St. Joseph Lady Eagles head to Division V state championship game

The St. Joseph Lady Eagles upset the No. 1-ranked Family Christian Flames, 54-41, to earn a shot at a state high school girls basketball Division V championship. The Lady Eagles take on the No. 2-seeded Claiborne Christian Crusaders at 8 p.m. Thursday in the Alario Center in Westwego.

St. Joe used an impressive 30-10 halftime lead to stave off a second-half rally that cut the Flames' deficit to seven. The Lady Eagles came back with a rally of their own to reach the final 13-point margin of victory.

"We are just so proud of these girls," Principal Billy Albritton said. "It's a tremendous accomplishment. This group of girls has been together for several years and they are reaping the benefit of all of the tough losses and hard practices they have endured together."

Albritton said students and staff were able to watch the game via a streaming service, and were thrilled by the way the Lady Eagles took care of business.

"They had a lot of movement, they shared the ball and they hit some fantastic shots," Albritton said. "Coach Luke Mayeaux has done a tremendous job. He is fortunate to be able to put any one of 10 or 11 girls on the court at any one time with no significant drop off in performance. He has a very strong bench, and that is a testament to the dedication of the non-starters as well as the starters. They are ready to come off the bench at any time to help the team win."

COACH'S COMMENTS

"It will be a tough game Thursday," Mayeaux said. "Claiborne Christian is a strong team, an older club and very talented."

He said the Lady Eagles had a good first half and had a 24-point lead over Family Christian at one point. Momentum took a shift in the third quarter as St. Joe saw its lead slipping away.

"We had a rough third quarter," Mayeaux said, "but we came back in the fourth."

The Lady Eagles' top scorer was Stella Pilgreen with 13 points.

"We're pretty balanced in scoring," Mayeaux said. "A large chunk of what we do in a game is on defense."

'FUTURE IS BRIGHT'

St. Joseph was knocked out of the playoffs last year by eventual Division V state champion Country Day University Academy. The Lady Eagles returned the favor last week, sending the Lady Lions home after a 50-24 whipping.

"When the girls left here, I asked them if they were satisfied or if they wanted more," Albritton said. "They said they wanted more. By the way they played, it was obvious that they were not going to be denied."

Regardless of what happens Thursday, "the future is bright for St. Joseph," the principal said. "There is only one senior on this team. All of these girls will be back next year."

Albritton said the Crusaders "are a formidable team, no question about, but they are just another dragon to slay."

It has been over 35 years since a sports team from Avoyelles Parish has won a state championship.