JOURNAL SPORTS

Calvary point guard Rondae Hill was named the boys’ basketball 1-2A All-District Most Valuable Player by the district coaches.

Hill, a 5-foot-11 junior, averaged 16 points and six assists per game in helping lead the Cavaliers to an undefeated district championship and state runner-up finish in Select Division III. 

Joining Hill on the first team are Green Oaks’ senior Fred’Travious Benjamin and Johnathan Stokes, Calvary sophomore Bubba Strong and Loyola senior Caleb Branch.

Here is the complete list of the boys’ basketball All-District 1-2A team. 

BOYS 

FIRST TEAM

Rondae Hill, Calvary, Jr.

Fred’Travious Benjamin, Green Oaks, Sr.

Bubba Strong, Calvary, So.

Caleb Branch, Loyola, Sr.

Johnathan Stokes, Green Oaks

SECOND TEAM

Omarion Miller, North Caddo

Cooper Chasse, Lakeside

John Carmody Jr., Loyola

James Jackson, North Caddo

Malaki Thomas, Calvary

MVP – Rondae Hill, Calvary

Honorable mention: Green Oaks – Delarious Marshall, Keshawn Williams, JaKorey Baxter. Lakeside – Landon Anderson, Jacoby Curry, Eli Musgrave. Loyola – Cage Van Norman, Connor Sims, Cohen Spain. Calvary – K.J. Kennon. North Caddo – Bailey Bridges.

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JOURNAL SPORTS

NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State officially will welcome Rick Cabrera as the 11^th men’s basketball head coach in program history – and second in as many seasons —  with a 2 p.m. introduction today. 

The event, which is open to NSU students, faculty, fans and the media, will be held in the ballroom inside the NSU Student Union in the center of campus.

Cabrera was named Hoop Dirt’s national Junior College Coach of the Year on Monday, after leading Tallahassee Community College to a 31-6 record and the NJCAA Final Four as a national 12-seed.

He was named NSU’s new head coach last Wednesday, taking over for Corey Gipson, who departed NSU after one 22-win season to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, Austin Peay. 

The 47-year-old Cabrera, a native of Spring Valley, New York, has 13 seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant coach at his alma mater, Tennessee Tech, Arkansas State and Austin Peay.

Head coach from 2004-08 at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., Cabrera began his coaching career in the high school ranks following his playing days at Tennessee Tech. In his six years as a head coach at Lackawanna and Tallahassee Community College, Cabrera has compiled an overall record of 152-45. 

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Remember ragondin? I didn’t think so.

Several years ago, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, in an effort to find a market for an exotic wildlife species threatening our coastal marsh, introduced a wild game food source that was readily available and virtually free for the taking. Add to that the fact that ragondin is delicious and nutritious and Louisiana residents should’ve jumped all over it and added it to their list of favorite wild game to eat.

It didn’t work; Louisiana folks, well-known for being willing to eat just about anything, turned their noses up at eating ragondin, which is actually a nice name for nutria, or nutria-rats. I have eaten nutria and to tell the truth, it’s good.

I admit, however, it wasn’t easy getting the image of those ugly creatures with big yellow buck teeth out of my mind. Thus, nutria continue to munch away at our coastline largely because Louisiana residents weren’t willing to munch on ragondin.

Today there is another creature threatening to do harm to Louisiana’s fisheries and the LDWF is once again attempting to get residents to give this new delicacy, “silver fin,” a try.

Silver fin, like ragondin, is the bow on the big. It’s a nice way of saying “carp” — not just any carp but two species of Asian carp, exotic species that are competing with our native fish.

These two, the bighead carp and the silver carp, are already in plentiful supply in the Mississippi River and all tributaries and distributaries of the river. Both species are filter feeders, competing with such species as paddlefish and shad and the young of all species of recreational and commercial fish.

The more popular of the two, the silver carp, is the fish you’ve seen on outdoor fishing shows jumping out of the water at the approach of an outboard engine and slamming into boats and boaters, sometimes inflicting injuries and damage to boat windshields and electronic equipment. They can weigh up to 60 pounds and a flying carp smashing into a boater going 50 mph can deliver a blow like a Mike Tyson haymaker.

On a writers’ trip to south Louisiana several years ago, I had a 30-pounder smash into the windshield of the boat I was riding in, just inches from my face. After recovering from the shock of nearly having to replace my dentures, I thanked the Lord for strong plexiglass.

In an effort to slow the spread of these fish – they can’t be eradicated –  the LDWF called on renowned Chef Philippe Parola to find ways these fish can be prepared so our residents will fill their freezers and frying pans with “silver fin.” Hopefully this experiment will work better than trying to get nutria into our crock pots.

I haven’t had the opportunity to taste silver fin but from the video clip I saw, the flesh is white and tender and can be prepared into tasty looking dishes. The only problem is that both the bighead and silver carp have “floating” bones that are not easily separated from the flesh.

This calls to mind a fish I used to catch and try to eat, the chain pickerel or better known to north Louisiana anglers as the jackfish. Jacks are delicious but the flesh is filled with small bones which meant we usually released them rather than have to wrestle with all the bones.

I recall watching Ruston’s super-chef, the late Mrs. Ethel Stone, taking jackfish filets, bones intact, and using her pressure cooker to virtually dissolve the bones and making some croquettes or fish cakes, much like those made with salmon or crab meat. They were delicious.

Chef Parola uses two methods of dealing with silver fin bones. One method, steaming the filets, leaves the bones in the flesh but makes them easier to remove. The other method, deboning, is more complicated but can be done.          

So Louisiana, are you ready to do your part in creating a new market for a troublesome fish? If so, give silver fin, the ragondin of the river, a try.

You go first; I’ll wait.

Contact Glynn at glynnharris37@gmail.com

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JOURNAL SPORTS 

Natchitoches Central took a 3-0 lead into the seventh inning and survived by throwing out an Airline runner at the plate that would have tied the game in a thrilling 3-2 win that clinched its third consecutive District 1-5A softball title.

Airline leadoff hitter Elena Heng came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the seventh inning trailing 3-0. She  tripled to centerfield to score Ryan Hutchinson and Addison McDowell. Haley Whiteside tried to score from first base to tie the game but was out at the plate. 

Maddie Robinson got the win in the circle for the Lady Chiefs and hit a fifth-inning home run to give Natchitoches Central a 3-0 lead. Robinson allowed three hits, walked seven and struck out 10. Her cousin Desi Robinson was 2-for-3 and drove in a run in the two-run NCHS third inning.

Taylor Anne Smith suffered the loss for visiting Airline (19-7, 6-1) allowing three hits and one earned run as she struck out five, but also walked five.

Natchitoches Central, rated No. 4 in the LHSAA Division I power ratings, is now 22-3, 7-0.  

HAUGHTON 14, PARKWAY 2: At Parkway, a 10-run third inning explosion keyed the Lady Bucs to the 1-5A win and a third-place tie with Benton at 4-3 in district. Macey Schut was 4-for-4 with two doubles and drove in five runs. Dixie Williams went  3-for-3 at the plate and picked up the win in the circle as she allowed two hits, walked one and struck out seven in the five-inning contest. Ella Vickers, Kayleigh Goss, Kylie Small and Carsyn Kizzia all had two hits for Haughton (11-9, 4-3).

BENTON 26, SOUTHWOOD 0: The Lady Tigers’ finish in a third-place tie in 1-5A with Haughton (4-3) after the win at Southwood. Sophia Livers, Ashley Promes and Erin Disotell were all 2-for-2. Livers’ and Disotell’s hits were both doubles and Promes had a double and drove in five runs. Benton is 14-12 overall. 

CAPTAIN SHREVE 11, BYRD 0: At Captain Shreve, Ella Hendrick pitched a five-inning no-hitter, striking out 11, and Jayda Martin and Brianna Jones hit home runs in the District 1-5A win. Elexa Beaudoin (2-for-3) Hendrick (2-for-3) and Aubry Townsend (2-for-3) with three RBI led the way at the plate for Shreve (13-7, 3-4). 

MINDEN 6, NORTHWOOD 2: At Northwood, Leigha K-Gilbert’s bases-loaded inside-the-park home run to centerfield in the fifth inning was the big blow that carried the Tide to the 1-4A win to secure second place in the district at 6-1. Gilbert also had a pair of doubles and was the only player with multiple hits for Minden, now 14-11 overall. Northwood (12-6, 5-2) scored its only runs in the seventh inning as Mackenzie Jagers tripled in the first run and scored the second on an Analyse Fuqua single. 

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JOURNAL SPORTS

Captain Shreve pitchers Andrew Sharp and John Chance limited league-leader Parkway to two runs as the Gators handed the Panthers their first loss in District 1-5A Tuesday at Parkway.

Sharp got the win going five innings, allowing six hits and two runs as he walked two. Chance pitched a perfect final two innings striking out five of the six batters he faced in the Gators’ 6-2 triumph.

The Gators scored a single run in the fifth to break a 2-2 tie on a Jackson Bleich fielder’s choice out that scored Sharp. Shreve (13-8, 4-2) added three insurance runs in the sixth, two coming home on a Hunter Willis single. Walker Wicklund’s sacrifice fly scored Rob Carroway with the final run.

Shawn Driggers was 2-for-4 and drove in both of Parkway’s second inning runs with a single. Zach Schoenborn was also 2-for-4 with a double for the Panthers (16-4, 5-1). 

AIRLINE 12, SOUTHWOOD 3: The Vikings moved into a tie for first in 1-5A by beating the Cowboys. Airline (11-10, 5-1) slugged out 15 hits with Clayton Brandon leading the way with three safeties, Tyler Ferguson had two doubles, Cayden Long, Noah Littleton and Mason Morgan all had doubles to go along with singles in posting two hits.

BENTON 14, BYRD 6: At Benton, Kenner Lauterbach’s bases-clearing double keyed a seven-run fifth inning rally  in the Tigers’ 1-5A win. Benton (12-12, 4-2) had 12 hits and seven walks as Hunter Brignac, Case Jorden and Lauterbach were all 2-for-4 and Bryson Pierce 2-for-2.  Kadrien Harris had three of Byrd’s four hits in three at bats. Hayden Hoffpauir had two of the Yellow Jackets’ four RBI.

NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL 4, HAUGHTON 3: The host Chiefs erased a 3-0 deficit with three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to get the win. Colin Rains led the Bucs at the plate going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Christian Turner added to his team lead in triples with a first-inning three bagger. The winning run scored on a balk.

CALVARY 5, RUSTON 3: At Ruston, the Cavs got a pair of ninth-inning runs to get the extra-inning non-district win.  Jackson Legg was 3-for-4 and two RBI at the plate while Cade Bedgood was 2-for-5 and Landon Fontenot got the win allowing seven hits, one run and striking out eight in 5 2/3 innings.

NORTHWOOD 15, BTW 0: The Falcons only needed three innings for the 1-4A win as Cody Roark had two hits and two RBI for Northwood (18-5, 4-0).

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College Baseball

Tuesday’s scores

Centenary 3, LeTourneau 2
Louisiana Christian JV 12, BPCC 10
Louisiana Tech 14, Sacramento State 4
LSU 17, Grambling State 5

Today’s games

Paris at BPCC, DH, 1 p.m.

College Softball

Tuesday’s scores

LeTourneau 4-8, Centenary 1-3
Louisiana Tech 5, Northwestern State 1

Today’s games

NE Texas CC at BPCC, DH, noon

High School Baseball

Tuesday’s scores 

Airline 12, Southwood 3
Benton 14, Byrd 6
Captain Shreve 6, Parkway 2
Natchitoches Central 4, Haughton 3
Northwood 15, BTW 0
Calvary 5, Ruston 3, 9 innings
North Caddo 16, Haynesville 9
Ebarb 17, Plain Dealing 2

Today’s games

Many at Byrd

Huntington at Homer

High School Softball

Tuesday’s scores

Natchitoches Central 3, Airline 2
Benton 26, Southwood 0
Captain Shreve 11, Byrd 0
Haughton 14, Parkway 2
Huntington 29, Bossier 5
Minden 6, Northwood 2
Loyola 15, Red River 0
North Webster 13, Plain Dealing 3

Today’s games

Plain Dealing at Bossier, DH

Huntington at Evangel

Schedules are subject to cancellations and postponements.

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By ROY LANG III, Journal Sports

Sometimes it’s just best to pack it in. Last week was one of those weeks. Nothing went right. The bets were garbage and my dog’s vet bill ate up half my 2022 profit. The good news, Luna’s recovery is going well and we have many opportunities to put the unforgettable week in the rearview mirror.

The PGA Tour’s respite between the Match Play and next week’s Masters provides a weak field, but a great opportunity to find value. 

In addition to the event in San Antonio, LIV Golf is back and we’ve made a trip back to the Korn Ferry Tour. Good luck.

Major League Baseball also begins this week. If you didn’t catch our future wagers, search for them on our website.

Good luck!

Notes

All bets are measured in units. For instance, if your normal bet on a game is $100, that is one unit. If the bet is listed as .2 units, it’s a $20 bet.

Best line (as of Tuesday) is listed in parenthesis. Find the best price — one key to being a successful sports bettor! Shop around! Remember this is a VALUE-based system, so don’t settle for a price significantly less than the one listed. And jump on better prices!

Sportsbook legend

CAE: Caesar’s

FD: Fan Duel

MGM: Bet MGM

DK: DraftKings

BS: Barstool

BR: BetRivers 

LANG’S LOCKS

Last week: -.6.9 units

2023 season: +33.7 units

2023 ROI: 53.2 percent

2022 season: +101 units 

GOLF 

PGA TOUR 

Valero Texas Open 

Win bets

Beau Hossler, .1 unit, +6500 (MGM)

Joseph Bramlett, .1 unit, +11000 (DK) 

Top 20 bets

Kevin Tway, .8 units, +600 (DK)

Joseph Bramlett .7 units, +400 (DK)

Scott Piercy, .5 units, +550 (DK)

Augusto Nunez, .4 units, +1100 (FD)

Garrick Higgo, .4 units, +490 (FD) 

LIV GOLF 

Orlando 

Win bets

Bubba Watson, .1 unit, +6600 (CAE) 

KORN FERRY TOUR 

Astara Chile Classic 

Win bets

Ian Holt, .1 unit, +16500 (DK)

Spencer Ralston, .1 unit, +30000 (DK)

Contact Roy at roylangiii@yahoo.com or on Twitter @roylangiii  

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JOURNAL SPORTS

NATCHITOCHES — Solid pitching performances and home runs from Jordan Manning and Katelin Cooper lifted the Louisiana Tech softball team to a 5-1 win at Northwestern State and a sweep of the season series.

Tech (20-12) got on the board early with Manning’s three-run home run to left field in the second inning. Cooper followed with a solo shot in the third to left centerfield.

Emma Hutchinson worked the first three innings and Allie Floyd pitched the final four, holding the Lady Demons (16-14) in check and stranding 10 baserunners.

Tech only had four hits to six for NSU, but three of the visitors’ hits were for extra bases.

“Those two big swings put them up and gave them some breathing room and we couldn’t get anything going despite some pretty good at bats early in the game,” said NSU coach Donald Pickett. “We had a lot of chances late and didn’t have those quality at bats there like we did earlier.” 

“Allie (Floyd) really grinded there late to keep Northwestern from doing damage. I am really proud of how she competed tonight being able to get out of a tough situation. We made some big plays late and the home runs that we got played a huge role,” said Techsters’ coach Josh Taylor.

Brooke Diaz led the Techsters with two hits, including a two-out RBI double down the third base line in the fifth. She also singled ahead of Manning’s bomb.

In the sixth, a leadoff walk and back-to-back one-out singles loaded the bases for the Lady Demons. Tristin Court came through with her second hit of the day, a sharp single to right to plate Laney Roos and make it 5-1. That was all NSU got in the inning though after Floyd notched an infield pop up and fly out to deep left field and left the bags full. 

The first two batters of the seventh also reached base but did not advance as Floyd recorded a three-pitch strikeout, a foul out and another strikeout to end the game. 

NSU left seven runners on base in the final three innings.

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Watching the Ohio State-Virginia Tech women’s basketball regional final, where the halftime score is 48-45, and remembering LSU’s 54-42 victory over Miami the night before.

Didn’t watch Iowa’s 97-83 regional championship win Sunday night over Louisville, but our lunch bunch women’s basketball expert, Steve Graf, reported Monday that Hawkeyes’ guard Caitlin Clark is the best college player in America, male or female. Her 41-point, 10-rebound, 12-assist performance supports Graf’s assessment, which was drawn from his eyeballs, not analytics.

Tuned in last night at the end of South Carolina’s 86-75 cruise past Maryland, only to get the final score. We all knew the Gamecocks would roll, because Kim Mulkey told us so in LSU’s postgame press conference Sunday night.

You gonna argue with Kim? I’m not gonna argue with Kim. NCAA Tournament officials don’t. They endure her histrionics and don’t dare to hit her with a technical foul, when any other coach grimacing and grousing at that level would be served an unsweet T. She’s earned the right with her resume’.

I am gonna disagree with Kim, while I praise her (and her wardrobe). She’s shrewdly developed her second Tiger team – that nobody, nowhere thought would still be playing this week – and a vital part of that was patience. Patience was possible because Mulkey made it so.

Referring you back to the Nov. 16 Journal:

While she fits new pieces together with her second Tigers’ team, and awaits the arrival next season of Parkway’s extraordinary student-athlete Mikaylah Williams, Mulkey’s non-conference schedule is softer than your pillow.  Her team will face tougher tests during fall semester final exams.

Sunday night, Mulkey made reference to critics of the pliable part of the 2022-23 slate. Obviously the attention paid to the layup drill schedule prior to Southeastern Conference competition is a burr in the Tigers’ saddle.

LSU’s strength of schedule in the NCAA’s ratings? Try 315, of roughly 350 Division I teams. Question that? Bellarmine, Mississippi Valley, Western Carolina, Houston Christian, Northwestern State, all at home to begin. George Mason and UAB in the Bahamas, then back to the PMAC for Southeastern Louisiana, down to Tulane (the toughest test before SEC play), home for Lamar, then to Hawaii for Montana State and Oregon State. The only NCAA Tournament team: the Lady Lions of Southeastern.

So what did LSU get out of that cakewalk? There were points of contention. SLU remarkably played LSU to 63-55 on Nov. 29, making former Lady Lion star Robin Roberts (who played with a ponytail, compared to Mulkey’s pigtails) proud. In the next outing, just off St. Charles Avenue in cozy Fogelman Arena, Tulane stayed in range at 85-73.

Here’s what that not-very-competitive cruise through November and December did for LSU. There was steady development without any crisis of confidence in an unproven group. Of course the toughest times were in practice with the masterful Mulkey bringing along her refurbished roster to prepare for the SEC, and March.

All of this makes me wonder if LSU can keep up Friday night in Dallas at the Women’s Final Four.

Doesn’t look like the Tigers can score with Virginia Tech, who hung 87 on Ohio State.

Until you mention one of Mulkey’s favorite words: defense. None of the three other Final Four teams D-up as well. South Carolina, with Philly street-tough coach Dawn Staley, is the only one comparable.

LSU will have a decided homecourt advantage with DFW-area alumni.

I’ll take the Tigers in the semis, to gobble up VaTech. Bet the under.

It’s hard to forecast a South Carolina loss, especially glancing back at the Gamecocks’ 88-64 victory over LSU Feb. 12 – at Columbia, S.C.  However, it was not a 40-minute mangling – the spread was just five late in the third quarter.

If the two square off Sunday night for the natty, I’d take LSU and the points. If there are not too many points on the scoreboard, Mulkey might just pull off the biggest surprise in Women’s Final Four history.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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JOURNAL SPORTS

Minden scored a run in each of the first and second innings and held on for a 2-1 baseball win over Loyola Monday at Griffith Park.

Jakobe Jackson doubled in Brandon Winston with the Tide’s first run. Minden scored its second run on a walk by Landyn Huddleston to take the 2-0 lead.

Loyola cut the lead in half at 2-1 with a run in the sixth when Colin Lirette reached on and error then scored on another error.

Jaxon Smith pitched a complete game for Minden (13-7) limiting Loyola (4-18) to three hits, while he walked one and struck out six.

Gavin Brint and Hudson Moore combined to limit Minden to two runs on five hits, as they walked five and struck out two.

LAKESIDE 10, EVANGEL 4: At Evangel, the Eagles fell in the non-district game as the Warriors scored seven runs in the decisive fourth inning. Kody Jackson was 2-for-4 for Evangel (6-16) and Peyton Fulghum had a two-run double.

SOFTBALL 

OUACHITA CHRISTIAN 6, HAUGHTON 1: At Haughton, OCS scored five runs in the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie. Ariana Mathews was 2-for-3 and Kylie Small had a double for Haughton (10-9).

BYRD 15, SOUTHWOOD 0: The Lady Jackets got their first win on the season in a four-inning run-rule decision as Maggie Griffin was 2-for-3 with three RBI, Ariel Taylor had a pair of doubles and drove in two runs and Callie King was 2-for-3.

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