By Peter Silas Pasqua
Weekly Citizen
ST. AMANT - Donaldsonville used a 6-0 run to open the third quarter and never looked back on way to a 60-42 victory over host St. Amant in the third game of the opening round of the Ralph Sellers Gold Dome Classic Wednesday night.
St. Amant led throughout the first quarter before Devon Breaux’s dish to Darvelle Allen in transition put the Tigers ahead for good 24-23 in the second frame.
“I thought that was the best game we played all year from start to finish and it started at practice,” St. Amant head coach Gary Duhe said. “We let it get away from us during a three minute stretch in the third quarter. They got a little separation and we had trouble closing the gap. When they increased the lead, they could dictate and wait till they got the chance to penetrate. They did a good job of that and we turned it over a couple of times which didn’t help us.”
Donaldsonville advanced to the face Ponchatoula Thursday and St. Amant fell into the loser’s bracket against Lutcher.
“We are getting better and better and we just have to keep it going,” Duhe said. “It is a marathon and not a sprint. We just have to keep playing.”
Steve Fulkerson led the Gators (0-6) with 14 points, while Justin Manton and Marlon Bourgeois each had 10.
Kelvon Davis paced Donaldsonville (4-2) with 15 points, while Aikee Turner provided 14 and Jarrett Cole added 10.
“We knew they had size and it was going to be a factor but I wasn’t worried about that too much,” Donaldsonville head coach Greg Hill said. “We had to put pressure on them and make them play the whole court instead of just half court. I knew if we would have stayed around in the half court game, we might of had some problems. We just do what we know how to do.”
Bourgeois’ drive off the opening tip opened the contest before his pass out to Manton for a 3-pointer on the left wing. Manton’s pass to Milek Beasley inside made it 7-3 before Davis’ penetrating dish to Lorenzo Collins.
Turner’s 3-pointer just before the buzzer cut it to 11-10 going into the second frame after Bourgeois’ putback.
Manton fed Fulkerson off the opening inbounds pass of the second quarter but Turner’s jumper and Cole’s putback put Donaldsonville ahead.
Fulkerson’s putback preceded Bourgeois’ dish to Manton inside and one giving the Gators an 18-14 lead. Davis’ dishes to Turner and Allen sandwiched Fulkerson’s pass to Jacky Joseph inside before Breaux’s baseline drive. Donaldsonville led 27-24 at halftime after Davis’ 3-pointer from the right corner off a steal.
Davis drive, lay up off a steal and dish to Turner opened the second half before Manton fed Fulkerson in transition. Bourgeois’ inside buckets sandwiched Collins’ putback before Turner’s reverse and Fulkerson’s drive. Collins’ putback and Cole’s lay up off a steal made it 43-32 going into the final frame.
Manton pulled up in the lane to open the fourth quarter but Cole’s baseline drive and putback pushed the lead to 13 before Beasley fed Bourgeois in transition.
Donaldsonville then used a 13-0 run to put the game away kick started by Breaux’s dish to Davis off a steal. Cortez Mitchell’s dish to Collins off a steal capped the run after Davis pulled up and Collins fed him off another steal.
Fulkerson’s baseline jumper and drive off a Hail Mary inbounds pass at the buzzer, both from Jacob Gauthier, reflected the final tally.
Courtesy of the Gonzales Weekly Citizen
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