Central Louisiana Area Roundup: Natchitoches Central hands Wampus Cats 74-50 loss

By Daniel Green

Leesville Daily Leader

Leesville, La. -




The Leesville Wampus Cats got off to a hot start. But the Natchitoches Central Chiefs more than made up for it by finishing with a flurry. Four Chiefs reached double figures as Natchitoches Central (2-0) knocked off the homestanding Wampus Cats on Friday, 74-50. Leesville (0-1) took to the court Saturday in the semifinals of the Florien Tournament against either Zwolle or Pleasant Hill. After Florien, the Cats are playing in the City of Lights Tournament early this week in Natchitoches. The Wampus Cats had the start they wanted, scoring the first nine points of the night as LaShaun Waters scored the first seven in the run. Bernard McCoy got Natchitoches Central on the board with a bucket in the lane and Jarius Slate cut the deficit to five points, 9-4, with a basket in the post. Levander Liggins pushed the Leesville lead to 11-4 with a stop-and-pop jumper. However, the Chiefs came to life behind five points from Darius Burton in a 12-2 surge to end the first period, giving Natchitoches Central a 16-13 lead. The huge surge continued during the second period for NCHS as K.J. Aaron scored 11 points in the frame, helping the Chiefs go on a 22-9 surge, which allowed them to take a 38-22 lead into the intermission. Waters scored the first four points for Leesville out of the gates in the third period, allowing the Wampus Cats to creep to within 12 points, 38-26. But a thunderous tomahawk slam from Slate sparked an 8-2 NCHS surge, which ended with a dunk from LeRoy Armstrong as the Chiefs took a 46-28 lead. Natchitoches Central eventually went up by 21 points in the third, but five points from Demetrius Atwater allowed Leesville to get back to within 18 points heading into the fourth period, 51-33. The Wampus Cats continued to battle back behind Liggins, who scored nine points in a 13-5 Leesville run. By the end of the surge, Leesville trailed by just 10 points, 56-46. However, a three-pointer by Chris Mitchell and a follow-up slam from Slate sparked a late run by the Chiefs, which resulted in a 74-50 victory for NCHS. Burton led Natchitoches Central with 19 points, while Aaron finished with 13 points. Mitchell and Slate added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Liggins had 16 points to lead the Wampus Cats, while Waters added 13 points. Reggie Smith chipped in with six points.
 
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