Oakdale goes cold in second half, falls to Arcadia in finals

Published 11:48 pm Friday, March 1, 2024

Oakdale shot well enough to keep up with No. 1 Arcadia in the first half, but shooting woes caught up with them eventually in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association nonselect Division IV state championship game Friday at the University Center in Hammond.

The Warriors lost 48-32 in a rematch of last year’s semifinal game that the Warriors won on a buzzer beater.

Oakdale (27-8) shot 28 percent in the first half and trailed only 20-18 at the break but went 1 of 14 in the third quarter and was outscored 13-4. The Hornets opened the second half with an 11-2 run and lead 31-20 with 1:35 left in the third quarter.

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Oakdale shot 13.8 percent in the second half, while Arcadia made 40.7 percent of its shots over the final 16 minutes.

Led by finals MVP Justice Young, Arcadia (32-3) dominated the boards 56-32. Young had 16 points and 19 rebounds, and Arianna Williams added 10 boards and 12 points.

Oakdale, who won the state championship as the nine-seed last year, trailed by as many as five points in the first quarter, but pulled ahead 12-11 on a 3-pointer by Akeelah Hobson with 6:05 left in the second quarter. The Hornets responded with an 8-0 run before Hobson could nail down her second three of the game with 3:41 left in the first half.

Hobson led Oakdale with 15 points, including the Warriors final nine points of the second quarter.

Arcadia 48

Oakdale 32

Oakdale (27-8): Akeelah Hobson 15. Arcadia (32-3): Arianna Williams 12, Justice Young 16.