First day action in the Lee College Classic saw three Texas versus Louisiana match-ups. Thursday night was not a night the Texas teams will want to remember after going 0-3 against some tough teams from Cajun land.

Game 1

The first game of the night saw Baytown Sterling drop a hard fought 81-78 decision to the Westgate Tigers from Louisiana. It was neck and neck down the stretch but Westgate proved to be too much in the end.

Baytown Sterling found themselves down 24-14 at the end of the first quarter but was able to cut the lead to seven as the first half ended with Westgate up 35-42.

Sterling came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter outscoring Westgate 21-13 in the quarter to take a 56-55 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter both teams fought hard with hopes of building a lead but it was Westgate that was able to pull away in the end as they came out on top 81-78.

Sterling’s Adrian Fontenot had a tremendous game as he scored 22 points. He also had 12 rebounds and four block shots, all in 41 minutes of action. Teammate Derek Thompson chipped in 23 points and 6 rebounds.

Westgate had four players scoring in double digits as Tre Eaglin lead the way with 18 points in their winning effort. Raymon Jones contributed 14 points and 9 boards.

Game 2

In game two action Strake Jesuit built a 37-18 first half lead against Barbers Hill to hold on for a 51-61 win.

Barbers Hill took the floor in the second half hoping to get back in the game and was able to chip away at the Strake Jesuit lead as they outscored them 16-9 in the third quarter of play.

With the score 46-34, and Barbers Hill down by a dozen, Strake Jesuit took care of business in the fourth quarter as they kept the defensive pressure on and played smart basketball outscoring Barbers Hill 17-15 in the last quarter of play to come away with a 61-51 win. “Barbers Hill came out matched our intensity and played hard,” said Strake Jesuit Head Coach Wayne Jones. “It was a good win for us coming off a loss Tuesday night against Cy-Springs and it was good to come out and get a win tonight.”

Barbers Hill was led by Ian Hamlin who had 23 points on 7 of 12 shooting and Strake Jesuit was led by Tim Frazier who shot 10-16 from the floor as he totaled 21 points on the night. Barbers Hill committed 12 turnovers to 5 for Strake Jesuit.

Game 3 

Game three had last years runner up, Angleton, matched up against Lafayette with Lafayette earning a 68-64 victory over an Angleton squad that just would not go away.

Lafayette was runner-up last year and if they had any hopes of getting back to the championship game they would have to take care of business on this first night of action.

They were able to get the job done in the first half as they built a 35-23 lead after the first half of play.

Angleton was able to come out in the second half and out score Lafayette 17-16 in the third quarter and build some momentum as they cut the lead to 11. “They did a good job of putting ball pressure on us and creating turnovers,” said Lafayette Head Coach Clifton Brown. “What really made the difference was we were able to execute at the end.”

In the fourth quarter Angleton made a run and outscored Lafayette 24-17 but could not get over the hump as Lafayette held on for a 68-64 win.

Lafayette’s leading scorers were Todd Young and Josh Wiltz, each with 16 points in the contest. Angleton was led by Christian Spears with 14 points in just 16 minutes of action. Angleton forced 16 Lafayette turnovers which helped them get back in the game.

Game 4 

In the final game of the night St. Thomas More jumped out to a 16-7 first quarter lead over Crosby and rolled to a 67-49 win as they made it 3-0 on the night for Louisiana teams. “I think the field is a little bit better than it was last year, it’s a good field,” said St. Thomas More Head Coach Danny Broussard. “

St. Thomas More came into this year’s tournament as Lee College Classic defending champions and was able to make a statement in their opening game.

They took a 12 point lead into the third quarter of play at 36-24 and outscored Crosby in each of the final two quarters of action. “Coach told us to push the ball fast and pass, not dribble,” said St. Thomas More Center Barak Maness. “We are just trying to show people we are better than they think we are.”

St. Thomas More played 15 players with 11 of them scoring. They out rebounded Crosby 37-19 and had 17 assists on the night. Crosby was only able to tally 5 assist in the contest. “We got a chance to play our young guys which is always good,” said Coach Broussard. “We hit some good shots and made some good plays.”

St. Thomas More was led by Jason Fatheree with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Clay Perret had six assists and five rebounds. Crosby’s leading scorer was Kendrae Carter with 25 points, he also had five steals.

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