St. Thomas More settles in, pulls past Edna Karr to quarterfinals

St. Thomas More struggled a bit early Tuesday, its first game in 11 days, to get shots to fall and found itself down at halftime to visiting Edna Karr.   But No. 2 STM (31-4) returned from the locker room strong in the third quarter, settled in with a pair of momentum-building defensive plays by junior [player_tooltip player_id='1386535' first='Chad' last='Jones'] and a 3-pointer by [player_tooltip player_id='1606993' first='Mason' last='Guillory'] and then pulled away from its visitors, 51-43.   "My biggest fear," coach Danny Broussard said. "Ten days off is not good, no matter how you strike it. The last time we had the 10 days off, we did the same thing: terrible first half, weren't in a rhythm, weren't making shots. It was one of those things. And I just told them at halftime, 'Guys, we've just got to relax and play, man. Just play the game.' We were just worried about too much stuff. And we weren't moving, we weren't passing the ball, and we were just settling, settling for 3's."   Broussard and company will host No. 7 Pineville on Friday in the quarterfinals.   <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/LSYSSYDfyeU </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1386535' first='Chad' last='Jones'] (2024) | 6-8 F | St. Thomas More   The big junior showcased the athleticism and well-rounded game that have him considered among Louisiana's top prospects in his class. Even during a scoreless first half, his two blocked shots and other contests helped anchor St. Thomas More's defense and keep Edna Karr shooters cautious or off-balance at times with his presence. Then, early in the third quarter, he converted a baseline inbound into a quick basket, immediately stole a pass and slammed in his second shot in a matter of seconds, then drew a charge at the other end. The sequence helped regain the lead and provide both his team and himself a spark on his way to 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals on the night. Jones is a smooth ball-handler at his size, impressive in transition and with a quick step past defenders driving in the half-court, and clearly enjoys facilitating with a handful of nice passes in and around the lane. And his combination of length, mobility and confident ball-handling made him a major factor both ways in full-court pressure with the ground and reach he covered on defense and the big, sure-handed target he provided on his team's press-break.   [player_tooltip player_id='1105548' first='Michael' last='Mouton'] (2024) | 6-3 G | St. Thomas More   The solidly built guard, one of the tallest players on the court aside from his junior classmate, helped provide St. Thomas More's early punch with four points inside and two rebounds in the first quarter and then helped close the victory with nine of his game-high 17 in the fourth. Mouton did most of his offensive damage in the lane, but added a timely 3-pointer in the final period, and finished with four rebounds, a steal and an assist.   [player_tooltip player_id='1606993' first='Mason' last='Guillory'] (2023) | 6-3 G | St. Thomas More   Foul trouble delayed the bulk of the senior standout's impact until the second half. But Guillory finally hitting St. Thomas More's first 3-pointer of the game 2:38 into the third quarter seemed to play a role in helping the team settle in offensively overall and provided a balance to the inside scoring of Jones and Mouton. Guillory finished with 11 points, including a smooth drive and turning, right-handed finish to the left side of the rim to help shield defenders, and three rebounds and a steal.   Peyton Pratt (2023) | 6-0 G | St. Thomas More   Defense was clearly a priority and calling card for St. Thomas More referenced separately by Broussard, Jones and Mouton. And Pratt epitomized the focus with his three-point evening, the only field goal of which came directly off one of his two steals, as well as six rebounds and three assists.   <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/XZOFU-TDYdY </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1277352' first='Keith' last='Jones'] (2024) | 6-4 G | Edna Karr   Another of the state's top junior prospects helped lead Edna Karr from his first-quarter 3-pointer, his timely baskets to answer St. Thomas More's second-half surge and his steals to keep giving his team additional opportunities to try to comeback late. Jones finished with nine points, including a three-point play in the post to tie the game at 22-22 late in the third, and four steals, three rebounds and two assists.   Derrick Hawkins (2023) | 6-3 F | Edna Karr   Hawkins provided some post presence on a guard-oriented Karr squad, but is more likely a guard himself at the next level. And his confidence handling the ball and facilitating from the high post or in the lane for three assists — including a particularly nice dish to junior guard Dezemen Favorite on the other side of the goal — to go with his eight points and five rebounds was among the offensive highlights.   Kevin Slaughter (2024) | 6-3 G | Edna Karr   The junior provided versatility off the bench as another taller ball-handler or interior presence and became the team's leading scorer down the stretch as Karr refused to quit even as St. Thomas More stretched its lead to double digits. Slaughter finished with 10 points — all of which came in the fourth — and five rebounds and two assists

St. Thomas More struggled a bit early Tuesday, its first game in 11 days, to get shots to fall and found itself down at halftime to visiting Edna Karr.