Injury brings game to premature ending, Elton player hurt in scary fall
Rodrick Anderson
ELTON — A severe injury to Elton sophomore power forward Damarcus Jack halted the Indians’ District 4-1A game with Grand Lake just before the end of the first half Tuesday.
Jack was going up for a high inbound pass at the goal when he got tangled up with the Grand Lake defense. Jack game down hard on his head and shoulder and lay on the court for more than 20 minutes. He was eventually placed on a stretcher and loaded onto a medical helicopter.
No word on his condition was available at press time.
“We were trying to throw it up and make a play at the buzzer,” Elton head coach Carlo Maggio explained. “Demarcus is a great kid. He loves his team. He wanted Titus (Ceasar) to start in his spot for senior night. He is a huge part of what we do.
“Having Marcus out is devastating. We are more worried about his health and all that more than winning and losing basketball games. I have never seen that (severe of an injury) before.”
Maggio said he will talk today with Grand Lake head coach Mark Caldwell about rescheduling the game. Maggio said he expects the Indians will play at Gueydan on Friday.
“We will come in tomorrow and go through our routine,” Maggio said. “I am sure we will play our game Friday with the kids we have. We will just try to regroup mentally the best we can, rally and play for (Jack) until he can come back.”
Elton was leading 23-15 when the game was stopped.
“We were hitting the boards hard,” Maggio said. “Defensively, we were good.
“That first quarter, (Grand Lake) had six points. Any time you hold Grand Lake to 15 in a half, that is what we really try to pride ourselves on. It was a great game going on, and it was tough that it had to end like that.”
Sherman Bellow (10) and Xavier Ceasar (7) combined to score 17 of Elton’s 23 points.
Tyler Young was the Hornets’ leading scorer at seven points.
Girls
Elton 47
Grand Lake 44
In its first game back from a two-week COVID-19 quarantine, Elton needed some late clutch shots from its senior trio of Nya Francis, Mariah Lemoine and Vici Woods to beat Grand Lake.
Grand Lake battled back from an eight-point halftime deficit to tie the score at 37 with 5:19 left on a 3-pointer by Brynn Hardie. But Elton quickly regained the lead.
With 4:26 left, Francis dribbled into the lane and kicked the ball out to Lemoine, who drilled a 3-pointer from the corner for a 40-37 lead. Francis added a basket in the lane 30 seconds later and Woods added a bucket to put the Indians up 44-37 with 1:07 left.
Woods scored the Indians’ (7-8, 6-2) final five points and finished with a game-high 18 points. Lemoine scored 15 points and Francis finished with 10 points.
Rylie Bergeron led the Hornets (11-12, 6-5) with 18 points, and Kelli Ledoux added 12.
Girls
District 4-1A
Elton 47
Grand Lake 44
Grand Lake (11-12, 6-5): Rylie Bergeron 19, Kellie LeDoux 12. Elton (7-8, 6-2): Vici Woods 18, Mariah Lemoine 15, Nya Francis 10.
Rodrick Anderson/American Press
Rodrick Anderson/American Press