The Ruston Farmers Market is on the lookout for musicians to perform on Saturday mornings! If you, or someone you know, would be interested in performing live right here in Ruston call 318-957-1305 or email info@rustonfarmersmarket.org.
Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s deputies arrested a Grambling man in connection to the shooting of a young woman on Friday night, March 12.
Deputies responded to Peachland Mobile Home Park shortly after 8 PM in reference to a shooting. Upon arrival, they located an unresponsive female suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was later identified as Krystavia Buggs(18). Detectives responded and assisted with the investigation, processing the scene and interviewing multiple witnesses.
Willie Earl Winzer (18) was taken into custody and charged with Negligent Homicide. He is currently being held at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center without bond.
In the words of one veteran college basketball observer, “March is mean.”
It was round three for Louisiana Tech and North Texas, and the end of the road to the NCAA Tournament for the loser. Given the recent history of this battle, points were going to be hard to come by with two of the top defenses in the country squaring off.
Six points or less, including the two games in Denton, Texas earlier this season, had decided seven of the last eight meetings. The Bulldogs won game one, 68-63, and the Mean Green took game two, 57-55, last month.
It was UNT, the eventual Conference USA Tournament champions, who took the rubber match by a final score of 54-48 in Frisco, Texas on Friday night at the Star.
Tech’s regular-season West Division championship and 21 wins did not go for naught. Sunday night, the Bulldogs got the call to keep going, in the National Invitation Tournament.
By the time they resume practices to prepare for the NIT contest against Ole Miss Friday night back in Frisco, the frustration of the C-USA semifinal loss will be a faint memory. But in the aftermath of falling to UNT, March definitely felt mean to the ‘Dogs.
“It was a tough one for us,” said head coach Eric Konkol. “It was one of those games that went back and forth. We just could not quite get over the hump. I am so proud of this group of guys, for enduring so much, especially over the last week with injuries. It was a physical game on both sides. We had a hard time scoring throughout the game.”
LA Tech was already at a disadvantage from the tip saddled with an injured Cobe Williams. The C-USA All-Defensive Team point guard, who started all 26 regular season games, helped hold the Mean Green’s star point guard Javion Hamlet to 11 total points in the two-game series in February.
After an injured hand kept him from playing in the quarterfinal win over Florida Atlantic, Williams and his bandaged hand valiantly tried to play in the semifinals, but only saw three ineffective minutes of action.
Still, the defense came to play, limiting a potent UNT offense to just 39 percent shooting and only three made three-pointers. However, the Bulldogs were limited even more so.
After a back-and-forth affair in the first half, the Mean Green went on a 10-0 run early in the second half to build an eight-point lead, their largest of the game.
LA Tech chipped away little by little, getting to within one possession on several occasions, but could never get over the hump, making just two of its final 11 shot attempts while UNT sealed a trip to the finals at the free throw line.
The Bulldogs left Frisco Saturday morning headed back to Ruston. On Sunday night though, Tech learned they were headed back to the Dallas suburb as they were selected to participate in the 2021 National Invitation Tournament.
LA Tech was one of 16 teams chosen in the event that will be hosted by Conference USA and the University of North Texas. The Bulldogs drew the No. 4 seed and will take on No. 1 seed Ole Miss in the first round.
The matchup will take place on Friday at 8 p.m. at the Comerica Center in Frisco and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
LA Tech is making its first postseason in five years and its first NIT appearance since 2015. This will mark the 10th time the Bulldogs play in this tournament.
Tech basketball 3-11. – photo credit Roger Steinman, courtesy C-USA
Leadership Lincoln’s March focus was on Industry. Lincoln Parish is fortunate to have many classifications of industry and the class became familiar with several of them. The group began the day at the Visitors Center where they were treated with breakfast and a brief presentation from Devin Davis, a Leadership Lincoln graduate from Southern AgCredit (financial industry) and his teammate, Kelly Coleman. Next, Chris Calhoun showed them the inner workings of the Railway Coffee roasting lab (food industry).
Allison Lee showed them around at the first manufacturing industry stop, Frosty Factory of America. Did you know, Frosty Factory sells daiquiri machines worldwide? From here they attended a ribbon cutting ceremony and lunch at Delta Broadband (telecommunications industry). Lunch was provided by Delta Broadband from KaceeDillas food truck and Uptown Downtown.
Following lunch, Crystal Richard and Celeste Traylor enlightened them on the industry of news media at the Ruston Daily Leader, where the presses have been running for more than 120 years. They then went to Walmart to learn more about the retail industry from Chantel Coleman. Finishing off the travel portion of the day with more manufacturing, they met with James Roberts and Josh Raymond to tour Andritz Fabrics & Rolls (formerly Xerium). When they returned to the Visitors Center they discussed their class project which involves assisting the Ruston Community Men’s Shed with marketing and preparing for the spring ShedFest Makers Market.
If you would like information on applying for Leadership Lincoln XXXV which will begin in September 2021, please visit our website, RustonLincoln.org or contact Ashley Smith at 255-2031 or asmith@rustonlincoln.org.
City employees kicked off the citywide cleanup initiative on March 12, picking up downtown and other major areas around Ruston. Come out on the second Friday of each month and join them in keeping the city litter free.
LAKE CHARLES — If we’ve learned anything in the past year, it’s this: the ability to adjust is vital.
When it mattered most in the world of LHSAA Class B boys basketball Friday night, Simsboro adjusted.
Actually, The Boro put into play the adjustment coach Josh Brown and his team had plotted for weeks, respecting their state final opponent, Anacoco.
These Tigers changed their stripes.
And won, 55-53, capturing the school’s third state championship in four seasons, with only a two-point overtime loss in last year’s title game denying a four-peat in their sixth straight Top 28 appearance.
Nick Maryland’s 18-foot jumper, in transition, with three seconds left in a tie game, was exactly the kind of basket Simsboro scored routinely throughout its 25-2 season.
No hesitation. Pedal to the metal hoops. See it, shoot it. Get the ball upcourt fast, before the defense can set up. That’s what the Tigers did after Anacoco hit a jumper with 12 seconds left to knot it at 53.
In quintessential Simsboro style: no time out, because the right moves are ingrained not only from months of practice this season, but years of playing ball The Boro Way. Inbounding quickly in front of the Indians’ bench, the Tigers immediately passed across to Maryland on the left sideline. The junior, who had scored for the first time all night when he drained a 3-pointer for a 53-51 lead with 20 seconds to go, took five dribbles down the floor, pulled up on the left wing, and BINGO!
“We had five good shooters on the floor. We knew we were going to get an open look,” said Brown. “I was confident in any of them, and the right one got it.”
Anacoco (34-3), the No. 1 seed with a 12-point win over Class 5A power West Monroe on its impressive resume, also didn’t call time. Much better suited to a slower pace, the Indians couldn’t get upcourt fast enough for a decent look, with Simsboro’s defense allowing just a two-handed running heave glancing way off the mark as the final buzzer sounded.
The defense was good on that play because that’s typically how the Tigers defend — pressure defense, over all 94 feet of the court, creating turnovers and easy scoring opportunities, or at least speeding up uncomfortable opponents into awkward shots.
But for nearly the entire game Friday night, that was NOT Simsboro’s defensive strategy. Anacoco featured 6-6 Northwestern State signee Shaun Riley, whose all-around dominant performance in a semifinal win over J.S. Clark illustrated why the Tigers planned to limit their fullcourt press, instead packing in two defenders around Riley to limit how often he got the ball.
It was extremely effective. Riley scored 16 less than his 34-point showcase in the semis. Equally beneficial, Anacoco never got untracked offensively.
“We figured if anybody in Class B could beat them, it was us,” said Brown. “We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. We (ordinarily) go 94 feet up and down the floor, man to man pressure defense, so a lot of people probably thought we were crazy. We thought it was the best chance we had to win.”
The tempo wasn’t the Tigers’ style. But winning the state championship most certainly was.
“That’s a goal we have every year, to make it (to the Top 28, and win),” said Brown. “I don’t know if it’s fair to put that expectation (of winning state) on these kids, but give them credit, they’ve gotten it done pretty well the last six years. Win or lose tonight, I’d still be just as proud of them.”
But the lifetime memories created last week, especially Friday night, will be much sweeter this way.
In a fitting touch, the Tiger who has been part of the last six teams to reach Marsh Madness, senior Braxton Taylor, earned the state title contest’s Most Outstanding Player honor by scoring 18 points, including 4 of 6 aim on 3-pointers. Classmate Jamarian Cato also scored 18 and was one of three Tigers (joined by junior Jordan Crawford and Maryland) with seven rebounds. Sophomore Chilaydrian Newton notched 12 points. Maryland led Simsboro with six assists.
Every Tiger who hit the floor made a difference.
“This was a game where every play was a big play,” said Brown. “It was more than one possession at the end.”
It was 32 minutes of off-brand ‘Boro basketball, slower than preferred, but with the desired outcome.
The most on-brand trait the Tigers exhibit is simple. Just win, baby. In 2021, Simsboro reigns supreme in Class B, once again.
Photo: Team celebration courtesy Chris Demirdjian, KTVE-TV
Winning shot video: courtesy LaMar Gafford, Alexandria Town Talk
Other photos by Kirk Meche, Lake Charles American Press
Saturday’s sluggish offensive outing in Arlington left Grambling football coach Broderick Fobbs at a loss for words.
A day later, it left him without offensive coordinator Mark Orlando.
The nearly 68-year-old, much-traveled playcaller confirmed his sudden resignation after reports began surfacing Sunday evening, telling Cory Diaz of the Monroe News-Star, “I just thought this was in the best interest of Grambling State and myself.
“Fobbs deserves a better performance from his offensive coordinator. I love coach Fobbs and I love Grambling,” Orlando told Diaz.
The decision followed a 17-10 loss to Prairie View A&M (2-0), whose head coach is former Tigers OC Eric Dooley. In a defensive struggle that Fobbs forecast in last Monday’s media Zoom call, Grambling forced four turnovers but didn’t create much yardage (308 total, just 105 rushing) or points.
Afterward, speaking to media, Fobbs was almost speechless.
“I don’t know what to say,” he admitted.
“We’re not playing with much confidence. I’ve got to figure out what’s going on. It felt like we were just out there. We’ve got to do something (different),” he said postgame.
Starting quarterback Geramy Hickbottom, whose opening day performance a week earlier against Jackson State drew praise from Fobbs, was ineffective, intercepted twice and sacked four times while
Grambling managed only a third-quarter field goal in his seven series on the field. He was benched for Elijah Walker (7-9, 90 yards) near the end of the third quarter with the Tigers trailing 17-3.
“I was expecting (Hickbottom) to build on that (first game),” said Fobbs. “He just didn’t have it (today). Elijah made some plays to get us back in the game. Somebody’s got to solidify this ballclub (at quarterback).”
Walker hit a 38-yard pass on his second play and scored on a 1-yard keeper one snap later, closing the gap to seven points entering the final period. In the closing minutes, the Tigers moved 40 yards to the Panthers’ 9 where Walker’s second-down toss to an open receiver wasn’t precise and was bobbled and dropped as tight end Dorrell James was falling to the ground. Two snaps later, Prairie View sacked Walker to take over with 3:03 remaining, and ran out the clock on a pair of first downs.
“We have to figure this out and figure it out quickly, because this league is too good to just go through the motions,” said Fobbs, whose 0-2 G-Men come home Saturday to meet UAPB.
BASKETBALL: The hoops seasons ended Friday for both Grambling teams with losses to the regular-season champions in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament at Birmingham.
The G-Men (12-12) bowed to Prairie View 75-63 Friday night, but the Panthers were bounced in the final Saturday by rival Texas Southern for the league’s NCAA Tournament bid. The Lady Tigers (10-10) were no match for Jackson State, falling 65-49 to the eventual tourney winner.
BASEBALL: Wilbert Ellis Field at R.W.E. Jones Park on the Grambling campus will be a sweet sight Wednesday (6 p.m. vs. Jackson State) for the winless Tigers, who have played all 11 games on the road. Over the weekend, they were swept by Florida A&M, dropping a 10-8 battle Sunday after falling 7-4 on Friday and 3-1 Saturday in the Ralph Garr/Bill Lucas Baseball Classic presented by the Atlanta Braves in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
SOCCER: The Lady Tigers rose to 3-1-1 in SWAC play after blasting visiting Alcorn State 5-2 on Friday. Their Sunday home game was postponed. They visit Southern next Friday.
SOFTBALL: Grambling hosts Louisiana Tech Tuesday afternoon at 3, following a weekend off.
Grambling football photo – courtesy GSUTigers.com
Dr. Robert W. Gehl, F. Jay Taylor Endowed Research Chair of Communication at Louisiana Tech, and colleague Sean Lawson, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Utah, recently presented research based on their forthcoming book, Social Engineering: How Crowdmasters, Phreaks, Hackers, and Trolls Created a New Form of Manipulative Communication, to a Department of Defense-sponsored speaker series, the SMA (Strategic Multilayered Assessment) Speaker Series.
Gehl and Lawson presented their concept of “masspersonal social engineering” — a mixture of hacking and propaganda practices — as a key way to understand recent online manipulation campaigns, including the Russian and Iranian efforts to sow chaos during the 2016 and 2020 US elections.
The pair then responded to many questions about how to apply this concept to counter online misinformation.
The book grew out of a research project Gehl began that focused on how hackers use con artistry — otherwise known as “social engineering” — to gain access to restricted systems. Lawson, an internationally recognized critical security studies scholar who has given lectures to organizations such as NATO, joined the project.
The co-authors met when Gehl was at the University of Utah from 2010-2019, before he became an alumnus of the Fulbright Canada Research Chair program at the University of Calgary and before he came to Tech last year, about the same time the two began writing the book.
“I was fascinated by the social side of security hackers,” Gehl said. “We think of them as hiding in basements, hunched over glowing keyboards in the dark. But computer security hackers also have an incredibly social side. They can be friendly — and they can use their social skills to gain the trust of their targets.
“Sean and I also saw that hacker social engineering tells us a lot about online manipulation — the spread of disinformation, conspiracy theories, unethical political communication, and foreign interference in democratic deliberation,” he said. “The book emerged out of this intersection of hacking and propaganda.”
Current events provide ideal descriptions, Gehl said, of what can happen in the wake of social engineering.
“The sort of misinformation that led people to believe that the (presidential) election was stolen, that there was a national conspiracy to switch votes, and that the right thing to do was to violently storm the U.S. Capitol (Jan. 6) — this sort of misinformation can be understood as social engineering,” Gehl said.
“Beyond that, the 2020 election did see even more attempts by Russians as well as Iranians to sow chaos,” he said. “We’re also dealing with conspiracy theories about COVID-19. The concept of mass personal social engineering can help us get a grip on what’s happening.”
The book is in production and should be out in a year and available in all the usual places, as are a couple of his other titles, Weaving the Dark Web and Reverse Engineering Social Media.
At Tech, Gehl teaches critical studies of communication technology, new media theory, software studies, basic Web design, and political economy of communication. His research interests include network cultures and technologies, alternative social media, and the Dark Web.
With their presentation, Gehl and Lawson joined the ranks of other recent SMA speakers, including General David Patreaus, Dr. Thomas Rid of Johns Hopkins, and researchers from the RAND Corporation.
Half a dozen Louisiana Tech sports programs were in action over the weekend, highlighted by the LA Tech golf team producing red numbers for a top-five finish.
SOFTBALL: Louisiana Tech took the drama-filled, extra-inning opening game of the Texas A&M Invitational in College State, Texas, but dropped its final three contests over the two-day event.
LA Tech came from behind four separate times to defeat Montana, 6-5, in 13 innings on Friday afternoon. The Lady Techsters fell, 10-6, in game two to Texas A&M. They dropped a pair on Saturday, losing 7-5 to the Grizzlies and 7-2 to the Aggies.
Bre Hernandez went 11.0 innings in the circle for the win over Montana.
GOLF: The Louisiana Tech linksters recorded their third top-five finish of the season after placing fourth at the Linger Longer Invitational at Great Waters Course in Eatonton, Georgia.
LA Tech was one of just four teams out of the 16-team field to finish the three-day, 54-hole event under par, tallying a -4 (290-283-287=860). The Murphy brothers led the Bulldogs individually, both tying for 11th with an overall score of minus 2.
TENNIS: The short-handed Techsters narrowly fell, 4-3, to Missouri State in a neutral site match in Jonesboro, Arkansas on Saturday morning.
LA Tech was not at 100 percent, missing Lara Unkovich and having Claudia Oravcova playing through aches, but still almost pulled out the win. The Lady Techsters won the opening doubles point and got singles wins from Leonie Schuknecht and Alexia Romero, but the Bears notched four points on courts two, three, five and six.
SOCCER: For only the second time this season, Louisiana Tech could not put one into the back of the net as the Lady Techsters fell, 1-0, to North Texas on Friday night in Denton, Texas.
Facing the eight-time Conference USA champions, LA Tech generated a handful of scoring opportunities in both halves, coming within inches of netting a goal. Meanwhile, North Texas struck for a goal in the first half that was enough to remain undefeated.
BOWLING: The No. 5 Louisiana Tech women’s bowling team defeated Southern, 5-1, in a head-to-head contest on Friday and Saturday at the Lambright Bowling Alley in Ruston.
The Lady Techsters claimed the first three games and the last two, producing a high pin total of 1,034 in the sixth and final game. The team was led by junior Lindsay Manning with 1,238 total pins.
VOLLEYBALL: Starting their second to last Conference USA series, the Tech spikers dropped a 3-0 decision at North Texas on Sunday in Denton, Texas.
LA Tech (falling 25-16, 25-16, 25-17) was paced by Elena Takova and Elizabeth Sandoval with seven kills apiece. The duo rank one and two on the team in kills this season, combining for 153.
Photo: Todd Drexler
Edsel Pierre Hogg
December 14, 1949 – March 12, 2021
Arrangements TBA
Billie Jo Cole
August 02, 1934 – March 11, 2021
Service: 2:00 P.M., Thursday, March 18, 2021
Cemetery: Simsboro City Cemetery.
Jim Cichocki
May 3, 1950 – March 10, 2021
Celebrations of his life will be held later when we can all gather safely
The Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce held a Ribbon Cutting on March 11 to celebrate Delta Broadband, LLC. The Chamber us thrilled to have this frustration free internet provider in its membership.
FRISCO, Texas – The mantra “Tougher Together” was on display late Thursday night for Louisiana Tech.
The Bulldogs were without starting point guard and C-USA All-Defensive Team member Cobe Williams, out with a broken finger. C-USA Freshman of the Year Kenneth Lofton, Jr. fouled out for just the second time this season.
And LA Tech was down three with a little over three minutes to go, but finished the game on an 11-2 run to take the 75-69 victory over Florida Atlantic.
The ‘Dogs advance to the C-USA Tournament semifinals where they will face North Texas at 2 p.m. today on CBS Sports Network. The survivor reaches the championship game Saturday at 8, also on CBS Sports Network.
“It was a tough win against a tough team,” said coach Eric Konkol. “Florida Atlantic is well coached and they rebound at a very high rate. We gave up 12 offensive rebounds, which is took many, but we found just enough on the other end to be able to come away with a very gritty win.
“This was our first game without Cobe this season,” said Konkol. “We had to really try to figure this out as we were going along. I give a lot of credit to our guys. We found a way. It was not pretty, but the guys found a way.”
Lofton, Jr. fouled out with 4:06 to go after picking up his fourth foul, plus a technical. FAU (13-10) made three free throws as a result to break the ninth tie of the game.
All-Conference USA selection Isaiah Crawford was keeping LA Tech (21-6) in the game prior to that, scoring six straight points.
The forward continued to put the squad on his back the rest of the way. He knocked down a jumper and then converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give the ‘Dogs a 69-67 advantage.
After the Owls’ Karlis Silins tied things up for a 10th time at 69-69 with 2:14 left, the Bulldogs went into a rare zone on defense that forced four straight empty attempts for FAU. On the offensive end, Tech sank six straight critical free throws – four by Crawford and two by Exavian Christon – to seal the victory.
Crawford ended up scoring 15 of the team’s final 17 points of the game, ultimately finishing with a team-high 21 to go along with nine rebounds.
“Isaiah was huge,” said Konkol. “He was a monster in the second half. We were trying to get him touches, trying to put him in positions where he could use his size and strength. And when he got fouled, he made the free throws down the stretch.”
Both teams put on a shooting clinic in the first half, draining seven three-pointers apiece. LA Tech built its largest lead at 27-18 after a three by Xaiver Armstead and back-to-back triples by Amorie Archibald.
JaColby Pemberton had nine of his 13 points in the first half. The senior also tied Crawford with a team-high nine rebounds. Ledoux recorded 14 points while Archibald ended with 13.
Photo of Isaiah Crawford – photo credit Jordan Freeman, Conference USA
Sunday, March 14, 2021
Time for a change, a change to daylight saving time. Spring forward one hour in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Or set your clocks ahead an hour before going to bed Saturday night.
The National Weather Service office in Shreveport said, “Spring is our most active severe weather season! Here is a reminder to spring forward, and also prepare for severe weather, make a plan for safe shelter.”
Daylight Saving Time begins – set your clocks forward one hour (i.e., losing one hour)
Due to the winter storm, Ruston’s citywide cleanup last month was pushed back to this Friday, March 12. City employees will be out on Friday picking up litter around the city to help cleanup Ruston. Residents are welcome to join cleaning up their own neighborhoods and areas. We just ask everyone to be careful, wear safety vests and stay away from the interstate and other busy roads.
During Snowmageddon, we tried to keep our bird feeders full. The birds were appreciative of our care for them while the world was snowed bound. We saw birds we’d never witnessed at the feeders. Many of you were doing the same thing, because that weekend when we finally ventured out, none of our usual places had bird seed. Since that week, we have kept some extra bird seed on hand. The birds have become numerous at the feeders.
All three feeders hang outside the kitchen window so my mother-in-law can watch when the birds show up at mealtime. There are also numerous squirrels who participate in our feeding program voraciously. When the feeders are empty there is an avian uprising outside the kitchen window. It is a pleasurable task filling the feeders. Yesterday, I refilled the feeders.
Later in the afternoon, I had a conversation with the yard guy. As I listened, I noticed that a mouse came out of the carport shed and went straight to the place where I had filled the bird feeders. I left a bit of a trail when filling the feeders. The mouse would dart out, grab a corn kernel and then run back into the shed.
The shed has nothing of food significance in it. We assembled it under our carport to store lawn stuff. Grandchildren stuff has made its way into this shed too. There is one very happy mouse living in the shed. If the mouse has done this every time, I filled the bird feeders, it is a well-nourished mouse.
I’m glad I’m serving the mouse good food. We are not worried about a mouse in the house. We have ways of making sure our living space is mouse-less. One of our dogs has rat-terrier in her. We have a don’t ask, don’t tell mouse policy with the dog.
I have pondered the mouse. Years ago, I would have seen the mouse as needing immediate eradication. I would have spread traps and poisons all over the shed. I would have stopped feeding the birds, because they were contributing to my seed spilling which was creating a mouse problem. The mouse would have been a goal to accomplish, a challenge to meet, and a varmint to be conquered.
Yesterday, I saw a cute mouse taking advantage of some spilled bird seed. The mouse caused me to smile and I enjoyed watching it go back and forth from the shed to the seed spill. I realized my perception has undergone a rodent revival.
You can have the same change with people. They are not making your line longer, moving slowly, ignoring social distancing, or in your way. They are children of God loved by Jesus. Perhaps dealing with people would be more pleasurable when we realize we are all a part of God’s marvelous mysterious creation.
What would happen to our human interactions if they were framed with a divine curiosity and appreciation?
LAKE CHARLES – To nobody’s surprise, it’s Simsboro vs. Anacoco in tonight’s LHSAA Class B state boys basketball championship game.
The second-seeded Tigers (24-2), who will play in their fourth straight state final trying to win their third Class B crown in four seasons, have been to Burton Coliseum for the state Final Four each of the last six years. They don’t get mail there, but they are almost as much a staple of the Top 28 experience as visits by savvy visitors to Darrell’s Poboys just off the I-210 loop.
The No. 1 Indians (34-2) have been tops in the Class B power rankings all year, riding the abundant talent of Northwestern State signee Shaun Riley, who moved south from St. Louis and elevated Anacoco among the state’s elite teams in any class.
At 7:30 this evening, Simsboro puts its fast five (and then some) against a more deliberate squad that hasn’t had to battle in the fourth quarter for weeks now. The state championship game can be seen, for a fee, on NFHSNetwork.com.
Anacoco cracked fifth-seeded J.S. Clark 81-56 Tuesday night right after The Boro’s 67-61 victory over a Hathaway team that made a frantic rally from way down in the final four minutes, but never had the ball with a chance to tie.
Tigers coach Josh Brown said he put the brakes on his team, instead of pumping the gas, and that contributed to the shaky finish in the semis.
“Some of that’s on me as a coach with a 19-point lead. We went away from who we are and got out of our element,” he said. “Hopefully we all learned from mistakes we made. Now it’s experience.”
Experience is definitely on Simsboro’s side. The Tigers are a two-point overtime loss in last year’s final from owning three straight state crowns. Senior Braxton Taylor has been on all six Simsboro teams (since he was a seventh grader) that have been to Burton Coliseum in recent years.
Anacoco has just arrived. The Boro’s been here for a while.
“They’re good, well-coached, very disciplined, and have a 6-6 Division I signee in the middle. They beat West Monroe by double figures (53-42, Jan. 2 at WMHS), that’s how good they can be,” said Brown.
“I’m hearing, ‘Coach, y’all have your hands full with Anacoco.’ Well, Anacoco has its hands full with Simsboro, too. We respect them, but we do not fear them.”
The Tigers are among the nation’s highest scoring high school teams. They haven’t encountered many squads that are good enough to invoke a slower tempo, but the parallel between Tuesday’s foe and tonight’s opponent is obvious, and beneficial to The Boro.
“Hathaway’s style of play is very similar to Anacoco’s,” said Brown. “That helps us, having just played a good team that doesn’t want to play at our pace. We want to play 94 feet up and down the court.”
RUSTON BASEBALL: Homestanding Byrd plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth Thursday night, the game-winner on a two-out double as the Yellow Jackets rallied past Ruston 5-4. Catcher Joshua Miller had a pair of hits, including a double, and Cade Patterson’s fifth inning double scored two and helped the visitors to a 4-3 edge.
The Bearcats (6-4) play three more times in Shreveport-Bossier over the next two days, facing Captain Shreve today at 4, Airline at 6:30 and Haughton Saturday at noon. They are home again Tuesday evening against one of the state’s top teams, Tioga, at the Ruston Sports Complex.
Photo: courtesy Rick Hickman, Lake Charles American Press
A three-game home baseball series against the top-ranked team in the country highlights another full weekend of action for Louisiana Tech’s spring sports.
BASEBALL: Lane Burroughs and the Bulldogs will host a three-game series against the unanimous No. 1 ranked team in the country this weekend as the Arkansas Razorbacks venture to JC Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
The two teams will play tonight at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Due to capacity restrictions per state guidelines, single game tickets are not available for the weekend series against the Razorbacks. All three games will be televised live on Cox Sports TV and streamed on ESPN+, and fans can also listen to Dave Nitz provide the call on the LA Tech Sports Radio Network.
Arkansas is a perfect 10-0 with wins over No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 9 Texas and No. 10 TCU to open the season.
LA Tech (8-3) last played a No. 1 team in 2010, which is when the ‘Dogs dropped a pair of games at No. 1 Texas. Tech’s most recent victory over a top-five opponent came against the Razorbacks in 2007.
SOFTBALL: The Lady Techsters open play today at the Davis Diamond Classic hosted by Texas A&M with a 12:30 p.m. contest against Montana and a 5:30 p.m. matchup against the host Aggies. Tech will play two more games on Saturday against Montana (12:30 p.m.) and Texas A&M (3 p.m.).
Both of the games against the Aggies will be streamed on the SEC Network+.
Tech is 4-8 on the season after falling 4-0 at Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday.
SOCCER: After an exciting 1-0 win over UTSA in overtime last weekend, the Lady Techsters soccer team will hit the road to face North Texas tonight at 7 p.m. at the Soccer and Track & Field Stadium in Denton.
Tech (8-3, 1-1 C-USA) has seen both of its first two league matches go into overtime, falling 1-0 to UTEP before posting the win over the Roadrunners in the last outing. North Texas (4-0, 1-0) has outscored its opponents this season 11-1.
Fans can follow the action through a paid subscription to CUSA.tv.
VOLLEYBALL: The Lady Techster spikers will also be in Denton this weekend as they face North Texas in a two-game Conference USA series at the Super Pit. Both Sunday and Monday’s matches will start at 1 p.m.
Tech (1-15, 0-8) defeated Grambling State 3-0 last Thursday before dropping a pair of matches against UTSA last weekend. Fans can follow the action through a paid subscription to CUSA.tv.
GOLF: The Bulldog linksters will open up play in the Linger Longer Invitational today competing in the 16-team field at the Great Waters Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee (Par 72 – 7,436 yards) in Eatonton, Ga. The 54-hole event will run through Sunday.
The Linger Longer Invitational field includes Augusta, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia State, No. 40 Georgia Tech, High Point, Kennesaw State, Memphis, Mercer, Middle Tennessee, North Alabama, Troy, Toledo and No. 45 Virginia.
Fans can follow the action through Golfstat.com.
TENNIS: LA Tech will travel north this weekend to play a pair of matches and will face Missouri State Saturday at 10 a.m. and Arkansas State Sunday at 10 a.m. in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
The Lady Techsters are 6-5 on the season after posting a 5-2 win over Murray State in their last outing.
Tech baseball 2-21 photo – photo by Jonathan Mailhes
Two months after technology developed by Dr. Gergana G. Nestorova, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Louisiana Tech University, was launched into space, Dr. Kate Rubins, an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) validated that the technology worked.
The new tool that featured a microscopic pin for rapid extraction of RNA was launched on SpaceX CSR-21 Dec. 6, and the test of the equipment was completed in the early hours of Feb. 16.
Nestorova’s tool prevents genomic contamination of the sample and enables repeated sampling of the biological specimen multiple times. The study was a collaborative project with the WetLab-2 team at NASA Ames Research Center. The work on this project provided NASA research training opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students in Louisiana Tech’s School of Biological Sciences and Molecular Sciences and Nanotechnology program.
“For this experiment, we developed a method for the functionalization of gold-plated microscopic capture pins for RNA purification,’ Nestorova said. “This project was a team effort that took over a year to meet all NASA ISS payload guidelines. The feedback that we received from Dr. Kate Rubins in real-time while she ran the test was excellent and very useful. The gene sampling method is very time-efficient and therefore could significantly reduce the crew time dedicated to sample processing.”
Louisiana Tech’s Dr. Gergana Nestorova was able to watch as a tool she developed was tested on board the International Space Station.
Dr. Bill Campbell, Director of the School of Biological Sciences, echoed Nestorova’s excitement about the possibilities of research activity at Louisiana Tech.
“This is a great accomplishment for Dr. Nestorova and her research program, and it also reflects well on the research activities that are ongoing at Tech,” Campbell said.
Louisiana Tech LaSPACE Representative Dr. Mary Caldorera-Moore echoed Campbell’s enthusiasm about future research and connections between Tech and the nation’s efforts in space.
“It’s thrilling to see research developed here at Louisiana Tech by our faculty and students, some of which have also been Louisiana Space Grant Consortium (LaSPACE) fellows, to make it to experiments on the ISS,” Caldorera-Moore said. “A goal of LaSPACE is to enable researchers to achieve success in areas that involve study in space, and getting something on the ISS is a huge accomplishment.”
Grambling’s Tigers scored an overtime victory late Thursday night and the Lady Tigers made the plays in the fourth quarter as both teams advanced to today’s semifinals – albeit against regular-season champions — in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament at Birmingham’s Bartow Arena.
The G-Men (12-11) prevailed over Southern 72-67 as second-team All-SWAC selection Cameron Christon poured in 26 points and snatched eight rebounds. They will take on regular-season co-champion Prairie View A&M tonight at 8:30 on ESPN3.
Terreon Randolph scored 12 and snatched 11 for the Tigers, who got 14 points by Tra’Micheal Moton, including the clinching two free throws with three seconds to go.
The Lady Tigers (10-9) survived Alabama A&M 58-50, as Alexus Holt scored 17 and Ariel Williams posted 15 points and 11 rebounds. Grambling had held off A&M 72-68 last Saturday in the regular-season finale at home.
“The game was competitive from start to finish,” said Grambling coach Freddie Murray. “AAMU made some runs but our ladies were able to stay poised and stuck with our game plan. We were able to pull away late in the fourth quarter getting some timely stops and executing on the offensive end.”
In today’s semifinals, the Lady Tigers take a shot at regular-season champion Jackson State (16-5), this time on a neutral court. JSU won the only regular-season matchup 82-66 on its homecourt, in a game carried on NBA TV Feb. 22. Tip is 5:30 on ESPN3.
Tournament championship games are Saturday afternoon. The women start at 1:30 on ESPN3 and the men tip at 5 on ESPNU.
FOOTBALL: The Tigers (0-1) meet Prairie View (1-0) Saturday at 3 at Globe Life Park in Arlington, pitting Grambling against former Tigers offensive coordinator Eric Dooley, in his third season with the Panthers after helping the G-Men win three SWAC West Division titles, two overall league titles and the 2016 HBCU national championship on Broderick Fobbs’ staff.
PV has 16 starters back and placed eight players on the Preseason All-SWAC Team. Grambling had only two second-team preseason picks.
Dooley was a receiver for Grambling from 1985-88, helping the Tigers win two SWAC championships. His squad edged Texas Southern 20-19 last Saturday while Grambling was victimized by a last-minute fumble and lost 33-28 to Jackson State.
SOCCER: The Lady Tigers (2-2-1, 2-1-1) are home today (3 p.m. vs. Alcorn) and Sunday (1 o’clock vs. Mississippi Valley) in SWAC matches.
SOFTBALL: After a 6-5 extra-inning win Tuesday at home against Jarvis Christian, Grambling was swept Wednesday at ULM (4-2, 8-0), no-hit in the second game. The Lady Tigers (3-5) don’t play again until Tuesday when they host Louisiana Tech at 3 o’clock.
BASEBALL: Facing Florida A&M to end their season-opening string of road games, the Tigers (0-8) open the Ralph Garr-Bill Lucas HBCU Baseball Classic, presented by Truist, beginning today at 6. Saturday’s game is at 3 and Sunday’s starts at 1 (all times EST). The Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett (Ga.) Stripers, will host the series at Coolray Field.
Grambling is finally home Wednesday night at 6 against Jackson State, and next weekend hosting Texas Southern in a three-game SWAC series.
VOLLEYBALL: A three-match homestand launched Thursday night but unbeaten Jackson State headed out with a 3-1 victory, taking the last three games (22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-19). Gillian Jones had 11 kills and Semira Jones 10 for the Lady Tigers.
Grambling (5-6, 3-4) tries to snap a three-match skid when it hosts Texas Southern Saturday at 4 in the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. Texas Southern comes to town next Wednesday at 6.
Photo: by TayTapes870, courtesy GSUTigers.com
Every six years, Louisiana Tech University’s School of Design must go through the reaccreditation process to ensure students are learning what they need to succeed in a changing world and that the program is following safety laws and meeting professional standards.
Dr. Sheryl Shoemaker, Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning at Louisiana Tech, explained why this process is important.
“The accrediting body establishes a set of standards and the program or university must provide evidence of how it meets these standards,” Shoemaker said. “Programs or universities go through a self-study process that really helps identify areas to improve. Basically, it means the students in that program are receiving a quality education.”
The School of Design, which houses architecture, interior design, studio art and graphic design, will manage the reaccreditation process a little differently because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Before the accreditation evaluation begins, we have to prepare a program analysis report,” said Stephanie Carwile, Assistant Professor of Interior Design. “This basically explains our program at Tech, our curriculum, our faculty, and facilities. This allows the accreditation team to learn about us before they come to evaluate us.”
Under normal circumstances, a team of people would then come to Ruston for several days to evaluate the program. They would meet with faculty and college administration, look at work from students, and interview students. Because of the pandemic, meetings will take place online.
“This year, however, because of COVID, site visits are not being conducted in person.” Carwile said. “So, we will be meeting and speaking with the team using Zoom, and we are meeting with the same folks who created the graduation videos to create a video of all our facilities.”
Because of the pandemic, the School is displaying student work online instead of in a gallery.
“Instead of a team room filled with all the student work, we will have a website to display information for every class in our program – syllabi, textbooks, assignments, tests, and such, and images of our students’ work,” Carwile said.
This story on School of Design reaccreditation was written by Thomas Stodghill, IV
Ruston’s Meredith Graf is co-Coach of the Year on the All-District 2-5A girls basketball team chosen by coaches and the Louisiana Sportswriters Association, heading 10 Bearcats and Lady Bearcats spotlighted after each team made major improvements in 2020-21.
Five Ruston girls joined their coach on the All-District squad. Sophomore Emerald Parker was a first-team pick after averaging eight points and 10 rebounds, and freshman Jaliyah McWain made the second team. Honorable mention recognition went to three Lady Bearcat juniors: Kemiah Spencer, Mariah Hintze and Kiona McCallister.
Ruston advanced to the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs before a 42-38 loss at Hahnville.
It was a breakthrough season for the Lady Bearcats, who were 2-5A co-champions, claiming the first district title for the program in well over a decade.
Graf’s third RHS team finished 22-8 with a 7-2 district record and were No. 9 in the LHSAA Class 5A power rankings, one spot ahead of co-district champ West Monroe. The Lady Bearcats rose from a 14-16 overall mark and a 3-7 district record in 2019-20. They have all five starters and all but two seniors back for next season. Graf shared the Coach of the Year award with John Green of West Monroe, where she was an assistant before moving to Ruston as an assistant four years ago.
The Bearcats also made big strides this season under second-year coach Ryan Bond, finishing with their first winning mark in a few years at 16-7 overall and 4-5 in district. Senior Markel Jones was a second-team all-district pick after averaging 10 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Two other RHS seniors, Joshua Dean and Rollin Belton, were honorable mention selections along with freshman teammate Jamadrion Lillard. Dean averaged nine points and two assists, Belton (who signed to play collegiately at Marist) contributed eight points and six rebounds per game, and Lillard posted averages of nine points and six rebounds.
“Overall, I am pleased with the season,” said Bond, whose team dropped a first-round road playoff game after being seeded 19th in the 32-team playoff field. “I have always been told it takes three years to get things the way you want as a coach, but we are ahead of schedule. The seniors did a great job of establishing a strong culture for the future. We have several guys returning that played major minutes for us. That experience is going to pay off down the road.
“I am also excited about our incoming freshman class. They will get an opportunity to contribute next year,” said the former Louisiana Tech postman, who played professionally in Europe before becoming head coach at his hometown school in Weston and taking the Ruston position two years ago.
CEDAR CREEK GIRLS: In almost any other Class A district in the state, the Lady Cougars would have dominated the individual awards, but those went deservedly to state champion Ouachita Christian.
However, four Cedar Creek players earned All-District 2-A honors, led by first-team picks Sarah Adams, Riley Spradlin and Allie Furr. Millie Venters was a second-team selection and Elizabeth McAdams earned honorable mention recognition.
Cedar Creek dominated every district foe except OCS and played the Lady Eagles to a seven-point game that was their closest, by far, against a Class A or Division IV opponent.
Adams, a junior, led Creek (20-4) with a 21-point scoring average, six assists and five steals per game at point guard. Spradlin contributed 14 points per game, six rebounds and two steals in her senior year. Venters is a junior and McAdams a sophomore.
The Lady Cougars reached the state semifinals for a second straight season and should be among the state’s top Division IV teams again in 2021-22.
Photo: courtesy of Ruston HS
Photo: courtesy Christy Mabou and Cedar Creek School
With there being so many tournament trails now, it’s a wonder there’s even a weekend available. But this new tournament trail is something different. It’s the American Bass Anglers Top 150 Solo Tour and it’s just what the name says…solo. This three-tournament bass trail is designed for an angler who wants to fish a multi-day event by himself (no co-angler) without breaking the bank or taking out a loan. There are two divisions, the southeastern division and the southwest division. The southeastern division lakes include Lake Eufaula Alabama, Lake Guntersville Alabama and Lake Chickamauga Tennessee. The southwest division includes Toledo Bend Louisiana, Sam Rayburn Texas and Lake Eufaula Oklahoma.
Other tournament trails that will remain nameless, charge up to $1800 for a three-day event and basically only have a 60% payback. American Bass Anglers(ABA) decided to go after a market of anglers who are tired of high entry fees and poor payback. So, they decided to offer a two-day event where all anglers fish both days (Friday & Saturday). They have a payback of 80% and $20,000 for a first-place finish (based on 150 boat field) for an affordable entry fee of $600. Also 20% of the field will be paid at each of these two-day events. This is the brainstorm of ABA Tournament Director Chris Wayand and the owner of ABA Morris Sheehan. Finally, a circuit that’s designed for the working man or weekend warrior who wants to compete at a high level without costing a fortune.
The first event was held on beautiful Toledo Bend Reservoir February 5th & 6th out of Cypress Bend Park. Even though it was not a full field, eighty-four of the best anglers showed up excited to see exactly what ABA had put together. While the 150-boat max was not obtained, this did not curtail the excitement surrounding this first inaugural ABA Top 150 Solo Tour. The competition level was a who’s who of the southwest region and the fish weighed-in reflected the caliber of anglers fishing this first-time event. Toledo Bend legends in this event included Harold Allen, Glen Freeman, George Jeane Jr., Jerrel Pringle and Kevin Lasyone just to name a few.
But young gun Cody Pitt stole the show and led this event wire to wire with a two-day total 10 bass limit of 51.49 pounds and taking home the $13,000 first place prize money. Cameron Roan of Beaumont, Texas and Nick Kincaid of Oklahoma finished 2nd and third respectively while taking home $5500 and $4200 each. Day 1 of this event had 7 bags of over 20 pounds with Cody Pitt leading the way with 27.02 pounds. He followed up day 1 with 24.47 on day two to seal the victory by a little over 3 pounds. It took a two- day total of 27.89 to get a check as sixteen places were paid out. Cole Moore of Anacoco, LA who finished 8th overall also took home the $1000 big bass honors with an 8.46-pound bass. He also finished
Overall, this was a great event, and I would like to commend ABA Tournament Director Chris Wayand and his great staff for doing an awesome job from takeoff each morning to the final weigh-in on Saturday. This circuit is in great hands with Chris and will continue to grow and exceed expectations. Starting a new tournament trail is not easy and takes time for the word to get out. The next event for this division will be on Lake Sam Rayburn March 26th & 27th out of Castle Boykin Park and I predict a full 150 boat field with $20,000 up for grabs.
There are two events left for this 2021 season and it’s not too late to enter. If you or someone you know is looking to fish this new and exciting ABA Top 150 Solo Tour, go to americanbassanglers.com or call ABA at 256-232-0406 and sign up today. Till next time, don’t forget to set the hook!
Steve Graf
Owner/Co-host
Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show
And Tackle Talk Live
sgraf26@yahoo.com