In position for a slight upset, Natchitoches Central faltered in the fourth quarter on the road in Ruston Monday night, and the Lady Chiefs’ basketball season came to a frustrating finish.
In the regional round of the LHSAA girls playoffs, Lakeview rolled into the quarterfinals while St. Mary’s was sent home from Baton Rouge by top-seeded Southern Lab.
The 10th-seeded Lady Chiefs made a third-quarter surge and built a lead that was as large as 11 points with 7:25 to go against No. 7 Ruston, coached by former NCHS standout Meredith Graf.
But the tables turned dramatically. NCHS did not score for over five minutes as the Lady Bearcats roared to life.
Ruston outscored NCHS 16-5 in the final quarter.
After the Lady Bearcats drew even at 45-all, the teams traded clutch 3-pointers in the final two minutes. Tootie Gallien nailed a 22-footer with 1:40 to go for a 48-45 Lady Chiefs’ advantage, but Ruston tied it on a 3-ball from Jaliyah McWain with 1:05 remaining.
McWain, who led all scorers with 19 points, gave Ruston its first lead since the second quarter when she sank two free throws with 12 seconds left. The Lady Chiefs hustled upcourt and took timeout with 10 seconds left, but didn’t manage to get a shot up to tie or take the lead, suffering a turnover with two seconds to go.
NCHS got 15 points by Alyssa Christophe and 12 from Akeelah Wade. The Lady Chiefs finished with a 23-11 record. Ruston rose to 24-7 and will face second-seeded Denham Springs on the road in the state quarterfinals.
Lakeview advanced to the quarterfinals for the fourth straight year with a 59-29 win over No. 12 Merryville. Timberlyn Washington led the effort for the Lady Gators with 29 points.
No. 5 in Non-Select Division IV, Lakeview takes a 25-3 record to play at No. 4 LaSalle (24-2). The Lady Gators played in the state championship game last season.
St. Mary’s, the No. 16 seed in Select Division IV, fell to top-seeded Southern Lab 64-21. The Lady Tigers finish the season 13-19.