Highland Baptist girls reach fourth consecutive quarterfinal with decisive regional-round home victory

Kiara Comeaux leads the way with 22 points in the Lady Bears' win

By Mike Coppage

Photo of Highland Baptist's Kiara Comeaux by Matthew Louviere, The Iberian

NEW IBERIA, La. - For the fourth straight season, the Highland Baptist girls basketball team is headed to the Division IV select quarterfinals.

The third-seeded Lady Bears took down visiting No. 14 Westminster Christian, 58-36, in a regional round playoff game on Monday.

Senior forward Kiara Comeaux led the way with 22 points. Freshman guard Yvette Olivier was right behind with 21 points for Highland Baptist Christian School (20-8), which has won 10 straight games.

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Westminster Christian (16-9) scored the last six points of the first half to even the score at 18-18 at intermission. Myjah Wilson's bucket then gave the Crusaders a 20-18 to open the second half.

"I thought we came out a little tight in the first half," HBCS coach Carol Sensley said. "Having a bye week, it can slow you down a little bit."

Comeaux picked up her second foul less than one minute into the game, but she only picked up one more the rest of the way.

"She knows what she needs to do, and she did what was needed to stay on the floor," Sensley said of the 5-foot-7 senior. "That's where that maturity of being able to play with fouls comes in."

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Ten of Comeaux's points came from the free-throw line - five in the pivotal third quarter. The Bears scored 11 of the quarter's final 15 points for a comfortable 41-27 lead entering the fourth quarter.

When Comeaux wasn't scoring, she was grabbing rebounds, collecting steals and dishing out assists.

With 2:30 remaining in the third, she passed to freshman forward Madison Clark for an easy bucket in the lane and a 33-25 lead. With 30 seconds left in the quarter, Comeaux drove into the lane, forced the defense to collapse, and kicked it to Olivier for a corner 3.

"She put the team on her back," Sensley said of Comeaux. "When we needed her to get to the free-throw line, she did. When we needed her to get a rebound, she was there.

"Credit Madison Clark underneath the basket. I don't know how many rebounds she had, but between her and Kiara, we rebounded."

Photo of Highland Baptist girls basketball coach Carol Sensley by Matthew Louviere, The Iberian

Olivier made six of her final eight field goal attempts and finished with four 3-pointers. The freshman shined in the third quarter with 10 points.

"Yvette did what she normally does," Sensley said. "She hit some big shots in crucial times to basically give us that momentum change."

Logan Boutte, the freshman sixth man, made three consecutive shots in the second half.

Karley George's nine points paced the Crusaders. Amairi Jones added eight.

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The Bears will host No. 6 Hamilton Christian (23-6) at 6 p.m. on Thursday with a semifinal berth next week in Hammond on the line. Hamilton Christian, which throttled No. 11 Ascension Catholic 57-20 on Monday, defeated Highland Baptist, 57-20, on Dec. 22.

That game was in Lake Charles on the Warriors' home court. The Bears haven't lost in their own gym since a nine-point loss to Class 5A Carencro on Dec. 1.

"These kids are winners," Sensley said. "They're hungry. They go for it. They're not giving up or giving in."