Donaldsonville basketball players make all-district

The 2019-20 basketball season was the first for Donaldsonville in District 9-3A, and both the boys and girl’s teams carried themselves very well. Both squads made playoffs runs, and the Lady Tigers won the district championship.

As a result, when it was time to name the All-District 9-3A teams for each division, many Donaldsonville players were honored.

The most selections came for the Lady Tigers. They fielded six of their players on the all-district squad.

It shouldn’t be a surprise. Donaldsonville had a terrific year.

The Lady Tigers finished the regular season with a 15-11 record. This included a stretch of nine wins in their final 11 games.

Donaldsonville also went undefeated in district play, leading to them winning the league championship in their very first year of membership.

Head coach Shawancy Joseph was named the District 9-3A Coach of the Year.

After winning the league title, the Lady Tigers earned the No. 12 seeding in the Class 3A playoffs. They hosted No. 21 Green Oaks in the first round.

Unfortunately for Donaldsonville, they were upset, 63-53. Green Oaks went on to lose to fifth-seeded Albany in the second round.

The Lady Tigers’ all-district selections were led by senior guard L’nysia Johnson. She was named the District 9-3A MVP.

Johnson stepped up big time for the Lady Tigers after they lost Daija Harvey. Harvey was the team’s leading scorer from the previous season and a first-team all-district selection. She now plays for Southeastern.

Two other Donaldsonville players made the first team. They were senior guard Quinntryce Bell and sophomore guard Tia Richard.

Making the second team were two freshmen guards for the Lady Tigers. They were Tia Joseph and Janae Southall.

Southall’s selection to the all-district team was no surprise to Coach Joseph. Before the season even began, she was extremely high on the freshman guard.

She said, “I’m looking for her to have the greatest impact on our team. She understands the game and is able to create her own shot. She was able to get the feel for the pace of the game through summer league play.”

The final all-district selection for the Lady Tigers was senior forward Jalair Johnson. She was named honorable mention.

The Donaldsonville boys faced more challenges in their first year in District 9-3A. They finished the regular season with a losing record at 15-16.

Still, the Tigers were able to make the Class 3A playoffs as the No. 22 seed. In the opening round, they had to go on the road to face eleventh-seeded Sophie B. Wright.

Donaldsonville played well, but they fell by a score of 74-69. Sophie B. Wright went on reach the state quarterfinals.

Three Tigers made the all-district squad.

Their lone first-team selection was senior guard Clenard Mollere, Jr. Mollere recently signed with the College of Alameda.

The two other Donaldsonville players that made the team were honorable-mention selections. They were a duo of guards in senior Tyriell North and junior Quintez Dabney.

The District 9-3A MVP was Patterson’s Kai Schexnayder, and the Coach of the Year was Patterson’s Edwin Colbert.

Patterson won the district and earned the No. 8 seeding for the playoffs. They reached the second round, before losing to ninth-seeded Richwood.