It wasn’t just talent, but also a wealth of experience that helped propel the Madison High School Jaguars into the second round of the 2021 Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) playoffs.
Playing with eight total seniors, Jaguars Head Coach John Holmes said his team’s maturity and comfort level on the court helped them notch a 15-6 overall record during its 2020-21 campaign and eventually landed them in a second-round squeaker with Lakeview at the Allstate Sugar Bowl playoffs Tues. March 2, in New Orleans.
Although the Class 2A No. 14 Jags would fall in a close game, as No. 6 Lakeview eked out a 51-46 win, Holmes said his team’s perseverance is what put them in the position to contend for a third-round position in the first place.
“I’m proud [of this team],” Holmes said. “We won 51-38 [versus Sarah T. Reed] in the first round and it was a heartbreaker in round two. But, I’m proud of this year, just based on how the season was with COVID and the cancelations and everything they had to deal with. It was a good season all around. They stuck together. They committed.”
Holmes said it was his team’s senior leadership and ability to buy into the program’s process, as much as the overall play, that made the biggest difference in the Jags’ 2020-21 success.
“Just that level of commitment. The whole thing was special with my seniors this year,” he said.
With the Lady Jags also making it into the LHSAA playoffs, falling just shy of a round-one victory in a 35-33 loss to Port Allen, Holmes said 2021 ended on a high note, and now his sights must be set on next year.
“We had eight seniors this year [on boys’ varsity], so next year will be a rebuilding year,” he said.
Graduating in 2021 and vacating positions all over the court for MHS, will be seniors Londell Johnson, Kdarrius Hill, Devin Isaac, Marquis Hicks, Jontae Larry, Waymon Perkins, Armonte Hudson and Tyler Coleman.
