Clark Is Back At State
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com
It apparently doesn’t matter whether it’s a new coach or a different classification..
The J.S. Clark Leadership Academy girls’ basketball program during the past four years has found a way to revisit the state tournament.
This time second-seeded Clark is scheduled to play No.3 Ouachita Christian on Wednesday at 1 pm in a Division IV Select semifinal at the Southeastern Louisiana University Center in Hammond.
The Bulldogs are no strangers to playing inside the SLU venue.
Clark has reached the state semifinals four times in as many seasons while winning a Division V Select state championship in 2025.
Coaching transitions haven’t seemed to bother Clark.
Clark president and CEO Tiffanie Lewis, Ross Rix and this year head coach Dewaskie Fuller have coached the Bulldogs in state tournament games at the University Center.
The Bulldogs qualified again on Thursday night after defeating No. 7 Vermilion Catholic 68-37 in a contest played in Opelousas.
Fuller, who also coached the Bulldogs to the 2025 St. Landry Parish girls’ basketball title, said his players helped eased his introduction at the start of the year.
“It was an adjustment period for us, but my assistants helped bridge that gap which allowed me to get used to our players. We have four seniors and sometimes that means they might be hard to change, but they have been an easy group to coach, ” Fuller said on Thursday night.
“Once we realized that we all have the same goal, we kept on going,” added Fuller.
About The Matchups
The Eagles have exhibited dominance all season.
Ouachita Christian has lost only once this year and in the playoffs the Eagles’ two opponents have scored only 46 combined points.
Clark has five defeats, with four of those in succession during January tournaments at Barbe and Lafayette Christian Academy.
Vermilion Catholic Game
Clark experienced scoring problems early, as the Bulldogs missed open shots against the Eagles’ 1-3-1 zone.
Jailee Edwards (21 points) and Taylor Barnaba (13) led Clark offensively.
VC also led (8-7) on a 3-point first quarter basket.
In the second quarter Vermilion Catholic cut an eight-point Clark lead to three points, before the Bulldogs began shooting more accurately.
Clark finished the last two minutes of the second with a 9-0 run, but Barnada, who sank a trey at the buzzer, sent the Bulldogs into intermission with a 27-15 advantage.
The Bulldogs put the game early early in the third period, extending the lead to as many as 19 (37-18).
It was the same pattern in the fourth period, as Clark led by as many as 29 with three minutes left.
“We had some trouble early in the game with the zone, but once we settled down and made shots, we were all right,” Fuller said.
