Ruston’s girls varsity basketball team won their first round matchup against Madison Prep by a final score of 48-28 in the Sunday Players Showdown in the Lake Girls Basketball Classic, while the boys won their game 64-51 over Hahnville.
“Today was a good first game for us,” Ruston Lady Bearcat head coach Meredith Graf said. “We got rid of our bus legs, played hard and had some success. I liked our energy and effort levels. I’m hoping to continue that tomorrow versus a very scrappy Fairview team.”
Junior Jaliyah McWain led Ruston scorers with 15 points on the night.
On the boy’s side, Bearcat head coach Ryan Bond was pleased to get the victory and recognized that the competition will get stronger as the weekend goes on.
“You’re happy when you win,” Bond said. “It was a little sluggish; we had a four-hour trip down here. We were up 27-20 at halftime, even after missing some shots. We came out second half and got up 17 and we felt good. I had hoped for a bit of a push, but Hahnville is a good team and got closer. They kept chipping away and cut the lead to five in the fourth quarter, but we found a way and got the stops that we needed to. Overall, a win is a win, and we have a lot to learn from.”
Sophomore Joran Parker scored 19 points, while senior Braylan McNeal finished with 18 points. Juinor Jay Lillard added 11 points.
The Bearcats will play the host school Hamilton Christian tonight at 7 p.m., while the girls will play against Fairview at 5:30 p.m.
