Kobi Johnson Ignites Second Half Spark, Leads Thibodaux to Victory

Twitter @drewrobison

Friday, January 11, 2019

Hahnville High School- Boutte, Lousiana

In the first 5A District 7 match-up of the two Tigers, Thibodaux played at a packed Hahnville gym on Friday night, coming away with a 73-55 win.

Hahnville (12-10, 1-3) was sparked early by Dylan Lorio’s 13 points and Kaden Pierre’s 10 points in the first half, giving the home Tigers a 37-36 lead.

But the second half was all Thibodaux Tigers (20-2, 4-0), as point guard Kobi Johnson finished with 20 points (14 after intermission). Johnson not only got to the rim, but created many open looks with assists to capable teammates. Five THS players finished with double digit scoring: Johnson with 20, Marvin Robertson with 15, J’mari Carter and Rashad Winslow with 13 each, and Rashad Robinson with 10.

“Coach [Tony Clark] told us at halftime to keep the foot on the gas, to stay aggressive,” Johnson said after the game. “I know I can make good passes and give my teammates looks, but tonight I was able to score, so that’s what I did.”

Most of the first half was fast paced, and half court man-to-man by both teams. At the end of the first quarter, Hahnville had a 19-16 lead. With just under two minutes left in the second quarter, Clark adjusted to a 2-3 zone, forcing Hahnville to be patient working the ball around the perimeter. Hahnville did not handle it well, committing several turnovers.

The second half was more of the same. Although Thibodaux went back to man-to-man, Hahnville’s transition game wasn’t smooth, and more turnovers and quick outside shot misses cost the home Tigers most of their possessions. Thibodaux was more successful attacking the basket, and also found a spark from outside the arc from Johnson and Winslow. Thibodaux won the third quarter 19-12 and the fourth quarter 18-6.

Kobi Johnson is understandably optimistic about his team going forward. “I think we have great potential. We have great chemistry because we’ve been playing together since we were all little kids.”

Thibodaux is unofficially #1 in the state 5A power rankings. They will face the Ellender Patriots on January 15 for the second time. The Tigers defeated the Patriots by 26 in November.

Box Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total

Thibodaux 16 20 19 18 73

Hahnville 19 18 12 6 55