Peabody girls defeat Teurlings Catholic after strong second half in Division II select regional playoff
By LaMar Gafford
Photo of Peabody senior Katrina Lavalais (23) against Teurlings Catholic during Monday's Division II select regionals
ALEXANDRIA, La. - When Teurlings Catholic shrunk Peabody’s double-digit lead to three at halftime, it could have been a time to panic for the home team.
However, the Lady Warhorses came out in the second half to a razor-sharp focus.
Peabody defeated the Lady Rebels, 55-40, in the Division II select regionals Monday to advance to the quarterfinals. The last time the girls made a quarterfinal was 2009 - before any player on the team started elementary school.
“It was a good test for us and we held it together,” Lady Warhorses coach Gary Stewart said. “(Katreal) Earthly came through in the clutch for us throughout the whole game and I think our size was too much for them.”
The senior duo of Earthly and Katrina Lavalais made life tough in the paint for Teurlings as Earthly had 19 points and seven rebounds and Lavalais posted a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards.
“We always pick each other up,” Earthly said. “Regardless if we have a bad game or a good game, we have to each other encouraged.”
The first half was Earthly’s as she paced Peabody (23-7) with 12 points and helped it earn a 21-8 lead at one point.
However, Teurlings (16-14) went on a 15-5 run to close the half behind a balanced attack led by Justyse George and Ella Hoffpauir.
“We didn’t play well all the way through and Teurlings Catholic played extremely hard,” Stewart said.
Check It Out: Louisiana boys basketball playoff brackets officially released
Yet, the Lady Warhorses opened the second half with a run of their own - scoring 11 unanswered to bring the lead to double-digits once again.
Lavalais took over in the second half, with 13 of her 15 points coming in the final 16 minutes.
“When Katrina shows up, it makes it hard for other teams to guard us,” Stewart said. “If you miss, we have two people in the post that can average a double-double.
"I’m just happy to have them on my team.”
Kennedy Sinitiere led the Lady Rebels with 18 points, but had little help in the second half with her scoring all but two of their 17 second-half points.
Teurlings Catholic's Kennedy Sinitiere (2) tries to dribble through Peabody's Demariah Lavan (22) and Aveonna Glasper (back) during Monday's Division II select regional playoff game at Peabody.
With Bolton notching a 47-42 upset win against Northside earlier in the day, it will set up a crosstown rivalry in the quarterfinals with a trip to Hammond and the state tournament at stake.
Because of the Lady Bears dropping to Class 3A, the teams did not play in the regular season, but they did scrimmage each other in the jamboree in November.
Last season, the Lady Warhorses ended Bolton’s two-year reign atop District 3-4A with their first district title since 2015.
Meet 20 top candidates for national high school girls basketball player of the year
“I definitely think this is important. Not just for playoffs, but of course, pride and bragging rights,” Stewart said. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I wanted to play Bolton.
"It’s going to be good for the girls, and I think it’s going to be good for Alexandria just to let them know that the girls can play, too.”
According to the LHSAA website, Peabody travels to Bolton for a 6 p.m. tip on Thursday.
