By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — Explosive first and third quarters from the Ruston High Lady Bearcat offense was enough to hold off a scrappy Istrouma Lady Indian team Friday night for a 75-42 win in the Main Gym for the final home game on the calendar in 2025.
Ruston High Head Coach LaShanda Cooper spoke about how her team competed despite some of the roster being ill on the night.
“I’m proud that the girls were still able to get out there and compete,” Cooper said. “We finally decided to turn it up more in the second half (after only leading 35-28 at the half). We really allowed (Eryn Brown) have her way. At halftime, we talked about effort and heart — we had been playing the first half well below our true expectations. We didn’t want our kids making excuses because some of them weren’t feeling good.”
The Lady Bearcats got a combined 50 of their 75 total points in between the first and third periods on the night.
Ruston took a 25-12 lead by the end of the first quarter, but Istrouma would outscore Ruston 16-10 in the second, thanks in large part to Lady Indian guard Eryn Brown scoring 11 of her 37 points in the second.
The Lady Bearcats then outscored Istrouma 25-4 in the third quarter to take what would be an insurmountable lead into the fourth, where Ruston was able to pull ahead for a running clock with about five minutes left to play.
Sophomore guard Jayleen Spann led Ruston in scoring with 20 points including four three-pointers. Junior Bailee Harrison added 13 points, while junior Kearra Wilson added 11.
Ruston will return to action after Christmas at the ASH Tournament in central Louisiana which will be held Dec. 27-31. Ruston will be playing Tioga on Dec. 29.
“I feel like the chemistry is getting a lot better,” Cooper said. “They’re buying in more. Of course, we want it to happen fast, but it’s a process, and everybody just has to trust the process. As long as we continue playing together, stay locked in, stick to our gam plans and mainly just trust each other, then I think we’ll continue heading in the right direction.”
