Student bests teacher in Hathaway girls' Division V non-select championship win
By Mike Coppage
Hathaway team photo by Michael Odendahl
HAMMOND, La. - The deck was stacked against the Hathaway Lady Hornets in the Division V non-select finals Friday night.
On one side, you had top-seeded Fairview, a 14-time state champion and the winner of the past three Class B state titles.
On the other side, you had second-seeded Hathaway, which was in search of its first championship since 1970.
Kyle Jinks, Fairview's head coach, is the mentor of Hathaway head coach Courtnee Hollins, who won championships as a Fairview player under Jinks.
The two programs had met during the regular season, with Fairview coming out on top.
The Lady Hornets were up for the challenge, however, leading from start to finish in a 64-54 track meet that saw the two teams combine for 124 field goal attempts.
"I'm so excited," Hollins exclaimed. "I have to calm down. There is something about being a champion; I got to experience it as a player. It's hard to explain to people how awesome it is."
The Lady Hornets (32-4) were red-hot in the first quarter, making seven of their first nine field goals and shooting 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.
In contrast, Fairview (37-8) was 2-for-22 (9.1 percent) from the floor and 1-of-13 (7.7 percent) from downtown in the opening period.
Hathaway carried a 24-7 lead into the second quarter and led 36-23 at the half.
"I knew going in that whoever shot the ball the best and stayed out of foul trouble would win," Jinks said. "Hathaway played a heckuva game. They shot the ball well, they defended us well, they rebounded it well."
Even though Hathaway held a 50-28 lead late in the third quarter, there was the premonition that Fairview would make a run, and the Lady Panthers did.
Fairview climbed within five points, 59-54, on a bucket from Reesie Jinks with 1:35 remaining, and the Lady Panthers had three chances to do further damage, but the shots didn't fall.
"I love the fight in my kids," Jinks said. "We started fighting harder and got it to five with a minute and a half left, which is a lot of time the way we play."
Hathaway sealed it with five free throws. And they pulled it out with their only senior, Lamiyah Sanchez, on the bench after she fouled out with 3:59 remaining.
The Lady Hornets were balanced with Alli Crader (14 points, 11 rebounds, three assists), Madison Suire (12 points, 10 rebounds, three assists), Chaylee Beard (11 points, seven assists), Sienna Guidry (11 points, nine rebounds), Keely Francis (eight points) and Sanchez (eight points).
Suire, the quick, sure-handed point guard, was named Most Outstanding Player. Crader knocked down 5-of-7 field goals. Francis, a freshman who came off the bench, showed a knack for timely shots.
"That kid saved us," Hollins said of Francis.
"I've been thinking all day about how it would feel to beat Fairview. I have first cousins on their team. I have aunts and uncles out there cheering for Fairview.
"Coach Jinks is literally like a second dad to me. Who I am today is because of him and the Fairview program. That's the mold and I appreciate it, but it felt good to beat them."
Reesie Jinks led Fairview with 17 points. Kaylee Guillory added 12. The Lady Panthers made 18-of-75 field goals and 6-of-43 3-point attempts.
