HAMMOND — A year after falling just four points short of a state championship, the Merryville girls basketball team has returned to the University Center on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana in hopes of winning its first ever state title.
In order to get another shot at the Class 1A championship, the No. 2 Panthers will first have to defeat No. 3 Gueydan in the state semifinals in a clash
of styles that will feature Merryville running a half-court offense and the bears trying to run the floor.
“We had a tough, overtime game against Tensas because they are very athletic,” said Merryville head coach Vic Ortiz. “We see that Gueydan is pretty athletic itself. It should be a great semifinal game.”
The Panthers will once again be led by junior point guard Andrea Cournoyer, who last year set the Class 1A record for combined points in the state tournament with 69.
This year, Ortiz said Cournoyer brings more strength and a better ability to distribute the ball to the University Center.
“Andrea has really helped this team throughout the season with her unselfish play,” Ortiz said. “She’s done a great job of getting others involved in the offense.
“She’s definitely stronger than she was last year. We did some off-season weight training, and she’s grown a lot. As a result she’s a tremendous rebounder for a point guard. She has great timing, and her strength helps a lot.”
But Ortiz knows more than just Cournoyer will have to have a great game in order for Merryville to reach its second consecutive state final game. The role players around her will also play a big part in the Panthers’ success.
“The key to our success has been teamwork, especially on the defensive end” Ortiz said. “They work hard for each other, and they go out for maximum effort every time.
Despite Cournoyer’s record-breaking performance last season, the Panthers fell just short of a win in their first ever title game, losing to Arcadia 66-62.
Ortiz said last year’s trip to Hammond has had a number of positive side effects, as he is comfortable knowing his veteran players have played in this environment before as well as using it as a motivating factor.
He added they have also been motivated by the recent death of former Merryville Mayor and Panthers super fan Charles Hudson.
“These girls want to get back to the state finals bad,” Ortiz said. “We recently lost a board member Mr. Hudson. He was probably our biggest fan. We’re definitely trying to win one for him.”
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