Lafayette Christian tops South Lafourche for Allstate Sugar Bowl girls gold title

WESTWEGO – Megan Abrams scored 26 points to lead Lafayette Christian to a 51-43 victory over South Lafourche in the championship game of the girls gold bracket at the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic Saturday at the Alario Center.

Abrams, a 5-foot-8 senior who signed in November with the University of Alabama, scored 20 of her team’s 32 second-half points and was named the bracket’s most outstanding player as the Knights (20-2) won their eighth consecutive game.

“She makes everybody around her better,” LCA coach Errol Rogers said of Abrams. Besides her scoring ability, Rogers said, Abrams “was able to penetrate and she plays good defense.”

South Lafourche (17-6), which posted wins over Destrehan and Natchitoches Central to reach the final, trailed 33-30 entering the fourth quarter but pulled within a point on the opening possession of the period on a bucket by Abigail Bouzigard.

LCA, which scored victories over South Terrebonne and Cabrini to get to the title game, then went on a 12-3 run to put away the Lady Tarpons. Abrams had six of the points and Bree Porter four in the decisive stretch.

“(South Lafourche) went man and we were able to penetrate,” Rogers said. “We were able to get some easy buckets.”

Lafayette Christian scored the game’s first nine points and forced five first-quarter turnovers in taking a 14-6 lead after one quarter. The taller Knights had nine offensive rebounds and eight second-chance points in the opening quarter.

South Lafourche responded with a 10-2 run to open the second quarter to tie the game. The Lady Tarpons finally got their first lead in the final 30 seconds of the first half on a putback by Victorianna Nelson and took a 20-19 lead into halftime.

Neither team led by more than three points in a back-and-forth third quarter.

Nelson led South Lafourche with 15 points. Traya Bruce added 11.

Erin Rogers joined Abrams on the all-tournament team from LCA. Bruce and Nelson were selected from South Lafourche.