Aug vs. Martin 5A Quarterfinal Matchup

Aug!!!!!!!!!

PURPLE

St. Augustine, Brother Martin square off in Class 5A quarterfinals
Lori Lyons, The Times-Picayune, March 05, 2010 12:09 a.m.

As St. Augustine Coach Clifford Barthe began preparing for Friday night's Class 5A quarterfinal playoff game, he and his staff considered taking the drive to get the latest film on their opponent - but briefly.
Even though that drive would have been across town, the Purple Knights already have tape of the Brother Martin Crusaders - lots of it.

Friday night's game will be the fifth meeting of these teams this season.

"I said, ‘We've already got four DVDs on these guys," Barthe said. "Any kind of information we need on them has got to be on one of those. Anything and everything that can be seen has got to be on one of those. Let's just look at the stuff we've got.'"

Friday night's matchup certainly is unique. The District 10-5A foes and cross-town rivals have already met four times this season, with St. Augustine winning all four - 64-56, 56-45, 62-53 and 67-52.

"You always talk about how hard it is to beat a team three times in a season," Barthe said. "I don't know. When you get this far, when it's five times, I really don't know what you can say."

Brother Martin and St. Augustine are among the four local teams still alive in the Class 5A playoffs. No. 5 seed Jesuit will take on No. 14 St. Thomas More, No. 23 Covington will play at No. 2 Scotlandville. Riverside, the No. 1 seed in Class 2A, will travel to No. 8 Springfield. Country Day, the No. 2 seed in Class 1A, will host No. 10 White Castle.

The winners will advance to the Top 28 Tournament, which begins March 9 in Lafayette.

The Crusaders and the Purple Knights have history there, too.

The last time St. Augustine advanced to the finals of the Top 28 Tournament, in 2004, it was Brother Martin who denied it the title.

"It's always been a great rivalry," Barthe said. "I think it will be the same."

But don't expect the Purple Knights (31-4), the district champion and the No. 1 seed in the Class 5A bracket, to take Brother Martin (26-10) lightly, Barthe said. The Crusaders are led by 6-foo-4 junior guard Pat Swilling Jr., who averages 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

"We've discussed that," Barthe said. "We've discussed the whole process and what the stakes are. We're not taking anybody lightly at all. Everybody's paying attention."

So is Brother Martin.

The Crusaders, the No. 9 seed, aren't conceding anything either, but will face 6-5 forward Elridge Moore (13.4 points), 6-4 sophomore forward Sydie London and 5-11 sophomore guard Javan Felix (9.1).

But if Coach Scott Thompson has a new game plan to stop the Knights, he's not sharing it.

"There is a unique familiarity there," he said. "We're excited about the opportunity. All of the kids and the coaches have worked extremely hard to get to this position. Both schools have a proud tradition."

For St. Augustine, the game is also about getting over the quarterfinal hump. The last three seasons, the Purple Knights have gotten to this round of the playoffs, only to lose on someone else's court, far away from home.

This year, the team worked very hard to get a high seed to try and secure a home-field advantage.

"It worked to an extent," Barthe said. "We're going to be home. We may not be at St. Aug, but we'll be home in New Orleans. It's just like a regular game now. We can be in our own comfort zone. It's not an overnight trip, there's no hotel stay. It's just like a district game."

quote:

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and if you dont have a ticket right now, you aint going.

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They are selling at the door.

GEAUX RUMMEL!!!

Pretty much.