The Barbe Lady Bucs will take the court in the Top 28 state basketball tournament for the first time tonight, completing a journey for a trio of seniors who have led the program to unprecedented heights.
Bailey Wilson, Koko Daniels and Amberly Thompson have helped the program rise to prominence. The trio have been a part of the program’s only two district championships and all five playoff wins.
The Bucs play East St. John at 6:15 p.m. today in a Class 5A semifinal at the University Center in Hammond.
Wilson said it took the group a while to get acclimated to high school. Barbe missed the playoffs her first two seasons.
“We were so young but we saw that we had potential,” she said. “We just had not had that much time on the court with the high intensity of high school games.”
Wilson said the team’s chemistry is its strong suit.
“My teammates are so selfless and so talented,” she said. We all get along like a family, on and off the court. We can read each other’s minds.”
Daniels said the group’s strong bond allows them to take criticism in stride.
“We have a strong kinship,” she said. “We are able to tell each other anything, good feedback or bad feedback, and we all take it in a good, constructive way. It has been awesome to see everyone grow from where we were to be an awesome program.”
Thompson said her fellow seniors pushed her to stay with the team when she was having second thoughts as a freshman.
“That year I didn’t like basketball, I didn’t think I could do it, but they kept me in it and I am thankful I stayed in it because it has taught me a lot,” she said. “I learned how to be responsible, how to take care of my academics, how to work together as a team and it helped my confidence.”
Now Thompson is sharing her lessons with the younger players in the program.
“I try to teach them to always have confidence, bring your heart and hustle every day and never give up,” she said. “You can always reach what you want to do.”
Bucs head coach Kelly Durio said her seniors are leaders on and off the court.
“Academically they are competitive and strive to make good grades,” she said. “They are all 3.0 or better students, all college bound. They are good character kids and are not just involved in basketball.”
The top-seeded Bucs (28-3) will face a familiar foe in East St. John (24-6), which knocked out No. 5 Sam Houston and No. 4 Denham Springs in the past two rounds.
“We knocked them out of the playoffs in the first round last year,” Durio said of East St. John. “They are very athletic. They are a lot like (this year’s regional-round opponent) Helen Cox with more height. They like to push the ball up the floor.”
Durio said she expects her team to shake off early jitters and focus on winning.
“We’ll be nervous, that’s normal,” she said. “But we are not content with just being here. We are excited, we made history but we have unfinished business.”
Class 4A
The No. 2 DeRidder Dragons will take on No. 3 Ellender this afternoon a Class 4A semifinal. The Dragons are led by sophomore guard Dominique Davis, who has scored more than 1,000 career points. The Dragons last reached the title game during their 1984 championship season.
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