Standard Operation: No. 1 Lafayette Christian returns for chance to extend streak to five straight titles with new cast
by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
There were whispers after all-state guard Megan Abrams left for the University of Alabama that things wouldn’t be the same for Lafayette Christian Academy’s girl’s basketball program.
Those voices grew stronger after the Lady Knights won their fourth straight state championship last season following the graduation of Miss Basketball Jada Richard, an LSU signee, and standout Eve Alexander, a Florida A&M signee.
But LCA hasn’t deviated from the structure that’s been in place for 12 years under coach Errol Rogers and the winning that’s taken place over that span.
The Lady Knights (27-5) are the top-seeded team and riding a 22-game winning streak in Division III select to face fifth-seeded De La Salle (16-9) in Tuesday’s 1 o’clock state semifinals at Southeastern Louisiana’s University Center in Hammond.
The Lady Knights are in search of their ninth consecutive appearance in the state finals.
“The way we practice carries on,” Rogers said. “When kids leave new kids come to fill in. They understand what it’s all about. They want to be a part of what’s happened in the past. They don’t want to be the one that says, ‘We didn’t win it.’ The way we’ve been practicing and getting after it and how serious they’ve been, they want to get to the finals Friday at 2 o’clock.”
The Division III state title game is set for 2 p.m. Friday and matches the LCA-De La Salle winner against Sacred Heart of New Orleans, which defeated Rosepine 43-40 on Monday night.
Richard was a three-time all-state selection, both in Class 4A and Class 2A, scored more than 2,000 career points, and has been a reserve guard for LSU this season. The 6-foot-2 Alexander, a three-time all-state honorable mention pick, has been a reserve forward for the Lady Rattlers.
LCA began 5-5 this season with losses to Oakdale (No. 1 Division III non-select), Vandebilt Catholic (No. 2 Division II select), John Curtis (No. 1 Division select), Iowa (No. 4 Division II non-select) and Walker (No. 2 Division I non-select) – five games that were determined by a total of 13 points.
“You could see it was there,” Rogers said. “They just weren’t quite good enough as a group.”
Rogers said his team trailed Oakdale by a point in the season-opening game when a player missed two free throws after getting fouled at the buzzer. LCA’s loss in double overtime by a point to Vandebilt and Curtis’ three-point win came on a miraculous shot.
Rogers counted a 67-47 win over Barbe of Lake Charles as a building block that was followed two days later by a 53-48 loss to Walker in a game that was tied at 48-48 with 1:30 go.
The Lady Knights have only tasted victory ever since.
“When we lost to Iowa (64-61), I don’t think we took it seriously,” Rogers said of a Dec. 6 tournament game in Lake Charles. “They came into the game thinking they were just going to beat them and weren’t good and lost by three. We beat a really good Barbe team, and after the Walker game it was almost like, ‘Man, we are good’. They started to realize it. The intensity level at practice started to rise, we started believing in ourselves.”
LCA registered key wins over Fairview (No. 1 Class B) and in a rematch with Iowa, flexed its muscle in a 69-29 triumph. There were significant wins over J.S. Clark (No. 3 Division IV select), Southern Lab (No. 1 Division IV select), Wossman (three-time defending Division II non-select state champion), and a 56-39 victory in a rematch with Vanderbilt.
“We started to play at a different level,” Rogers said.
Developing an identity
Rogers, a former college assistant at UL-Lafayette, Mississippi State, and Bethune-Cookman, said there was a bigger line separation facing this year’s team.
LCA took part in a competitive summer league hosted by UL-Lafayette where the Lady Knights faced consecutive games with Barbe and Wossman.
The result?
The Lady Knights lost by 30 and 40 points, respectively, he said.
“I was really worried,” Rogers said. “I knew I was playing them (Wossman) and thought we might be in some trouble. I had to remember this was a bunch of kids trying to find their way. I could have said that it was going to be a bad year. I could have said, what are we going to do? It inspired me to work a little bit harder for us to get much better.”
Six months later with Wossman traveling to Lafayette to play in LCA’s tournament, the Lady Knights handed the Lady Wildcats one of their three losses this season. That result was on the heels of the team’s 20-point win over Barbe.
“After the way they beat us this summer, I knew we played Wossman and didn’t know if we would be able to handle them,” Rogers said. “We got better, and the kids started believing in themselves. It was a great game that we played.”
After handling the marquee matchups on its schedule LCA, which moved back to Class 2A and Division III from Class 4A, turned its attention to District 6-2A play.
The Lady Knights rolled to a perfect 8-0 record with an average margin of victory of 36.5 points.
“We’ve been blessed,” said Rogers, the Class 4A Coach of the Year for the past two years. “We’ve got kids that work hard.”
Next wave leads Lady Knights
LCA’s had a player on the first team all-state team – Classes 4A and 2A – for the past five consecutive years.
Will that streak continue? The Lady Knights have two players averaging double figures but feature more of a collective balance than in years past.
“We don’t press at all,” said Rogers, noting only a couple of times in the playoffs to have the clock run continuously to draw the game to a quicker conclusion. “We play half-court defense. I think we really play good defense. We get after it.”
Junior guard Kaliyah Samuels has returned from a knee injury that cut her season short a year ago. She’s remained healthy, also suffering an ankle injury as a freshman, to lead LCA with a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore guard/forward Shanna Simien has averaged 12 points and seven rebounds in her first full season after transferring from J.S. Clark.
One of the team’s most experienced players is senior point guard Taelyn Taylor, a member of the team since she was an eighth grader and has started since her freshman season. She’s averaging seven points, five rebounds and five assists.
“Jada played some point guard, but most of the game was at the off-guard,” Rogers said. “This is Taelyn’s fifth time going to the state semifinals. She doesn’t score a lot, but she leads the team. She’s very smart and understands what it takes to win games. She understands what it takes to be a leader.”
Junior guard Logan Boutte, who averages six points and two rebounds, has been sidelined with an injured ankle and is hopeful of a return for the state tournament. Freshman guard Paitin Dean, an emergency starter who scored 20 in the team’s 73-27 quarterfinal win over Calvary Baptist, averages 8.0 in a reserve role, while senior Haya El-Halawany, a native of Egypt, averages 5.0 points and 4.0 assists.
Rogers pointed toward freshmen that have provided an impact, guards Gabby Domingue and Kennedie Jackson, while senior center Leilani Hudson, an indoor shot put champion, is the team’s second-leading rebounder at 8.0 and a versatile defender.
“I’m expecting my kids to go out and play, just get out there and do what we work on,” Rogers said. “Be the best that we can be. We’re playing a really good, athletic De La Salle team. We’ve got to be ready to play.”
Featured Image Courtesy of: Full Frame Photography