THE SPECTATOR

A major test for Green Devils

This Saturday the Plaquemine High Green Devils take part in the annual La. High School Athletic Assn. Hall of Fame Basketball Classic at the LSU Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge for the second year in a row.

Last year the PHS boys went up against lower classification top tier Episcopal High and claimed a victory. Saturday the Green Devils, ranked number one in Class 3-A entering Friday’s round of prep action, face an even tougher challenge as they have been invited to play the top-ranked club in the highest classification of the state, i.e. Class 5-A. The Scotlandville Hornets were 22-4 entering this week’s action. They blasted District 5-5A rival Zachary 93-59 and trimmed Catholic BR 62-59 to move to 5-0 in their district.

Many consider SHS the hottest team in the Baton Rouge area’s upper classifications. Class 4-A Glen Oaks (ranked fourth) and Istrouma (ranked eighth) were the other upper classification powers in the Capital City.

However, the Green Devils hit the LSU floor with plenty of positives going for them as well. Coach Denny Wright’s Plaquemine club rang up its 21th-straight victory Friday night in their district opener win over Port Allen and had an even better overall record than Scotlandville with an outstanding 22-1 showing as they began action this week. The Green Devils only loss came in the second game of the season against 4-A Istrouma.

While PHS can point to outstanding victories over 5-A eighth-ranked Hammond as well as Single A parish neighbors East Iberville (8th ranked) and White Castle (9th ranked) this season, along with a tournament championship up in North La., the Hornets won the prestigious EBR Parish tournament against the likes of Glen Oaks and Istrouma.

The Scotlandville club is led by 6-4 senior J.J. Thomas, considered one of the top college recruits out of the Metro BR area. He was averaging 23.7 points a game and 15 rebounds entering last week’s games. The Stephen F. Austin University signee is surrounded by talented teammates in Levi Wright (18 pt. ave.), 6-8 Zariff Basil, point guard Shawn Washington, and seniors Travis Lee and Thomas Moore.

Like PHS, the Hornets excel in pressing on defense and make the transition game work for them.

However, the locals have some advantages going their way. Scotlandville has yet to face a team with as strong and determined a defense. The Green Devils shut down opponents, holding them well below their scoring average. They frustrate teams and force them to make mistakes and keep them from getting in their groove. Plaquemine has one of the most disruptive defenses in the state to go with one of Louisiana’s top prep overall records.  This is also PHS’ tallest team in recent years to go with fine speed and quickness at every position.

This is going to be one heck of a basketball game and great preparation for Plaquemine as they open District 8-3A play, the likely state playoffs, and perhaps another trip to the state tournament in March. But the PMAC game does the same things for Scotlandville. PHS will be a good test for the Hornets.

Tip off is set for 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

WHO DAT NATION...The New Orleans Saints have captured the hearts of fans throughout the Gulf Coast and all the way to Shreveport and Jackson by winning the NFC Championship Sunday evening and garnering the franchise’s first trip to the Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7, in Miami.

I am still stunned because I kept waiting all season long for something bad to happen to the Saints. I have been conditioned; through 43 years of watching horrible football, sometimes good football, but never postseason football success in black and gold; to expect only the worst.

Down through the years I have become numb to Saints football. LSU always has had my heart and soul. I chew my fingernails down, scream at the refs and the sports broadcasters, and throw things at Tiger coaches on the TV tube. With the Saints, well, I just watch and feel little. That is until the Hurricane Season, then 2006, and on to Sunday night.

More than get into the Saints team, I feel great for the City of New Orleans and the Saints’ fans. Oh, yes, the last three years I have found myself watching the Saints every Sunday with a bit of hope. I have long been a fan of certain NFL teams like Miami, Pittsburgh, Chicago, the old Houston Oilers. The Saints always were a team I hoped for, but could not get emotional about. Strangely, now that they are on the verge of a possible NFL championship, I still have that unbiased sportswriter attitude toward them. I will be happy for them if they win it all, but I won’t go kick the dog the way I do when LSU loses.