Rebels fall short in tournament finals

BELL CITY – The Midland Rebels were on the verge Saturday of winning their second straight Bell City Tournament title.
The Rebels had rebounded from a sluggish third quarter and they actually led host Bell City by six points (40-34) late in the final frame.
But an injury to guard Randy Primeaux was followed by two more starters - Devin Gautreaux and Dagin Patin - fouling out and that was all the Bruins needed to turn the momentum and outscore Midland 8-2 down the stretch en route to a 46-42 victory.
The victory avenged a 62-41 loss to the Rebels in the 2014 tournament finals.
“I think our guys came into this game a little over confident,” said MHS coach William Stanley, whose squad fell to 3-2 on the season. “The night before, we played our best game - against Lacassine - and it was the total opposite today. We just weren’t running the offense well; we couldn’t bother their guards and they (Bell City) shot the ball pretty well.”
“We had to finish with a bunch of younger guys on the court and we just couldn’t get anything to go our way. Nothing was falling for us.”
The Rebels struggled offensively with Primeaux being held scoreless on the night before the injury. They also made just two of seven attempts from 3-point range.
“We missed quite a few layups tonight that hurt us and our post players just have to get more aggressive, especially when the guards are having an off night like Randy did.”
The Bruins actually led 7-0 early in the first quarter before the Rebels rallied to tie the game (10-10) on a bucket by Devin Gautreaux.
The Rebels got seven points from Traven Guidry in the second quarter to take a 22-18 advantage at the break.
The third quarter, however, was a different story.
The Rebels hit just two shots, a 3-pointer by Gautreaux and a jumper from Guidry, and fell behind 30-27 entering the final quarter.
Midland responded midway through the fourth and took a 40-34 lead before being outscored 8-2 down the stretch.
Guidry paced the Rebels with 15 points. He also had four rebounds and one blocked shot.
Dylan Boudreaux and Gautreaux followed with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Patin added four points and nine rebounds while Anthony Massey had two points. Primeaux had nine rebounds on the night.
Greg Young led the Bruins with 16 points including eight in the fourth quarter.
Rebels 68, Lacassine 42
In Friday’s action, Midland had four players score in double figures as the Rebels cruised past Lacassine.
Devin Gautreaux drained five 3-pointers and led all scorers on the night with 23 points. He was followed by Randy Primeaux with 19 points, including four 3-pointers, and Dagan Patin with 11 points. Traven Guidry added 10 points and Dylan Boudreaux finished with four.