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JOSEPH, La. — With a key player for Delta Charter School’s varsity boys’ team out with an illness, Tensas High School perhaps decided to let the Storm’s leading scorer to do most of that squad’s scoring while holding everyone else in check.

If that indeed was the strategy the Panthers used, it worked as the Panthers came away with a 46-39 win over the Storm in a key LHSAA District 4-1A game for both teams.

“It was a good game until the fourth quarter. We had the lead, but we lost it in the fourth quarter,” Storm head coach Ronald Ellis said.

Tensas jumped out to a 12-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Delta Charter responded by outscoring the Panthers 11-7 in the second quarter to make it a tie ball game at halftime, 19-19. While the Panthers were able to outscore the Storm 15-13 in the third quarter for a 34-32 lead, the Storm was able to take the lead early in the fourth quarter.

However, the Panthers clamped down defensively and would up outscoring the Storm 12-7 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the seven-point win.

Delta Charter was without sophomore guard Tyrin Singleton, one of the Storm’s top scorers this season, and it showed during the fourth quarter. Ronald Ellis Jr. had another spectacular performance was he led all scorers with 27 points. But he got very little help from his teammates.

“We were missing one of our top scorers, and that was the difference. That’s what (their game plan) seemed like,” Ellis said.

And he was right. The next two top scorers for Delta Charter were Tyrone Edwards and Juvari Singleton with five points each.

The Storm (7-15, 3-5) played host to district opponent Block High School at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.