Gilbert leads Bulldogs in first district win

Junior Gilbert Allen Jr. wanted to make a statement in the first ACHS boy’s basketball district game, and he did. He led the Bulldogs (7-14, 1-1 district) with 19 points and a 69-47 win over St. John, the school’s biggest rival.

“He (Allen) had a real good game,” assistant coach Reginald “Duck” Brown said. “He’s definitely one of our star players.”

The game started out quite for both teams and the fans. The only noise was the patter of the basketball on the wooden floor and the coaches yelling at players. It was designed to be that way until ACHS put 10 points on the board.

The cheerleaders directed the crowd to be silent. The Bulldogs got to nine and everyone was anxious. Who breaks the double-digit scoring mark for ACHS? None other than Allen to give the team an 11-2 lead and break the silence that suddenly erupted into loud cheers.

“The kids played well,” Brown said. “It was a hard fought battle and the kids came out and did what they had to do.”

ACHS led 18-2 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back at a weak St. John’s team. Other leaders for the Bulldogs were sophomore Delmond Landry who scored 13 points and had double-digit rebounds and freshman Kaleb Winchester who scored 11 points.

“We have several kids who have been carrying the team a lot and doing a lot of good things, “Brown said. “They are beginning to become a family and play a whole complete game. They’re working hard.”

Brown added, “We really appreciate all the students and fans for supporting us here tonight. The ACHS community is next-to-none.”

The Bulldogs go on the road for their next two games against Ascension Christian on Jan. 18 and West St. John on Jan. 22.