8 Intriguing Showdown in the Lake Results
The Showdown in the Lake is one of the premier tournaments of the early basketball season in Louisiana. All classifications are usually represented and this year was no different. When all was said and done, Scotlandville was the last team…
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Continue ReadingThe Showdown in the Lake is one of the premier tournaments of the early basketball season in Louisiana. All classifications are usually represented and this year was no different. When all was said and done, Scotlandville was the last team standing with a victory over Peabody in the final. Even though that was the final result, there were eight other games that may have been more intriguing from the whole tournament.
Bossier dispatches North Central 60-36
The opening game of the tournament (in Hamilton Christian’s gym) was an up and down affair with the Bearkats and the North Central. Bossier’s back court tandem of (Kaalas) Roots and (Jacoby) Decker took the action to the Hurricane guards on offense and defense early as Bossier took an early six point lead twice. North Central fought back and tied the game early in the second. Jacoby Decker then hit two buckets towards the end of the quarter to help Bossier roll into halftime with a five point lead.
Bossier began the 2nd half with their vaunted press. Before North Central could get their bearings, Bossier pushed that halftime lead to thirteen. Once the Hurricanes finally scored in the third quarter, the lead had reached twenty points. A dominant 21-4 quarter by the Bearkats took the fight out of North Central’s squad. Bossier’s press, with D’ante Bell (2020) and Xavien Beasley (2019) at the head and middle, caused several passes to be thrown away. While the 1A semifinalist were game early, they could not compete with the experience and pressure of Bossier.
Dunham outlasts Wossman 78-72 in OT
The purpose of this tournament seems to be to match up teams that normally would not play one another. No match up more signified this than Dunham-Wossman. The defending Division III champions and the class 3A semifinalist fought tooth and nail for four quarters. They fought so much that they had to have an extra four minute session to settle it. In the end, Carlos Stewart (2021), Jordan Wright (2019), and crew made more shots the Wildcats from Monroe. Such a tight and high quality game speaks to the success of these teams. It will be no surprise to see them again in early March during Marsh Madness.
Red River stuns Walker 82-81
In a game full of twist and turns, Red River handed the defending 5A champs their first loss of the season. Walker dominated the game in the first half. Jalen Cook (2020) and Brian Thomas (2021) made every offensive play there was to be made as they pushed the lead up to 25 points. Coach Johnson for Red River employed a full court press the entire second half and increased the pace. The press, along with Cook receiving his fourth foul on a taunting technical, made the last 13 minutes of the game interesting. Guard E’maryeon McDonald caught fire in the final 4 minutes of the game to draw Red River to single digits. The go ahead basket was made by 6’7″ forward Jessie Davis (2019) with under three seconds remaining. His 16 points in the fourth quarter carried the Bulldogs.
Going into the game, the primary match up was between 2021 point guard E’maryeon McDonald (Red River) and 2020 Jalen Cook (Walker). Needless to say their match up did not disappoint as McDonald ended with 37 and Cook with 29. Top notch point guard play to say the least.
Rayville defeats Landry-Walker 73-58
Defending 2A champions Rayville were coming off their first loss since losing the 2A title game in 2017 during the Tournament of Champions in Illinois. Needless to say the 5A runner-ups from 2018 was a tough test to begin the Showdown in the Lake. Since both teams like to get up and down the floor so neither one had a problem scoring early on. ULL signee Mylik Wilson led the Hornets with 16 as they took a 5 point halftime lead.
The third quarter was Landry-Walker’s undoing. What was a close game at the half became a thirteen point game after three. Senior forward JaMarkus Wilson (6’5″) and senior guard De’eron Brown (6’0″) outscored Landry-Walker themselves and help Rayville cruise to a double digit win. Landry-Walker did not help themselves as they only had one double digit scorer.
Scotlandville beats Dunham 60-58
There are times in tournaments when teams see familiar foes are play teams that they have scheduled for later on in the season. This game was one of those. Scotlandville’s Reece Beekman (Prep Hoops LA #2 player in 2020) and Jordan Wright (Prep Hoops LA #2 player in 2019) were the primary prep stars in this battle. Beekman had a triple double that led his team to the two point victory. If round one was this close, round two should be just as tight during the season.
Walker outlasts Landry-Walker 72-67
Both teams had tough losses in the first round of the tournament. However, this rematch of the 5A state championship was nothing short of suspenseful. Jalen Cook (Prep Hoops #1 player in 2020) scored a team and game high of 48 to help Walker defeat Landry-Walker in overtime. Landry-Walker did defeat Carroll in between losses to go 1-2 over the weekend. While Walker went 2-2, Cook’s 48 points was the high for the tournament.
Peabody upsets Rayville 65-62
This game was a rematch of a summer contest where Rayville beat Peabody by 11. Peabody had been chomping at the bit to play Rayville again since that day and got them. The game did not go as planned for Peabody for most of the game as they were down double digits in the third quarter. However, timely shots by the Peabody guards and a cold stretch by all the Rayville shooters turned a double digit lead into Rayville’s first loss in over a year. The graduation of Nashun Ellis was big in this contest as Hornet shooters were off from behind the ark. Peabody used this momentum to reach the championship game.
Scotlandville beats Bossier 68-66
The two hottest guards in the state linked up in this 5A versus 4A contest. Reece Beekman and Jacoby Decker are early favorites for Mr. Basketball in Louisiana and they did not disappoint. Scotlandville, who trailed at the half, had junior shooter Tai’reon Joseph (6’2″) get hot from deep to help the Hornets walk away with the two point victory. The Bossier guards, outside of Decker seemed to have been off from the outside. Bossier did not use their press to speed Scotlandville up and spent many a possession walking the ball up themselves. Even at that pace, Bossier almost pulled off the win against the defending Division I champions.
These outcomes were a part of what made the Showdown in the Lake a quality tournament. Good competition with good teams will do that. We look forward to other tournaments to be played in this manner as the season progresses.