What has been dubbed the #revengetour by players and coaches has reached its final destination for the Southern Lab girls basketball team.
The top-seeded Kittens (26-7) are back at the University Center in Hammond for the second straight year seeking a title at the LHSAA girls basketball tournament.
“People thought after last year we were going to start over and rebuild,” Southern Lab coach Quianna Chaney said. “Some people called us out. What they did not realize was that we had had the pieces in place. We had to put those pieces together.
"We rebuilt within ourselves, and getting back to the tournament was always the goal.”
Southern Lab faces No. 4 Sacred Heart of Ville Platte (26-5) at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in a Division IV select semifinal game. Just like a year ago, Northwood-Lena (18-12), the No. 2 seed, sits in the other semifinal.
A year ago, Northwood rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat Southern Lab 54-51 in the Division IV final. Southern Lab was the Division IV champion in 2022 in a select schools tourney at the Alario Center.
After that, the Kittens lost All-Metro MVP Shaila Forman to a torn ACL and another starter who opted to transfer. Guard Asia Patin has teamed with Baton Rouge Community College signee Kinsley James to lead the way.
Both players average 16 points a game as Chaney and assistant coach Jason Stampley put new starters in place and moved players to new roles.
“The mindset all along has been this — we need everybody, so find your role and play it,” Chaney said. “The EBR tournament showed me what this team could do. It was a wow moment.”
The Kittens won the EBR tourney and have a string of impressive wins, including victories over several teams in other semifinals at the LHSAA tourney, including Lafayette Christian.
“Last year left a bitter taste. They had a chip on their shoulder from the beginning," Chaney said. "And we’re back.”