Big 10 Classic: Zachary vs. L.B. Landry

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1130799' first='Brandon' last='Hardy'] came out intense on both ends of the court to set the tone for two-time state champion Zachary in what he anticipated to be a battle with L.B. Landry (11-6) in the Big 10 Classic event at Scotlandville hosted as part of the HoopFests Tour.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And the Broncos (11-3) needed every bit of the senior guard's energy and leadership to take control and hang on late, 71-64, despite the Buccaneers' furious comeback attempt led by their own veteran standout [player_tooltip player_id='1132619' first='Anthony' last='Johnson'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/P8eypd0nUuU","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"embed-handler","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <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/P8eypd0nUuU </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1130799' first='Brandon' last='Hardy'] (6'3" | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Louisiana (Lafayette) commitment, a returning first-team all-state performer, came out firing with a confident, aggressive 3-pointer that was just the tip of the iceberg with the intensity he brought to every aspect of his game. Hardy showed no hesitation to launch and knock down shots from well behind the arc en route to a game-high three 3-pointers or to attack the rim as arguably the most physical player on the court en route to a team-high 22 points that included 7-for-13 foul-shooting. The senior guard also dished out three assists, including a long outlet for an easy basket, and kept the ball moving when his shot wasn't there And Hardy was just as full-throttle with his defense, both on-ball and swatting at least one block, and pursuit of loose balls with a team-high nine rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1347180' first='Xavier' last='Ferguson'] (6'1" | 2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore guard was active on both ends of the court working his way to 13 points all inside the arc or at the line with 5-for-9 shooting, along with three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Beejay Brooks (6'4" | 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior forward provided a nice scoring boost off the bench with 15 points, as well as five rebounds. Brooks did most of his damage in the lane, but also drained a 3-pointer in the third quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1132619' first='Anthony' last='Johnson'] (6'1" | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Mighty Mouse" is a hyper-energy, athletic pinball on the basketball court that at times seems to be in about three places simultaneously because of the way he zips around. The senior guard scored nearly half of Landry's points with 28 on a pair of 3-pointers, 8-for-12 free-throw shooting and eight two-point field goals anywhere from mid-range pull-ups to aggressive, physical finishes at the rim against bigger defenders. Johnson snatched game-highs of 11 rebounds and three steals and dished out a team-high three assists as the clear driving force behind the Bucs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1381595' first='Shavurdacour' last='Nicholas'] (6'6" | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior forward overcame a slow start to became the key inside complement to Johnson in the second half as Landry continued to battle. "Vo" scored eight of his 13 points after the break, grabbed a pair of rebounds and blocked a shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1381585' first='Walter' last='Bickham'] (6'6" | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bucs' other senior forward came off the bench to score a first-quarter basket, but made his biggest contributions with a team-high seven rebounds and two blocked shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->