ACHS girls' hoops knock off Hanson Memorial; advance in playoffs

The no. 16 Ascension Catholic Lady Bulldogs basketball team knocked out no. 17 Hanson Memorial 46-35 in the opening round of the 1A girls playoffs on Feb. 19. It was a much-needed win for the Lady Bulldogs, not just to keep the season going but also for some over due payback.

“It feels good because Hanson was a team that knocked us out of the playoffs in the first round in my second year here and we lost them earlier in the year,” ACHS head coach Shawancy Joseph said.  “It felt good to get some redemption.”

The Lady Bulldogs came out ready to rumble as they quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and led 17-10 at the end of the first quarter. Senior Jordynn Brown sparked the ACHS early on and often with timely steals and much-needed baskets. But it was junior forward Rae’Shaun Malancon playing the dominating role on the score-sheet. Malancon finished the night with 20 points.

Joseph said she wanted the Lady Bulldogs to play aggressively on defense and the rest would come.

“We know if they play hard on defense, our offense will come,” Joseph said. “We can put up however many points we want to but if we cannot stop anybody the offense won’t be there. I told them this is the last game. Either we want to continue to play or we want to go home. They made a statement they weren’t ready to quit and they played well.”

Joseph said ACHS practiced on Mardi Gras Day and the team “showed me the dedication that they want this.”

“Not too many kids will pass up Mardi Gras to get in the gym, but they came out and we had a real good practice,” Joseph said.

The Lady Bulldogs travel to no. 1 North Central in Washington, La. on Monday, Feb. 23. North Central beat Grambling in the opening round 70-43.