Scotlandville holds off Port Allen, 74-63, in battle of top teams

Port Allen posed one of Scotlandville's stiffest tests of the season thus far Tuesday as the Baton Rouge area foes squared off in a battle of two of Louisiana's elite teams.   The Pelicans (22-2), three-time defending state champions and No. 1 in the Division-III nonselect power rankings, led early and wouldn't quit battling late.   But the Hornets (23-2), champions in five of the past six years and No. 1 in the Division-I select power rankings, rode an exciting run before halftime to a double-digit lead and made enough plays in the final minutes to punctuate a 74-63 victory.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Hyyw-XXAnw </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1475974' first='Dorian' last='Booker'] (6'10" | 2023)   The Hornets' big man put together another performance of 27 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots — what has become somewhat his standard during the past month — on a night when his future college coach, Mark Slessinger of UNO made the trip up to watch. The positions Booker is able to work to and the quickness with which he operates from sure-handed reception of entry passes to his move and release are a nightmare for opponents to try to defend. And, for the second game in four nights, him putting the opponents' best post presence in early foul trouble helped blow the game open.   [player_tooltip player_id='1130921' first='C'Zavian' last='Teasett'] (6'4" | 2023)   The senior forward — also the school's quarterback, who signed Wednesday with hometown Southern — consistently fed Booker with swift, accurate passes toward the room and nearly racked up a triple-double in the process. Teasett finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and played arguably his best stretch late to help close the door when the Pelicans had pulled back to within eight. Teasett attacked the lane out of a timeout to draw the fifth personal foul on Port Allen forward [player_tooltip player_id='1218215' first='Aries' last='Lewis'], hit the first free throw, chased down the rebound after the second and hammered down his first of two dunks in a span of just a few possessions. Teasett also snatched four steals and blocked a couple shots.   Chase Sample (5'10" | 2023)   Three days after hitting six 3-pointers and scoring 20 points, the senior guard helped lead the Hornets' perimeter scoring early with a pair of first-half treys and 13 points on the game. His contribution was huge on a night of low scoring for fellow guards [player_tooltip player_id='1499023' first='Jamal' last='Drewery'] and John Hubbard and a relatively slow scoring start for Teasett before a couple 3-pointers to end the half. And some of his confidence from beyond the arc appears to have have fueled some more aggressive play getting to the elbow or into the lane on offense or snatching a third-quarter steal Tuesday.   Ja'marriyon Brown (6'2" | 2024)   The Hornets don't go into their bench much, deep or early — if at all — but were forced to do so Tuesday when Hubbard picked up a pair of first-quarter fouls. Enter the junior, "JB," into an high profile and intense matchup against an opponent with talented and aggressive guards. Brown missed his first couple shot attempts before hitting a pair of big second-quarter 3-pointers and finishing with 10 points, two assists, a rebound and a steal with his height and length providing a different look from the smaller, speedy Hubbard.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ha_jVMDxq9E </div></figure>   Isaiah Howard (6'3" | 2023)   The senior guard's excellent start helped lead the Pelicans' early success overall. Howard is one of the more creative and confident passers one might see on the high school level and was in attack mode from the opening seconds. Whether drive the lane for baskets, drawing defenders to free up teammates for look-away drop-off passes, pulling up from the perimeter or using his solid frame and long frame to apply tight defensive pressure, the pace felt dictated by Howard as much as anyone on the court. Howard dished out five first-quarter assists, at least three of which took the lead for Port Allen — including a pair of plays on which he went right at Booker, then somehow snuck a last-second feed to Lewis for an open dunk. Howard finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals.   [player_tooltip player_id='1273359' first='Elliot' last='McQuillan'] (6'3" | 2023)   Howard's backcourt-mate took over the scoring led the team in scoring from the outset with seven first-quarter points en route to 25 for the game, along with six rebounds. His six 3-pointers, as many as any other three players combined, came from all over the arc, including three in the fourth quarter that helped the Pelicans trim the gap and stay alive into the final minutes.   [player_tooltip player_id='1218215' first='Aries' last='Lewis'] (6'6" | 2024)   Lewis fit the bill of the versatile big man that can pull Booker out of the paint enough to improve his team's chances, and his seven points, four rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and a 3-pointer represented respectable production given the matchup and his minutes limitations because of foul trouble. But Scotlandville was able to send him to the bench with fouls and mount go-ahead and game-sealing runs in the process.

Port Allen posed one of Scotlandville's stiffest tests of the season thus far Tuesday as the Baton Rouge area foes squared off in a battle of two of Louisiana's elite teams.