Game Report: Natchitoches Central vs Southwood

Tuesday night at the Ranch was not your typical Tuesday as the #3 Natchitoches Central Chiefs visited Southwood in a district 1-5A battle. In a game full of runs by each team, the ending came down to an open corner three being made with 1.4 seconds left. Southwood’s [player_tooltip player_id="932847" first="Tahj" last="Graham"] made the corner three that propelled Southwood to the 62-59 victory. In this game report, we will discuss the prominent players in this back and forth contest and how their performances made this game the tight district contest it was. Natchitoches Central Dalyn Davis The 6’2" guard from Natchitoches had spurts during the night where he was the best player on the floor. His game high 26 points, (17 in the 2nd half) displayed what he is capable of on the floor. Along with using a quick first step to blow by defenders, he made four triples on the night. Davis showed an ability to defend multiple positions as well which makes him a player to watch as the season moves towards the end. [player_tooltip player_id="1206569" first="Devin" last="Helaire"] The Chiefs are not a big team. However, Devin played the position about as well as it can be played for an undersized guard. Helaire used his upper body strengh to finish contested layups over the Cowboy big men. Defensively, he blocked a couple of attempts and took a charge. Helaire scored everything in the paint to the tune of 16 points. He may not be a natural big man but he knows how to operate in the paint. Southwood [player_tooltip player_id="932848" first="Marquarius" last="Johnson"] Johnson has developed into a player who is capable of making tough shots with regularity. His elbow jumper was made quite a few times with a hand in his face. Johnson made contested threes as well with one four-point play on the night. Johnson led Southwood in scoring with 20 points getting to these various spots on the floor. His scoring and ballhandling were keys in his team winning the game. [player_tooltip player_id="1130729" first="Darius" last="Anderson"] Anderson has grown as a basketball player during the season and his maturity showed against the Natchitoches pressure. Anderson was used to break the pressure by pushing the ball up the middle of the floor. While he had a couple of early turnovers, he served well in this capacity. Anderson also showed an ability to drive and avoid contact while scoring. His 16 points were huge in the Southwood win. Cameron Green Green was a surprise starter and instantly made an impact on the game against Natchitoches. He scored two of the first three buckets of the game by taking his defender off the dribble. Green showed a quick rip and go move to score his initial bucket and scored from another drive later. He battled on the boards and gathered offensive rebounds for the Pokes. Green was a solid contibutor for the Pokes on Tuesday. District play for both teams continues for both teams as they are tied for second place in 1-5A behind Captain Shreve. Natchitoches hosts the thirteenth-ranked Gators on Friday while Southwood takes on the Vikings of Airline who are #19.

Tuesday night at the Ranch was not your typical Tuesday as the #3 Natchitoches Central Chiefs visited Southwood in a district 1-5A battle. In a game full of runs by each team, the ending came down to an open corner three being made with 1.4 seconds left. Southwood’s Tahj Graham Tahj Graham 5'11" | CG Southwood | 2022 State LA made the corner three that propelled Southwood to the 62-59 victory. In this game report, we will discuss the prominent players in this back and forth contest and how their performances made this game the tight district contest it was.

Natchitoches Central

Dalyn Davis

The 6’2" guard from Natchitoches had spurts during the night where he was the best player on the floor. His game high 26 points, (17 in the 2nd half) displayed what he is capable of on the floor. Along with using a quick first step to blow by defenders, he made four triples on the night. Davis showed an ability to defend multiple positions as well which makes him a player to watch as the season moves towards the end.

Devin Helaire Devin Helaire 6'1" | SG Natchitoches Central | 2022 State LA

The Chiefs are not a big team. However, Devin played the position about as well as it can be played for an undersized guard. Helaire used his upper body strengh to finish contested layups over the Cowboy big men. Defensively, he blocked a couple of attempts and took a charge. Helaire scored everything in the paint to the tune of 16 points. He may not be a natural big man but he knows how to operate in the paint.

Southwood

Marquarius Johnson Marquarius Johnson 6'1" | CG Southwood | 2022 State LA

Johnson has developed into a player who is capable of making tough shots with regularity. His elbow jumper was made quite a few times with a hand in his face. Johnson made contested threes as well with one four-point play on the night. Johnson led Southwood in scoring with 20 points getting to these various spots on the floor. His scoring and ballhandling were keys in his team winning the game.

Darius Anderson Darius Anderson 6'2" | CG Southwood | 2023 State LA

Anderson has grown as a basketball player during the season and his maturity showed against the Natchitoches pressure. Anderson was used to break the pressure by pushing the ball up the middle of the floor. While he had a couple of early turnovers, he served well in this capacity. Anderson also showed an ability to drive and avoid contact while scoring. His 16 points were huge in the Southwood win.

Cameron Green

Green was a surprise starter and instantly made an impact on the game against Natchitoches. He scored two of the first three buckets of the game by taking his defender off the dribble. Green showed a quick rip and go move to score his initial bucket and scored from another drive later. He battled on the boards and gathered offensive rebounds for the Pokes. Green was a solid contibutor for the Pokes on Tuesday.

District play for both teams continues for both teams as they are tied for second place in 1-5A behind Captain Shreve. Natchitoches hosts the thirteenth-ranked Gators on Friday while Southwood takes on the Vikings of Airline who are #19.