Kaplan Pirates run past Erath

With a date against 3A powerhouse and parish rival Abbeville lurking around the corner, the Kaplan Pirates proved Friday night that they were not going to overlook anybody.

The Erath Bobcats entered the contest a bit shorthanded, missing two starters, and it seemed to have a real impact as the Pirates opened district play with the 70-41 victory.

“Coach Pillette is short handed right now and I knew that” Kaplan head coach Jeff Davis said. “There were times we played sloppy, but I got everybody in and it’s our first district win so that’s real important.”

The Pirates (11-11, 1-0) did not waste any time kicking the door open, as they lit up the court from behind the arc. Marc Constable joined the three point party, hitting a trey of his own, giving Kaplan a 25-9 lead with 4:50 remaining in the second quarter.

Facing a double digit deficit heading into the second half, Erath head coach Tommie Pillette was looking for some kind of spark to replace the absence of some of his point producers.

The Bobcats’ Dason Bernard caught on to what the Pirates were doing in the first half, as he himself began to catch fire from downtown. Finding the net on three consecutive three pointers, Bernard drew Erath within 51-27 with 2:20 to play in the third.

“That kid (Bernard) can flat out shoot, we’re definitely going to have to do things different on him next time we play them” Davis said. “He could’ve easily brought them back into the game the way he was shooting those threes. I was starting to get a little nervous.”

The deficit was just too much for the Bobcats (13-6, 0-1) to overcome, as the Pirates cruised to the twenty-nine point victory.

Winners of five of their last six, the Pirates, gained a little more much-needed momentum as they next make the short trip to Abbeville Tuesday when they will have to tangle with the Wildcats. “We know what we’re up against, but we’re going to have to sit down for a while and think about it.”

Marc Constable led the Pirates with 23 points in the win. Dason Bernard led the Bobcats with 20 and Josh Pillette followed with nine.