By Bret H. McCormick
ALEXANDRIA – The Ruston Bearcats looked poised to wrap up the District 2-5A basketball championship Friday night.
They led Alexandria Senior High by seven points after one quarter, opened that lead up to 16 at halftime, and held a comfortable 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Then, it all unraveled.
The Bearcats (14-5, 3-1 District 2-5A) scored just four points in the fourth quarter as ASH (25-5, 4-0) rallied for a 49-44 victory to stay alive in the race for the 2-5A title.
“We just didn’t execute,” said Corey Deans, the Bearcats’ acting head coach.
A battle between two of the state’s top big men – Ruston’s super 6-foot-7 sophomore Ahmad Hudson against ASH’s 6-8 junior Tyshawn Duncan – gave the packed house plenty of big plays and reasons to get out of their seats.
Duncan shook off an uncharacteristically quiet first half to finish with 17 points, including two 3-pointers and three dunks, to go along with four massive blocks that sent the Trojan faithful into a frenzy.
He won the scoring battle against Hudson, who was held to just 11 points, mostly on offensive rebounds and dunks. However, Hudson dominated the glass, finishing with 17 rebounds, and added two blocks and two steals.
Ruston took control early behind the trio of Hudson, fellow sophomore Keshun Malcoln and senior guard Aidan Anding, who combined to score 14 first-quarter points.
Hudson’s dunk with 14 seconds left in the quarter followed by Anding’s buzzer-beater broke open a three-point game. A 3-pointer by sophomore Kohl Gray just over a minute into the second quarter gave the Bearcats a 19-9 lead.
Ruston closed the half with an 11-1 run over the final four minutes to send a dejected Trojan squad to the locker room trailing 30-14.
Duncan, who scored just three points in the first half, and senior guard Jordyn Johnson kept the Trojans within striking distance in the third quarter, combining to score 14 points as ASH nearly cut its deficit to single digits, trailing 40-30 heading into the fourth.
That’s when Johnson, who scored a game-high 18 points, took control of the game, using his speed to slice his way to the rim along with his long-range accuracy to knock down 3-pointers.
His first 3 of the quarter cut the Ruston lead to 42-35 with just over five minutes to play, before Malcolm answered with a reverse layup about a minute later to push the Bearcats’ lead back to nine.
However, Ruston’s offense went scoreless for the final 4:08 of the contest as the Trojans finished the game on a 14-0 run.
Deans said the gameplan was to get the ball inside and finish at the rim. Instead, the Bearcats continued to misfire from the perimeter.
“We just kept shooting the ball,” he said. “… We were in control, but the same shots we were hitting early just didn’t go in.”
Duncan and Johnson each hit a 3-pointer to trim the Ruston lead to three with just under three minutes to play, and Johnson’s crafty finish at the rim over the outstretched arm of Hudson cut the lead to just one with 2:21 to play.
Duncan gave ASH its first lead of the game with 52 seconds remaining when he grabbed an offensive rebound near the free-throw line and threw down a ferocious slam to put the Trojans ahead 45-44.
Ruston still had chances, however, the best of which came when Malcolm missed two free throws with 39 seconds to play that would have given the Bearcats a one-point lead.
Deans lamented that the Bearcats allowed ASH to get easy transition baskets, which led to the Trojans’ comeback.
“As long as we make it a halfcourt game, we win,” he said.
Malcolm finished with 12 points for the Bearcats, who still have a shot at claiming a piece of the District 2-5A title. Ruston closes district play with a road game at West Monroe next Friday, and a win there coupled with an ASH loss at Ouachita would mean a three-way tie for the district title. The Trojans can clinch the title outright with a win against Ouachita.
