Lady Pirates capture fourth consecutive state title
Published 3:29 pm Friday, March 4, 2022
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The Hicks Lady Pirates captured their fourth straight state basketball championship on Friday in Hammond, defeating the Gibsland-Coleman Lady Bulldogs, 72-52. (Photos by Daniel Green / BWS Sports)
By Daniel Green | BWS Sports
HAMMOND — The view from the mountaintop isn’t always picture perfect.
But it still looks pretty good.
“Honestly, we’ve never felt like we were on top of the mountain,” Hicks head coach Mike Charrier said following the Lady Pirates’ Class C championship game win over the Gibsland-Coleman Lady Bulldogs on Friday in Hammond, 72-52. “These girls have overcome more obstacles than you could imagine and accomplished more with less. I’m very proud of our team.”
The victory capped a 34-5 season for the Lady Pirates, winning their third straight Class C title as they prepare to move back up to Class B, where their run of four straight started in Alexandria in 2019.
The Lady Pirates wasted little time taking command early as senior Avery Coffman, who finished with 23 points, four rebounds, six steals and an assist to win Most Outstanding Player honors for a second straight year, scored the first 12 points of the game to set the tone.
“I just wanted to go out and perform,” Coffman said. “And I couldn’t have done this without my sisters on the team.”
Coffman’s early explosion allowed the Lady Pirates to build a 22-4 lead after the first eight minutes of play.
However, the Lady Bulldogs made a bit of a run in the second period behind freshman standout Samora Sampson, who scored 11 points in the frame as they trimmed the deficit to nine points.
However, behind Lauren Quinn and Reese Stephens, the Lady Pirates pushed their lead back out to 17 points by the end of the first half, taking a 40-23 advantage heading into the intermission.
The Lady Pirates continued to pile it on in the third period, eventually claiming a 55-35 advantage going into the final eight minutes.
From there, Hicks put it in cruise control, bringing home the championship gold for a fourth year in a row.
“Without the good Lord, none of this is possible,” Charrier said. “These girls have faced tremendous adversity, but they’ve accomplished the mission. Additionally, I’ve got to give credit to all the amazing people surrounding our program and the great support from our community. We are truly blessed.”
As for Coffman, she added another championship to her trophy case, along with bragging rights in the household.
“Momma, I’ve got you beat,” Coffman said jokingly, noting that she had four titles to mother Sabrina Miller’s two while she was a Simpson Lady Bronco. “But I’m just truly amazed that we’ve been able to do this four times in a row. I’m honestly baffled.”
Quinn led the Lady Pirates with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, while Stephens finished with 14 points.
Sampson paced the Lady Bulldogs with 18 points, while Baleigh Haulcy came off the bench to net 14 points.
