By LAMAR GAFFORD
HAMMOND – Oak Hill’s road to repeat ran into a dead end Friday.
In a rematch of last year’s Division V Select state championship girls basketball game, the roles were reversed as Oak Hill lost 67-45 to JS Clark at the RoofBuilder University Center.
“You hate for (the senior class) to have to go out like that,” Oak Hill coach Kaci West said. “I just love these kids so much with my heart. I hate for them to go out with a loss, but it doesn’t shake the fact of all the things that they’ve accomplished in their careers.”
Oak Hill senior and LSU Alexandria commit Alexis Dyer closed her high school career with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but it was a struggle for the team as it shot 26.5 percent as a whole and went 5-for-20 from 3-point range.
The third quarter proved to be the turning point of the game as Oak Hill (28-14) missed all 16 of its field goal attempts amid a 26-4 run by Clark.
When Dyer ended the shooting slump with a jumper to cut the deficit to 49-31, it was all but over as Clark stayed ahead by double digits the rest of the way.
“I thought they did a great job of closing the lane up and getting back every single possession,” West said. “They played with a lot of intensity and I think that was the difference in the game.”
Clark sophomore Taylor Barnaba was named as the game’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 18 points with six assists, four rebounds and eight steals. Fellow sophomore Akeelah Williams posted a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds as Clark (24-6) won its first state championship in girls basketball.
With her 28 points Friday, Dyer reached the 3,000-point mark – closing her career with 3,001 points and 1,843 rebounds. With her set to sign to LSUA soon, she was emotional when reflecting about her time at Oak Hill.
“(Being a member of this team) means absolutely everything,” Dyer said. “This was the highlight of my life and playing with Coach West and these girls was everything. We just have such a great bond and the love that this team has is unmatched.”
This is the third straight season that Oak Hill has reached the championship game at the LHSAA girls basketball state tournament. It won the Division V select title last year and finished as the Class B runner-up to Fairview in 2022.