A young Westgate flew around the defensive end Monday one last chaotic possession befitting of a rock fight of a Sunkist Shootout championship, disrupting St. Thomas More just long enough to snatch some holiday history.
The Tigers survived one missed 3-pointer by the Cougars and closed out to force their hosts to reconsider two others before sophomore star Cayden Lancelin could swat their final look and preserve the 37-35 victory for the program’s first-ever title in the long-running tournament.
“They passed the ball, I looked at the time and it was one second, so I said, ‘Welp, I’ve just gotta jump for it, and I just blocked the shot,” said Lancelin, holding his trophy for the event’s Mr. Basketball top performer award. “It feels amazing, really.”
Westgate entered the night averaging nearly 70 points per game for both the season and the weekend, including a 79-58 rout of Lafayette Renaissance Charter in Sunday’s semifinals.
Monday required a different approach and, while not always pretty, displayed some notable resolve from the sophomore-heavy squad.
“We’re used to it because that’s the way it is at practice,” longtime coach Oliver Winston said. “When we play each other, nobody’s gonna get a lot of points. So I knew they weren’t gonna panic, so if the game was gonna be in the 20s or 30s, they’re OK with that.”
The lead see-sawed back and forth at the end of the first three quarters.
Typically sharpshooting Dakylon Joseph‘s only two 3-point makes came late in the first to push the Tigers ahead 14-0, but the Cougars battled back in the second to take an 18-17 halftime lead as a driving LG Carbo found multisport standout Landen Ortte in the lane.
And freshman Zyier Stokes ended the third quarter with another Westgate 3, the team’s third and last, to move back ahead, 28-26, heading into the final period.
St. Thomas More tied the game on a John Michael Charbonnet alley-oop to Ryan Robertson with six minutes remaining.
But the Tigers took control with a 7-2 run over the next four minutes on a Jackilon Roberson putback for a three-point play and a pair of slicing Antonio “Tony” Quetel baskets in the lane.
“I know in practice I’m able to make those shots, so I just took the opportunities and make big shots and made big plays,” he said. “I know I’m not the strongest or the fastest of the bunch of people, but I’m athletic enough to keep up people and I just know I’ve gotta be smarter than the situation. And me being smart gives me better chances.”
The Cougars continued battling through an increasingly hectic final stretch with a couple scores — a Michael LaCour II dunk and a Xarian Babineaux 3-pointer — and a series of emphatic blocked shots.
But a basket at the rim by sophomore big man Chance Archangel and just enough takeaways with hustle and active hands assured Westgate would never allow the lead to slip away.
“I thought we played our game tonight, and they beat us at our game, I though,” St. Thomas More coach Danny Broussard said. “They want to play fast, and I thought our zone defense was really good, except I think the difference between last night and tonight: against Neville, we didn’t give up second shots. Again, they’re active. Give them credit, they’re very active on the boards, and we just didn’t do a good job (blocking out).”
Lancelin led Westgate with another strong all-around performance of 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Joseph finished with six points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal, and Archangel and Roberson each had five points and a steal with Archangel also grabbing five boards.
Robertson’s 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot led St. Thomas More.
Ortte was next in scoring with six points and two rebounds, and Charbonnet had five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“A night like tonight teaches you a lot, and I think we’ll learn and grow from that,” Broussard said. “I’ve got an inexperienced team, five new starters, and we’re trying to find ourselves. And, man, what a great atmosphere. You know, I don’t think we thank fans enough. They could’ve just sat home and watched this, but I appreciate the fans that came out for both sides to support their team.”
[Visit the Louisiana vs. All Y’all channel for more interviews from throughout the weekend.]
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Xzavier Baker, Lafayette Renaissance, Jr., G
Jayden Coleman, Vandebilt Catholic, Sr., G
Bubba Etienne, Lafayette Renaissance, Sr., F
Allen Fisher IV, Neville, Sr., G
Phanuel Greer Jr., Archbishop Shaw, Fr., G/F
Dakylon Joseph, Westgate, So., G
Cayden Lancelin, Westgate, So., G
Ryan Robertson, St. Thomas More, Jr., F
Jordan Senegal, Teurlings Catholic, Sr., F
Dash Sodolak, St. Pius XXIII, Sr., G
Sunkist Mr. Basketball winner: Cayden Lancelin, Westgate, So., G
LRCA TOPS NEVILLE WITH LATE 3’S IN THIRD-PLACE GAME
Neville had erased an early double-digit deficit with a big third quarter to take a lead midway through the fourth.
But Lafayette Renaissance Charter clawed back ahead with a pair of 3-pointers by seniors Matthew “Turbo” Gordon and Bubba Etienne and held on, 53-49, with clutch free throws from Xzavier Baker and Evan Ledoux.
“This is one of the most prestigious tournaments in Louisiana,” said Lafayette Renaissance coach Brad Boyd, a St. Thomas More alumnus. “Forty-three years of having the tournament. Some teams come to this tournament and never win a game. To go 3-1 in a four-day stretch at the Sunkist Shootout with a third-place finish, you know — we’re a 2A school, to beat a 5A school in Neville and get all those power points, we’re extremely proud to finish off the 2025 year at 11-2.”
Cayman Washington led LRCA with 13 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Ledoux joined him in double digits with 10 points, four rebounds and three steals.
Etienne added eight points and a game-high seven rebounds, and Baker had nine points and five boards.
Gordon, working through a banged-up ankle, fought through a tough shooting night and finally got the critical go-ahead 3-pointer to fall in the final minutes and set up the Etienne go-ahead shot moments later.
“It’s a battle, but you’ve still got to pull through,” Gordon smiled. “I love my team. That’s my guys. So if I’m hurt, I’m still gonna go through, still gotta push through. But I applaud them boys. Them boys pulled through today… When I hit that 3, it felt good. That was a big shot to tie the game up. I’m just glad to be able to play on the court and play basketball.”
STM ALUM BRANDON MOUTON, ST. PIUS XXIII (TEXAS) HOLD OFF TEURLINGS
St. Pius XXIII (Texas), the lone out-of-state participant in this year’s field, bounced back from a second-day loss to claim fifth place with back-to-back wins and a 3-1 record overall.
The Lions, coached by St. Thomas More alumnus Brandon Mouton, overcame a slow start Monday with second- and third-quarter runs and held off Teurlings Catholic, 59-55.
“Man, my team is resilient,” Mouton said. “They showed a lot of heart. Got down early, and it could’ve been easy just to let the game go, but they continued to fight one possession at a time, kept chipping away and obviously we ended up with the win. It’s a big game and big win for our program.”
Senior point guard Dash Sodolak exploded for 29 points on a hyper-efficient scoring performance from every level on 8-for-11 shooting from the floor, 4-for-4 from deep and 9-for-10 from the foul line.
Junior wing Niko Palumbis added 16 points.
“This is perfect,” Mouton said. “We look forward to this tournament. When we get here, we know we’re gonna get challenged, and that’s exactly what we want. When we get back to Houston, we’re gearing up for district, and this is perfect lead-way getting into our district play and getting prepared for that.
“This year for me was a little bit special. I have a senior that’s on my team, my son, and just to hear his name being announced when he does something on the court in my gym where I played is special. But I think overall our team did a great job. I’m proud of all of our guys. And I’m looking forward to how we finish the year.”
Senior forward Jordan Senegal led Teurlings Catholic with 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots and joined Sodolak as all-tournament team selections.
[Visit the Louisiana vs. All Y’all channel for more interviews from throughout the weekend.]