St. Thomas More boys basketball has title streak snapped, fall 47-43 to Liberty
LAFAYETTE — If players had "FBI" written across their chests instead of "STM," Danny Broussard believes that the narrative around his basketball team would be different.
"Just trust me now, if you would have taken this team and said the 'FBI' was coming to town, it would be like 'Who are these cats?'" said Broussard, St. Thomas More's boys basketball coach.
But with the letters "STM" plastered on their jerseys, Broussard knows that the expectations are higher. They should be, considering that St. Thomas More has won the last four Division II state championships.
It also made Wednesday night an even tougher pill to swallow, when the Cougars' championship streak came to an end against Liberty at the Cajundome, 47-43 in the semifinals.
ST. THOMAS MORE BASKETBALL: How St. Thomas More girls basketball was stymied by St. Louis' defensive press in title game
ST. THOMAS MORE SOCCER: St. Thomas More boys, girls sweep LHSAA state soccer championships for first time
Liberty (30-6) was the favorite and the top seed in the tournament. It was bigger, faster, stronger and more athletic. But none of that mattered to the Patriots, who came into the game feeling like the underdogs. Liberty had lost to the Cougars (29-7) by 20 in the semifinals of last year's tournament.
"It was a big win for our program to be able to play for a state championship and beat a team like St. Thomas More," Liberty coach Brandon White said.
But this Cougars team was not the same as its championship-caliber predecessors.
St. Thomas More no longer had a strong senior class led by LSU wide receiver Jack Bech, Dallas Baptist guard Jaden Shelvin, UL guard Carter Domingue and Bryce Bouillon. That Cougars team from last season was dominant, winning every game in its path to the title by an average margin of 22 points.
"They were just a different type of athlete," St. Thomas More senior guard Evan Savoy said. "They just knew what it took. They could just make things happen."
"It's nothing against these guys, but we lost some studs," Broussard said. "Our talent level wasn't as good"
TOP ACADIANA AREA PLAYERS: Top Acadiana area boys basketball players to watch in the LHSAA playoffs
With all of that talent out the door, the Cougars also lost the consistency that senior class provided.
"It's hard to put a finger on that because practice-wise, we kind of practiced the same way," Broussard said. "It was just one of those deal where, you know, sometimes we made a great pass and we missed the layup, other times the pass was terrible."
"This year it was kind of like starting from the bottom almost (after) losing so much talent," St. Thomas More senior forward Christian Landry said.
Broussard still thought this Cougars team still had the toughness and will to keep the streak alive.
When St. Thomas More came back from a 19-0 deficit in the first quarter against Ponchatoula in December, he learned that his team could fight through adversity. The Cougars had become so accustomed to winning the last four seasons that adversity had rarely, if ever, come to their doorstep.
"Right there when I left New Orleans, I said, 'Shoot, we have a chance,'" Broussard said. "Because they didn't quit. And that's always a great sign."
They were scrappy and they never gave up. That was the core of this Cougars team.
But with "STM" and not "FBI" printed on the front of their uniforms, Broussard's team could have never posed as an underdog.
"Twenty-nine wins is incredible, but we have STM on our jersey's so everyone thinks we're supposed to win every time we go out and play," Broussard said.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LHSAA boys basketball: St. Thomas More state championship streak ends
