Strong second half performance lifts Gueydan past North Central, 53–40

After a sluggish first half, the third-seeded Gueydan Honeybears took the floor in the second half with full intensity, pulling away with a solid all-around performance to defeat the fourth-seeded North Central Lady Hurricanes, 53–40, in the 2017 Allstate Sugar Bowl/ LHSAA Girls’ Marsh Madness 1A State Championship.

The Honeybears finished with two players in double figures. T’Nia Leger finished with 19 points and six rebounds, leading the team in scoring. Kendra Petry, who played a big part in Gueydan’s success in the second half, recorded 15 points and four rebounds.

Ashari Terry also finished with nine points and seven assists followed by 2017 Allstate Sugar Bowl/ LHSAA Girls’ Marsh Madness 1A Most Outstanding Player Ke’Ara Charles, who finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Gueydan took complete control in the fourth quarter from the very first possession. Petry scored six of the Honeybears 12 points in the final period. North Central struggled to score when it counted the most, shooting 18 percent off 4-of-22 shooting in the fourth quarter.

The Honeybears shot 45 percent off 22-of-49 shooting from the floor and 53 percent off 8-of-15 shooting from the charity stripe. Gueydan also outrebounded North Central, 41–36, in the contest.

North Central finished the game, shooting a dismal 29 percent off 17-of-59 shooting from the floor and 33 percent off 4-of-12 shooting from the free throw line. Frandreka Keller led the Lady Hurricanes in scoring with 19 points and four rebounds.

Both teams continued to score in the third quarter but Gueydan managed a seven to nine-point cushion throughout the quarter behind the play of Leger, Petry and Charles. The Honeybears led by nine going into the final period.

The second quarter showed both teams going back and forth in scoring possessions. Like the first quarter, Tyler scored the first basket followed by a jumper from Terry to give Gueydan a 20–17 lead. As the teams continued to exchange baskets, Gueydan held a five-point lead before Diamond Nevills converted on a basket to bring the Honeybears lead back to three, 28–25. A field goal by Petry, however, put Gueydan back up by five. The Honeybears led the Lady Hurricanes, 30–25, at the half.

North Central scored the first points of the game with a field goal from Tyler but Gueydan scored six straight points to take a 6–2 lead early in the quarter. North Central’s Keller, then, responded with seven points of her own, giving the Lady Hurricanes a 9–6 cushion. Over the next several series, the teams exchanged baskets. With a 16–14 lead, Leger finished on a basket in the paint, giving the Honey bears an 18–14 lead at the end of the first quarter.