St. Martinville ends Peabody's basketball win streak at 55 games in Louisiana

The Peabody (Alexandria) boys basketball team finally had its two-year, 55-game winning streak snapped by a team that defeated the Warhorses for the first time in nine years.

St. Martinville stopped Peabody, 54-47, and in the process won its own tournament. The Tigers made 20 of 22 free throws and throttled Peabody's high-powered offense that had carried it to the 2010 Class 4A state title.

"We made a living at the free-throw line," said St. Martinville coach Darrel Mitchell, a graduate of the school and a former LSU standout guard. "That was great concentration on their part…And we needed all of them, too."

St. Martinville (14-3) scored all but two of its 19 fourth-quarter points on free throws. Mitchell said the Tigers had missed crucial free throws in losing in overtime at Peabody (14-1) earlier this season.

"It wasn't one of our better games," Peabody coach Charles Smith said. "St. Martinville is a good ball club, and Coach Mitchell does a good job with his team. We had our chances, but we couldn't get over the hump."

St. Martinville never trailed after grabbing a 10-point lead in the game's first three minutes. Peabody tied the score several times, including early in the third quarter when St. Martinville's Deion Narcisse responded with a 3-pointer and Brandon Gardner hit a short jumper to snap the deadlock.

Gardner's consecutive baskets at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth period gave the Tigers a seven-point lead.

Terrance Dugas and Trey Anthony each contributed 10 points to St. Martinville's attack.

JESUIT SOCCER WINS ST. PAUL'S TOURNEY AGAIN
Jesuit (New Orleans) edged host St. Paul (Covington), 1-0, to win its third consecutive St. Paul's Tournament in the 28th renewal of the boys soccer tournament.

Robert Cronvich scored in the 62nd minute, as Jesuit (15-0-2) won for the fifth time in the last six seasons and beat St. Paul's (19-1) in the final for the third time in as many tries.

Both teams played five matches in three days. Cronvich scored once, and Steven Cabos twice, in Jesuit's 3-0 semifinal victory over Lafayette. St. Paul's held Captain Shreve (Shreveport) to one first-half shot on goal in winning its semifinal match, 5-1.