HAMMOND — A late comeback to force overtime and a 36-point performance by junior guard Andrea Cournoyer weren’t enough for tor the No. 2 Merryville girls basketball team to advance in the Top 28 state basketball tournament.
Third-seeded Gueydan (22-10) beat the Panthers (24-2) in a dramatic Class 1A semifinal matchup 68-63 to end Merryville’s second consecutive trip to the University Center in Hammond.
“Good teams play hard when their ahead, great teams play hard when they’re behind,” said Merryville head coach Vic Ortiz. “They never gave up.”
After playing a vast majority of the game from behind, the Panthers fought back and forced overtime when Cournoyer hit a 3-point shot with 5 seconds left that tied the score at 58.
But the comeback proved to be too little too late,as Gueydan outlasted Merryville to reach the final for the second time in school history.
“We knew they were in trouble, and so we knew we had to take it to them,” said Gueydan head coach Randal Bertrand. “We didn’t want to rely on our outside shooting. We wanted to take it to them and get them to foul us.”
Perhaps the pivotal momentum change came in the second quarter when Gueydan scored 12 unanswered points to take a 28-18 lead.
From that point on, the Panthers had their backs against the wall, trailing with multiple starters in foul trouble.
“We had two players with three fouls in the second quarter,” Ortiz said. “We were playing with three subs on the floor at a time. We spent a lot of time in the game with a combination of people we don’t have on the floor.”
Ortiz said the foul trouble haunted the Panthers.
“Not only did it hurt us rebounding, it hurt us when (the Honeybears) were penetrating,” Ortiz said. “A lot of times our players in foul trouble would have to stop and give up the baseline to avoid a third or fourth foul.”
Cournoyer finished three points shy of the individual Class 1A single-game record in addition to tallying 10 steals, eight rebound and four assists.
She was aided primarily by fellow junior Jania Williams, who finished with 15 points.
Despite the loss, Cournoyer remained in high spirits.
She said this Merryville team surpassed its own expectations by returning to the state tournament with a relatively young roster, a fact that has her and the rest of the team confident about the future. “After losing our coach and losing three players because they were seniors … we didn’t expect to get here,” Cournoyer said. “So when we did get here, it was a big accomplishment on our part. Being so young, for sure next year we’ll be back.
“From last season to this season, I’ve seen growth in the whole team. We were more prepared for this game than we were last year, definitely.”
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