By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
As winter relents and competition resumes, the LSUS basketball teams have a key twinbill at home Thursday evening tipping at 5:30 at the Dock.
Xavier comes up from New Orleans and both contests will impact standings atop the Red River Athletic Conference.
The women’s matchup pairs the league-leading Lady Pilots, perfect through eight RRAC outings, against a Gold Nuggets squad with an 8-1 conference slate. LSUA is third at 7-1.
The men’s contest brings the first-place Xavier squad to face an LSUS team that’s a half-game back in a hotly-contested four-team chase for the RRAC title that the Pilots have pretty much owned recently.
LSUS was slated to host Texas A&M-Texarkana in a Tuesday night doubleheader at the Dock but that was postponed to Feb. 13.
Centenary is also home twice this weekend, Friday night and Saturday afternoon at the Gold Dome.
Quick glances at our local college hoop squads:
MEN
LSUS: 11-3 overall, 6-2 in Red River Athletic Conference
Pilots’ RRAC losses are few and far between, but last Saturday’s homecourt 92-73 defeat at the hands of Texas College appeared alarming. It wasn’t good, but a closer look at the RRAC standings reveals a four-team scramble setting up a key homecourt visit Thursday by frontrunner Xavier (7-2). LSUS and LSUA are right behind at 6-2 and Texas College is 7-3. Also incoming this weekend is fifth-place North American (5-4). The Pilots handled business last Thursday at home with a 78-67 dispatch of Jarvis Christian.
NEXT – Thursday, home vs. Xavier, 7:30; Saturday, home vs. North American, 4:00
Centenary: 9-8 overall, 4-4 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Gents lost two SCAC games on the road last weekend, 77-71 at Schreiner on Friday in Kerrville, Texas and 87-77 at No. 7 (D3hoops.com) Trinity on Saturday in San Antonio. The Gents had their season-high four-game winning streak snapped on Friday although they held a 39-30 halftime advantage after leading by as many as 17 points. At Trinity, the nationally-ranked Tigers (16-1, 7-1 SCAC) made the difference in the second half, expanding a 1-point edge by 47-38.
Senior guard AJ Hall averaged 20 points highlighted by a season-high 26 points Saturday. Hall was 14-23 from the floor, 8-12 from beyond the arc, and 4-6 from the FT line as he made the most of his limited playing time, playing 20 and 25 minutes respectively. He’s scored in double digits five times in the last six games. (Notes by Patrick Meehan, Centenary Athletics)
NEXT – Friday, home, vs. Austin College, 5:30; Saturday, home, vs. Dallas, 4:00.
Bossier Parish CC: 8-9 overall, 2-4 in Region 14 North
The Cavs split tight games last week. BPCC dropped a 58-55 battle at Angelina JC on Wednesday, but snagged an 85-83 victory Saturday at home over Jacksonville. The weather pushed back the road game at Port Arthur from tonight to Thursday.
Next – Thursday, at Lamar State-Port Arthur, 6:00; Wednesday, Jan. 24, home vs. Paris JC, 5:30
WOMEN
LSUS: 12-2 overall, 8-0 in RRAC
The Lady Pilots overwhelmed last week’s foes by a combined 110 points – lashing Jarvis Christian 99-39, then blasting Texas College 108-58 and setting a single-game team scoring school record. The postponed contest that was to tip Tuesday against Texas A&M-Texarkana (5-3 in RRAC action) could have been a nice tuneup for Thursday’s showdown for the conference lead with Xavier, but LSUS will come in well rested.
Thursday, home vs. Xavier, 5:30; Saturday, home vs. North American, 2:00
Centenary: 1-15 overall, 0-8 in SCAC
The Ladies went winless last weekend in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play on the road, falling at Schreiner 103-53 on Friday and 88-60 at Trinity. Sophomore guard TaNyjah Plumber averaged 12.5 points for the weekend as she played 33 minutes against the Mountaineers and was 4-9 from beyond the arc with 14 points, six rebounds, and a steal and then played 39 minutes at Trinity and finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. (Notes by Patrick Meehan, Centenary Athletics)
NEXT – Friday, home vs. Austin College, 7:30; Saturday, home vs. Dallas, 6:00.
LAGNIAPPE
The Centenary swimming teams host Austin College in a dual meet on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the campus Fitness Center on Senior Day … the Centenary gymnastics team will face the Texas Women’s Pioneers on Sunday at the Gold Dome in a Midwest Independent Conference dual meet set for 2 p.m. Across the street at Mayo Field at the same time, the Centenary lacrosse team will host Louisiana Tech in an exhibition match … hard to grasp, but the BPCC softball season is not far away. The Lady Cavs, who made the NJCAA World Series last season, open Jan. 27 with a doubleheader at Baton Rouge CC.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com