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FERRIDAY — Tre Jackson led Ferriday High School with a game-high 23 points as the No. 16 seed Trojans used a big second quarter to defeat the No. 15 seed East Feliciana High School Tigers 65-52 last Friday night at the Ferriday Junior High School Gym in the bi-district round of the 2024 LHSAA Division IV (Non-Select) Playoffs.

Marquis Terrell and Shavaris Watson added 10 points apiece for Ferriday, which extended its winning streak to five in a row. Head coach Shawn Davis said his team’s guard play picked up the scoring for Damarcus Washington, who was held to just nine points.

“We finally got the whole team intact, Tre Jackson in particular. He was suspended for much of the season and came back near the end of the season,” Davis said. “He can score. He can handle the ball. He can block shots. He can rebound. He’s pretty much the glue of this team.”

The Trojans got plenty of good looks at the basket in the first quarter, but they just were not falling and by the end of the quarter, they trailed East Feliciana 11-9. However, Ferriday responded by outscoring the Tigers 23-11 in the second quarter for a 32-22 lead into halftime.

Davis said it was good to see those shots go in for the Trojans in the second quarter that did not drop in the first quarter.

“We got very good shots in the first quarter. Those shots that did not go down in the first quarter, they went in in the second quarter,” Davis said. “We hadn’t played in 12 days. East Feliciana played in the last three or four days. We finally got used to the pace and speed of the game.”

Davis added that during this winning streak, Ferriday has averaged 66 points a game while holding their opponents to 48 points a game. He also said that the guard play has “picked up tremendously.” And that was the case against East Feliciana.

“Jay Jefferson, Calvin Washington, and Shavaris Watson, their play picked up. Damarcus had a tough game. He averages 17 points a game and he was held to nine points. They picked up the slack for him,” Davis said.

In addition to Watson’s 10 points, Jefferson finished with seven points and Washington chipped in with six points.

East Feliciana tried to stay in the game with Ferriday in the second half, but it was not to be. The Trojans outscored the Tigers 13-12 in the third quarter and 20-18 in the fourth quarter. Takari White led the Tigers with 21 points while Herman Batiste and Chance Loyell added 10 points each.

Ferriday (15-13) traveled to Campti, La. to take on No. 1 seed Lakeview High School in the regional round at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Davis said the Trojans need to keep playing like they’ve been playing lately if they are to upset the Gators on the road.

“We’ve played 21 games on the road. We’re comfortable on the road. We’ve got a very young team of freshmen and sophomores. The pressure’s not on us,” Davis said. “We look forward to the challenge. We’re going up there with the mindset that we’re going to win the game.”