The good news for the Sulphur Lady Tors is that they will be at home for their 6 p.m. quarterfinal game against third-seed Ouachita.

The bad news is that they will be facing a tall challenge in every sense of the term against the Lions and their 6-4 center Kevione Moten.

Ouachita (33-2) advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 63-47 win over No. 14 Mt. Carmel. Moten, a Louisiana Tech signee, scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the game.

No. 6 Sulphur (27-3) enters the game on a roll with 14 straight wins and beat No. 22 Zachary 52-40 on the road in the regional round.

The Tors have not played against anyone the size of Moten this season and have a front line led by 5-9 Lauren Pace and 5-10 Kristen Metoyer.

Tors head coach Helen LeFevre said Moten presents a variety of problems.

“Just her presence on the defensive end is tough. They leave her around the lane so that she can block or alter shots,” LeFevre said.

“Rebounding is one of our strengths, one of the things that got us here, and that will be more difficult. Offensively, when she catches it, all she has to do is turn and shoot it. There is not much you can do when you are 5-9 and 5-10.”

LeFevre said the Lions are not just a one-player

“Their guards can all handle, they are not a spot-up shooting team, they look to penetrate and dish off to (Moten).”

In their regional win, the Tors overcame a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

“Zachary was very good, better than a 22 ranking,” LeFevre said.

“For the first three quarters, we missed a lot of shots but stuck to the game plan. In the fourth we outscored them 20-4. We hit some shots and went on a 17-0 run. Our defense stepped up in the last five minutes. We stayed composed and never panicked, which is pretty good for such a young team. We only had one senior out there.”

LeFevre said the Tors got a boost from their fans.

“We had a large, vocal crowd in Zachary,” she said. “When we started that run, they played a big part in it. I’m glad we will have this one at home.”

a junior