The Black Cats feel might blue today after their pursuit of gold fell short with the pain they are suffering being dealt by the blue and gold of #6 seed Quitman High School, who beat #11 Florien 59-55 in the regional round of the LHSAA Class B tournament.

The hard-fought victory improved Quitman to 22-7 and vaulted the Lady Wolverines to the Quarterfinal round for the second year in a row, an accomplishment last achieved in 2000-21. Florien exits the playoffs with an 18-13 record.

While the lofty position that QHS has achieved is something that hasn’t taken place since before any member of the team was even born, eliminating Florien from the playoffs has become old hat as the victory marked the second time in three years that Quitman has emerged with the upper hand. 

“I am so proud of these girls. The way they played was incredible,” exalted winning coach Kyle Leach. “They have played their tails off this whole season, and their hard work and determination really showed tonight.” 

Pullig Power! Every so often, a player comes along who, the bigger the game, the better they play. Hallie Kate Pullig is such a player. The sophomore post player had already exhibited her flair for stepping up on the biggest stage when, as an 8th grader she was named MVP of the Class B state championship game in softball. Now she has done the same on the hardwood. Pullig played an integral role in the victory by posting a “double-double”  for only the second time this season as she scored 13 points and pulled down a team high 13 rebounds, both equaling her second-best effort ever in her brief career. 

“Hallie Kate played phenomenally and was a big reason we were successful in winning the game,” beamed Leach. “She was very strong in the paint and rebounded the ball as well as she has ever done! She was also unstoppable inside scoring the ball. Her toughness and desire were simply awesome!

Anna Again! As has been the case all year, Anna Claire Leach led Quitman in scoring, this time with 26 points. More importantly, when it became “crunch time,” Leach displayed the offensive ability that led her to become a 1000 career point scorer earlier this season in just a little over two years. This was exhibited by the scoring sensation taking over when Quitman was trailing 51-50 as she sank a free throw and made one of her six three pointers on the ensuing possession to give Quitman a 54-51 lead that the Lady Wolverines never relinquished.  

Strong support! While Leach and Pullig accounted for 39 of Quitman’s 59 points (66%), the Lady Wolverines would not be in the position of knocking on the state tournaments door were it not for the strong supporting cast of Allie Robertson, Kinsley Ponder, Kalisa Hall, Taylor Borland and Emma Walker, all who came up big in crucial moments during a tense second half. With the score tied at 31-31, it was Robertson, who made 3 three three-pointers in the contest, who sank a pair of “long bombs” that played a major role in helping Quitman turn back a concerted rally effort by Florien. Ponder, Hall, Borland, and Walker also came up with big baskets and important rebounds down the stretch that proved pivotal. 

 

“Allie hit some big threes, and Kinsley brought toughness and tenacity coming off the bench,” said Leach. “Then there is Taylor Borland, who is just like a pitbull. She is going to scrap and just get after people. Emma Walker played phenomenal defense and rebounded the ball well and Kalisa Hall came off the bench to give us some valuable minutes.” 

UP NEXT! Standing in the way of Quitman making the state tournament for the first time since 2001 and only the fourth time ever is the winner of fellow Jackson Parish hopeful Weston, seeded #14, who advanced by beating #19 Simsboro 67-51 in the first round and #3 seed Fairview, the back-to-back defending Class B state champion, which is also one of the most prolific teams in Louisiana girls basketball history and in the entire nation over the past 20 years. 

“Naturally, we are pulling for Weston to win, as first, they are from Jackson Parish, and we always pull for our local schools to be successful,” said Quitman skipper Kyle Leach. “Secondly, if Weston wins, that gives up another home game, where we have proven to be tough to beat.”

To give an idea of just how daunting a task Weston has to advance to the quarterfinals and make it an all Jackson Parish matchup, you must take into consideration just how good Fairview is and has been. A comparison of the career records of the two “Kyle’s”, who are the head coaches of Quitman and Fairview, over the past quarter-century lends a little credence. Kyle Leach, the Quitman skipper, is the longest tenured coach in Jackson Parish, while also having the most wins with 362 in 26 years of being a head coach. In 28 years at Fairview, Kyle Jenks has won an incredible 1044 games, which is a mindboggling average of a little over 37 wins per season for nearly 3 decades. 14 state titles, and a string of 16 straight years of reaching the final four in the LHSAA state tournament, which includes 6 straight championship game appearances.

 

If there is a hope of an opportunity for Weston, and if they fail, then Quitman to triumph over one of the nation’s best teams over the last two decades, regardless of classification, it is that Fairview has lost more games this year (9) than they have just twice in the last 20 years. To put that into perspective, though, 7 of the losses came against Division 1 schools, and the other two came at the hands of Division IV’s #1-ranked team. Still, Leach is optimistic about his team’s chances to advance to the state tournament regardless of who they play.

“This team has given all they have in every game they played all year,” said Leach, bragging on his girls. “They have been a joy to coach, and I wouldn’t put anything past them in their ability to play with anyone. Whether we are playing again at home or going to go into one of the toughest places to play in the state, our coaching staff and team are full of confidence that we can win.”

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