Edwards scores 34 as St. Paul’s reaches first ever boys basketball state final with win over Catholic High

LAKE CHARLES – When you have the best player on the floor and he plays well, you will have a very difficult overcoming that major factor in any game.

That was the case for third-seed Catholic of Baton Rouge Thursday afternoon at Burton Coliseum.

Senior Parker Edwards will play college basketball at Southeastern Louisiana and the Lions are eagerly awaiting his arrival. They will have to wait a little longer.

Edwards pumped in 34 points, including 12 in the decisive fourth quarter to lead second-seed St. Paul’s to a 59-52 victory over the Bears in the Division I semifinals.

Edwards was brilliant, sinking 7-of-11 from 3-point range and converting all seven free throw attempts, including all six in the fourth quarter. He added four rebounds.

“This is what we came here for,” Edwards said. “We knew it was coming, and it finally came. These last two games I have just been putting all I have on the court. I’m just doing whatever I can to win.”

In a game that featured 15 lead changes and seven ties, St. Paul’s was best when it counted most.

The first quarter saw three lead changes and one tie as Chandler Owenby had four points on two dunks to go with three rebounds for the Wolves. Kentrell Garnett had five points to lead the Bears.

The second quarter saw eight lead changes as the two teams answered each other continuously. Edwards heated up for the Wolves with 10 points in the quarter. He finished the half with 13, including four 3-pointers while Owenby had eight points and seven rebounds as the Wolves took a 30-28 lead at the break. Garnett led Catholic with eight points.

The third quarter saw three more lead changes and two ties but the Bears heated up and closed the quarter on a 10-4 run to take a 43-39 lead going to the final quarter. Garnett had eight points in the quarter.

With Catholic up 47-41 with just under six minutes to play, Edwards took over, leading the Wolves on a 10-0 run to take a 51-47 lead which they would never relinquish. The Bears got to within 51-50 but could never catch the Wolves.

Chandler Owenby had 10 points and 12 rebounds while Devonte Allen had 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the Wolves (29-6). Garnett led Catholic (19-9) with 16 points while Collin Hardaway had 14 points and 11 rebounds. St. Paul’s controlled the boards with a big 40-25 advantage.

St. Paul’s head coach Stephen Dale was not surprised by Parker’s performance under the bright lights.

“We just mark him down for 25 or 30 a game, and we’ll figure out the rest of it. He is so special with what he can do with the ball offensively. But I think he doesn’t get enough credit for the way he is defending right now. Everybody is going to hop on him as a shooter and a scorer. But I’m telling you right now what I see is that he is locked in as a defender right now, and that’s contributing to the winning.”

Catholic head coach Mark Cascio was certainly impressed by Edwards.

“He’s a great player,” Cascio said. “I thought we did a great job on him defensively, as crazy as that sounds with the impact he had on the game. He made some really tough shots.”

St. Paul’s advances to take on top-seed and defending state champion Scotlandville Saturday at 6 p.m. for the state championship. The Wolves will be seeking their first-ever state title. The Hornets will be seeking their fifth state championship in seven years.

Final
SPS 13 17 9 20 — 59
CHS 13 15 15 9 — 52

Scoring
SPS—Parker Edwards 34, Chandler Owenby 10, Devonte Allen 10, Bill Leahy 3, Ben Seiden 2

CHS—Kentrell Garnett 16, Collin Holloway 14, Hunter Williams 9, Nicholas Judice 6, Jack Judice 4, Caleb Warner 2, Chandler Row 1

Rebounds
SPS 40, CHS 25

Turnovers
SPS 15, CHS 12

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