On Friday, February 21st, students, faculty, and members of the Zachary community flocked to the Havoc House to watch a game between two of the best basketball programs in Louisiana: Catholic High School and Zachary High School. Catholic, the select division number one seed, has dominated its games and is in the toughest district in the state. Zachary High School, a top three team in the non-select division for men’s basketball, has won two state championships in the past four years. This 4-5A district game meant a lot for each team’s standings, not only in the district but statewide.
The Bears opened the scoring up quickly, but the Broncos managed to gain a small lead after the opening tip-off. The first quarter ended with the Bears up by 2 after running the clock down for the last 50 seconds (a controversial move commonly seen as unsportsmanlike). The game continued to be dominated by the Bears who took a 27-18 lead by half time. Both teams seemed to be stressed by the game, but the Bear’s elite shooting percentage from outside the arc proved superior in the first-half struggles. However, this is where the game took a change.
The Broncos caught up to the red-hot Bears at the end of the third quarter. The Broncos’ defense and offense turned the tides of the game when they secured three consecutive stops and eight unanswered points going into the last quarter.
The last eight minutes were completely dominated by the Broncos, a complete shift from the opening seven. Late defensive stops of the Bears’ shooters were enough to put the Broncos ahead, winning 56-54. This win brought the Broncos to number one in the non-select division standings, and second in a competitive 4-5A district with a 30-7 record. By stunning Catholic High, the Broncos secured a bye for the first rounds of playoffs and look to make a deep run in an attempt to win another state championship under Head Coach Jonathan McClinton.
