kendall Johnson 8, De’Antray Hughes 7, Skylar Perry 7, Myron Green 7, Quindell Johnson 7, Reynaud Shields 4

Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic Results, Schedule

Boys
Karr 50, Scotlandville 46
Osceola (FL) 65, West Jefferson 57
Lincoln (NY) 78, Archbishop Hannan 36

Girls
Platinum Bracket
Loranger 48, Warren Easton 33
Kenwood (IL) 60, Salmen 47
John Curtis Christian 53, New Iberia 13
McKinley 43, Madison Prep 40

Gold Bracket
South Terrebonne 50, St. Thomas Aquinas 45
Cabrini 54, Hahnville 44
Thibodaux 66, Zachary 62
South Lafourche 90, Destrehan 16

Silver Bracket
Dominican 35, Helen Cox 32
Karr 44, West St. John 25
Ben Franklin 37, Cohen 30
Riverside 57, Christ Episcopal 29
East Jefferson 41, Archbishop Chapelle 37
Terrebonne 49, Higgins 26
Walker 49, St. Katharine Drexel 30
Mount Carmel 66, M.L. King Charter 33

Area Prep Basketball Schedule for Thursday, Jan. 4

Boys
Quarterfinals
Lincoln (NY) vs. Sophie B. Wright, 4 p.m. (Main Court)
Landry-Walker vs. Osceola, (FL), 5:30 p.m. (Main Court)
University vs. Riverside, 7 p.m. (Main Court)
Helen Cox vs. Karr, 8:30 p.m. (Main Court)

Consolations
Madison Prep vs. Scotlandville, 4 p.m. (Red Court)
Archbishop Hannan vs. Jehovah-Jireh, 8:30 p.m. (Red Court)
Country Day vs. West Jefferson, 4 p.m. (Blue Court)
Dunham vs. Covington, 8:30 p.m. (Blue Court)