Bogalusa’s JV Jacks walked into the gym on Saturday with a chance to win the JV side of the Bogalusa tournament bracket. Standing in their way were the St. Helena Central Hawks, who had beaten Bogalusa just a week earlier. The Jacks were determined to make amends for that loss, and in a back and forth contest were able to win 35-31 on their home court.

The early stages of the game looked much like the previous matchup, as St. Helena came out firing from long range and built an early lead. Three 3-point field goals in the first few minutes put the Hawks ahead 9-4. The JV Hawks finished the first quarter with four 3-pointers, the same total they had a week prior, giving them a 13-8 lead.

The second period saw sloppy play from both teams as they struggled to hold onto the ball, much less make a basket. Both teams scored only two points in the quarter, making the halftime score 15-10, St. Helena.

In the third the JV Jacks started to make up ground, thanks in part to the shooting touch of sophomore Jakeithen Graves. The JV Hawks knocked down two more 3-pointers in the third, but Bogalusa went on a 12-6 run to take their first lead of the game, a run capped by an acrobatic layup from freshman Kenny Robertson. That basket made it 22-21 with 1:58 left in the period.

The JV Hawks kept firing from outside in the fourth quarter, draining a shot from downtown to retake the lead, 27-25, with 3:30 left in the game. In response, the JV Jacks worked the ball inside. A putback by Tre Short made it 29-27, and after St. Helena tied it up, a 3-point play by Lorenzo James put Bogalusa ahead 32-29 with 1:49 left.

St. Helena cut the lead to 1, but with time running out the Hawks had to foul to extend the game. Freshman Demetri Baham took the foul, stepped to the line and knocked down both to stretch the lead to 34-31. Baham sank another free throw on the JV Jacks’ next possession, making the final score 35-31.

Graves led Bogalusa with 10 points. James had nine, Robertson scored four, Baham and Cedric Porter each had three each, and Rashad Burnette, Eric Williams and Short all had two points.