Johnson, Bonnabel overcome Country Day in 53-51 thriller

METAIRIE – A pair of teams ranked fifth in their respective classifications met in a non-district game Wednesday night, each trying to improve their standing.

When it was over, the larger classification team was left standing but barely.

Trailing most of the night, Bonnabel rallied late to edge Country Day 53-51 at Patrick Gymnasium.

Theo Johnson drilled a 3-pointer from the right elbow from about 24 feet with 4.4 seconds left to provide the victory.

Country Day called timeout and got off one final shot, a runner from the right corner by Xane Hunter but it came heavily contested by six-foot-8 Louisiana Tech signee Will Allen and was off the mark.

“We knew it was going to come down to the last second shot,” Johnson said. “Coach told us to play defense and stay calm. We had 12 seconds left when they made the free throws to take the lead. We came down and when I caught it, I thought we had like two seconds left. I just threw it up there and it went in, it went our way. These games show who we really are. It builds a lot of character.”

Hunter had put the Cajuns ahead with 12.6 seconds remaining with a pair of clutch free throws. Hunter made all six free throws he attempted in the fourth quarter.

Shut down and frustrated much of the night by the 2-3 zone of Country Day, Allen came through huge in the fourth quarter.

Saddled with four fouls, Bonnabel coach Micah Hagans elected to sit Allen to start the fourth quarter and inserted his star with 5:08 to play in the game, trailing 41-34.

Allen then scored nine points in the quarter, pacing the comeback. Allen finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Beating another quality on opponent on the road shows the toughness of the Bruins.

“That’s why we play these tough games,” Hagans said. “That is a well-coached team. We knew it would come down to a last shot. I told my staff I probably should have called a timeout but he (Johnson) bailed me at. We play these tough games for a reason. I know I can trust my guys. Coach McGuire showed down Will most of the night but when I put him back in, he said ‘I got you, coach.’ He did.”

The Cajuns opened the game in the 2-3 zone and Bonnabel was unable to get the ball down low to Allen, who scored just one point in the first quarter. Country Day had a 7-0 run in the period and took a 13-8 lead going to the second quarter.

Bonnabel opened the second quarter on an 10-0 run to take an 18-13 lead but Country answered with an 11-0 run to end the half, punctuated by a jumper by Hunter in the lane off a double screen against a 2-3 zone as time expired.

Gabe Kohlmaier had eight points in the half for Country Day, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Jacqu’ee Jefferson had nine points to pace the Bruins.

Bonnabel closed the third quarter on a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to 35-32. Allen picked up his fourth foul and he would not start the fourth quarter after finishing the third quarter. Nomar Dijol hit a pair of 3-pointers in the quarter for the Bruins.

The Cajuns opened up a 10-point lead at 46-36 in the fourth quarter before Bonnabel rallied for the win.

Jefferson had 11 points and four rebounds while Johnson finished with 10 points and four assists. Nomar Dijol had nine points, on a trio of 3-pointers, and he added nine rebounds for the Bruins.

Hunter topped Country Day with 17 points with three rebounds while Kohlmaier finished with 15 points and four rebounds.

“They made the shots, they rebounded, they turned us over and we missed free throws,” Country Day coach Mike McGuire said. “You do that, you’re going to lose. I thought we played well for three and a half quarters. We tightened up and they made their run. We had several chances to put it away and didn’t. Give them the credit. They’re a final four team for a reason.”

Bonnabel (17-5), which has won four straight games, returns to action in a District 8-5A showdown at East Jefferson Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Warriors downed the Bruins 60-51 on Jan. 12 at Bonnabel in a non-district contest.

Country Day (7-8), which has lost five straight games, will travel to Booker T. Washington Saturday at 4 p.m. The Cajuns are still fifth in the Division IV power rankings.

“We needed this for our character,” Hagans said. “It was a great win.”

FINAL
BON 8 10 14 21 — 53
CD 13 11 11 16 — 51

Scoring:
BON—Will Allen 14, Jacqu’ee Jefferson 11, Theo Johnson 10, Nomar Dijol 9, Vandell Smith 5, Benard Hubbard 4

CD—Xane Hunter 17, Gabe Kohlmaier 15, Hartson Moss 6, Jordan Trahan 6, Connor Trahan 5, Scott Isacks 2

Rebounds: Bonnabel 27 (Nomar Dijol 9, Will Allen 8, Jacqu’ee Jefferson 4, Vandell Smith 3, Theo Johnson 2, Shawn Knight 1)
Country Day 19 (Scott Isacks 4, Hartson Moss 4, Gabe Kolhmaier 4, Xane Hunter 3, Cam Terrell 2, Connor Trahan 1, Alex Dreyer 1)

Assists: Bonnabel 8 (Theo Johnson 4, Will Allen 1, Vandell Smith 1, Nomar Dijol 1) Country Day 13 (Scott Isacks 6, Hartson Moss 2, Gabe Kolhmaier 2, Jordan Trahan 1, Cam Terrell 1, Xane Hunter 1)

Turnovers: Bonnabel 7, Country Day 10