Oakdale completes Cinderella run by defeating Lakeview for first girls basketball title

Lady Warriors beat several top teams en route to claiming Division IV non-select crown

By LaMar Gafford | Photos by Michael Odendahl 

HAMMOND, La. - Playing in its first state championship game, Oakdale knocked off plenty of Louisiana’s top teams to get to Hammond. 

The Lady Warriors added another team to their mantle Friday as it defeated Lakeview, 53-48, in the Division IV non-select championship game at the Southeastern Louisiana University Center. This is Oakdale’s first state championship.

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“I’m just so humble and so thankful,” Oakdale coach Renotta Edwards said. “Those are the only two things I can say at this point. It’s surreal.

"All I could do is cry and I’m not much of a crier. It's just emotional, knowing that something you’ve worked your whole life (has finally been achieved). I never even though that this would be an opportunity I'd get."

Lady Warrior sophomore Emani Young earned Most Outstanding Player honors by scoring 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Young also had four steals and three blocks on the defensive end.

Oakdale (21-12) dominated the first half as it jumped out to a 27-14 lead at halftime and forced the Lady Gators to turn over the ball 18 times.

The Lady Warriors also forced Lakeview sophomore Timberlyn Washington to get into foul trouble.

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Lakeview (26-4) performed better in the second half as Washington stayed out of foul trouble, but the Lady Warriors continued to shoot well - making 11-of-22 field goals.

“We knew that we had to contain her and don’t let anybody else go off on us,” Edwards said. “If we just hold her to the bare minimum, they weren’t going to hurt us.”

The death knell came late in the fourth when Washington cut the Lady Gator deficit to 49-46 with 1:41 left, but an intentional foul by Lakeview allowed Jolie West to convert on a four-point play.

Washington finished with 19 points, five assists and three steals as she showed that she was capable of becoming the top option for Lakeview.

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“Nobody believed in this group,” Lady Gator coach Dewaskie Fuller said. “But if the community and the parents continue to believe in what we can do, we’ll be back here next year.”

For Young, it was a dream that came true, but almost didn’t happen when the Lady Warriors lost four straight district games at one point. However, the turnaround came when they defeated District 4-2A champion Rosepine in the regular-season finale.

“We’ve been dreaming about this ever since the beginning of the season,” Young said. “When we had a losing streak, we felt like we couldn’t even make it here, so we put in the work and this is the outcome.”