Iota comes up short at Westlake

For the better part of three quarters, the Iota Bulldogs shut down Westlake standout guard Jammal Guillory, limiting him to just nine points.
Tyler Joseph more than picked up the slack, however.
Joseph poured in a game-high 32 points and Guillory pitched in 12 in the final frame to finish with 21 and the Rams pulled away for an 83-44 victory over the Bulldogs Thursday.
The Rams, ranked No. 6 in the most recent Class 3A power ratings, improved to 15-1 on the season with the victory.
The Bulldogs, who currently sit at No. 34 in the power ratings, fell to 10-9.
Iota, playing without the services of senior standout Andrew Thibodeaux, kept it close early on and led twice in the first five minutes.
Jaylon Howell hit a shot in the lane with 2:24 remaining in the quarter to spark a 9-0 run that was capped by a 3-pointer from Joseph to put the hosts up 17-9 at the end of the frame.
Joseph knocked down another long ball in the second quarter and tallied 10 points to help the Rams extend their advantage to 35-19 heading into the break.
Conner Daigle and Luke Duhon combined for seven of Iota’s 10 points in the second period.
The Bulldogs attempted to chip away at the lead in the third quarter but the Rams forced five turnovers and went on an 11-0 run in the middle of the frame to pull away even further.
Payton DarDar added two baskets late in the frame and Daigle hit another shot but the Rams were able to take a 25-point advantage at 54-29.
The Rams used another big run early in the final period and scored 10 unanswered points to take away any hopes of a rally by the Bulldogs.
Guillory finally found a rhythm in the final period and scored 12 points. Ryan Allen added eight points and Joseph scored seven during the Rams’ 29-point outburst.
In addition to Joseph and Guillory, Allen also scored in double figures with 12 points, Kristan Ozane added eight and Howell had seven for the victors.
Luke Duhon was the leader for the Bulldogs with 13 points and Daigle had his best outing of the season with 11. DarDar followed with eight points, Cole Breaux pitched in five and Chase Lalonde added three. Ashton Andrepont and Kolton Morgan rounded out the Bulldogs’ offense with two points apiece.
The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday when they open up District 5-3A play with a home contest against the Church Point Bears. They close out the week with another league tilt on Friday at Ville Platte.