Alexandria girls surge past St. Scholastica for first playoff win in a decade
By LaMar Gafford
Photo of Alexandria senior Kaysha Hurd (11), who scans the floor for an opening during the Lady Trojans' 56-36 win against St. Scholastica.
ALEXANDRIA, La. - A week after winning its first district title in Class 5A, Alexandria Senior High was not ready for its magical season to end.
Closing the game on a 17-4 run, the Lady Trojans earned their first playoff win since 2013 when they defeated St. Scholastica, 56-36, in the first round of the Division I select playoffs Thursday.
“We knew that St. Scholastica was going to come in and play hard - they shoot well and defend well,” ASH coach Jimmy Wenslow said. “I thought we’d be able to be more physical and finish, but we did a great job pulling away late by making shots.”
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Senior leadership guided the Lady Trojans (20-12) to their first district title since winning District 3-4A in 2013, and it would prove to be big again as wing Kaysha Hurd scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half.
“We just had to stay together mentally and play for all 32 minutes,” Hurd said. “Coach (Wenslow) has been keeping us together and our minds right.”
ASH led the game for most of the contest and it had another trick up its sleeve when St. Scholastica (19-10) cut the deficit to single digits.
Off the bench, sophomore guard Thamerin Balthazar scored five of her 11 points to put the Lady Trojans up by double digits for good and sparking their closing run.
“She just brings another dynamic to our team,” Wenslow said of Balthazar. “She makes everything easier for everybody else.”
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Addison Pontiff led all scorers with 20 points, but the rest of the Doves were held in check with Victoria Darrah and Emilee Duet scoring their other 16 points.
St. Scholastica sophomore Emilee Duet (11) drives down the lane as Alexandria senior Kaysha Hurd (11) guards her.
Up next for ASH is a date with St. Thomas More and LSU volleyball signee AC Froehlich in the regional round.
Froehlich, the 2023 Louisiana Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year who helped lead STM to a state title in November, is also an accomplished basketball player. Froehlich reached the 1,000-point mark for her career on Feb. 3.
“They are very disciplined and it’s going to be a tough matchup, but my girls are going to be up and ready," Wenslow said.
