By DAVE WOODALL
Slidell sports writer
SLIDELL — The Jaguars of Pope John Paul II (2-9) would like to replay the first quarter of their matchup with the De La Salle Cavaliers (9-2).
The Jags committed 13 turnovers, scored two points and gave up 26 points to the Cavaliers and found themselves behind 26-2 at the end of the first quarter. The Jaguars ended up dropping the contest by a final score of win 75-39 in this non-district game.
Fifteen of those Cavalier points came on five three-pointers as De La Salle won its seventh game in a row.
The Cavaliers’ leading scorer, Stephen Kelly, posted a game-high 16 points which included 11 points in the opening quarter alone.
Miles Smart had 13 points, four steals and three assists for the Cavaliers.
Continual defensive pressure and some deadly three-point shooting gave the Cavaliers a commanding 41-14 lead after the opening two quarters of competition.
Pope John Paul II showed its heart in the third quarter with three-pointers coming from Nick Philips, Ryan Mundine, Corey Schellang and Cole Roser.
“Our team fought back in the second half and that’s definitely a positive,” Jag coach Krisner Green said.
“It’s a young group of guys, so we need anything we can to push us forward. We’re still learning. A lot of these guys didn’t touch the court last year. So we’re working hard and playing hard. We competed very well, especially in that second half, which helped us out a lot.”
After a bit of a brek, the Jaguars go on the road in their next match as they are scheduled to take on St. Charles.