Lady Bearcats upset top-ranked Airline

The Ruston High girls basketball team showed Tuesday night why games can’t be played on paper.

Coming into the matchup of north Louisiana foes between Ruston and Airline, the Lady Bearcats looked to be in line for another tough loss against the No. 5 Vikings, who came in with a 7-0 record while the Lady Bearcats were in the midst of a four-game losing streak and a 2-6 record. Everything seemed to point that direction if you took paper as gospel.

But the Lady Bearcats are taking after their head coach LaShanda-Smith Cooper quite well early in her tenure. Records, power ratings, and perceived gaps in experience matter not to this squad, one that prides itself on defense, creating havoc, and sharing the ball. Cooper’s squad, led by big plays from seniors Samiya Lewis, Kiersynce McNeal, and Jasmine Summerford down the stretch, pulled off the biggest win of their 2024-25 season so far in a 50-49 victory over Airline in dramatic fashion.

After trailing 12-2 midway through the first quarter, Ruston slowly but surely clawed its way back in the fight and eventually took a 22-21 lead at halftime thanks to a layup by Journi Douglas.

The teams went blow for blow in the third, with neither squad grabbing more than a four-point advantage for more than a minute as turnovers and tough layups piled up for both teams, but enough to put Airline ahead 32-30 entering the fourth.

And that’s when McNeal took over, putting Ruston on her back with 9 of her 19 total points coming in the fourth, along with a pair of steals (6 overall), to help fuel the comeback. 

Ruston took a 38-37 lead but then found itself trailing 47-44 with 2:45 left. The momentum began to shift after a free throw by Summerford, as Ruston got aggressive defensively and rushed Airline into careless turnovers, allowing McNeal to line up a clean look from three-point range in front of Ruston’s bench. Swish. The Lady Bearcats now only trailed 49-48 with 35 seconds left.

Airline couldn’t cross half court on the ensuing possession following the three, with Angelica Green coming up with the steal with under 25 seconds left. She looked ahead and found an open Samiya Lewis, who calmly scored the go-ahead layup with under 16 seconds left. It was her only field goal of the night but it mattered more than anyone’s.

Airline couldn’t get a clean look over the final ticks and Ruston stunned the Vikings to snap the four-game skid.

“Usually we would see them get pretty rattled but they didn’t get rattled. We are constantly yelling out there, ‘Calm down,’” Cooper said. “We knew that guard-wise that [Angelica Green] was going to be able to make a move and get downhill and go create and make something happen. Just for them to be able to have enough confidence to set the ball up, not get rattled, and move the ball around or not be afraid to take those shots. I feel like we rose above the challenge.”

To go with McNeal’s late heroics, sophomore Angelica Green was 4-of-4 from the foul line in the fourth with a layup as part of her 12 total points.

Ruston could have easily accepted their fate after trailing 12-2 early, buying the pregame belief they had no business competing with Airline. Instead, Cooper saw her team rally together and play without fear.

“Like I say all the time, it starts in practice. Just developing that competitive mindset and getting them to believe in themselves and each other so that it’ll carry over to the game,” Cooper said. “They’re starting to appreciate those big shots and those big moments that [Kiersynce] isn’t afraid of based on her experience last year. Honestly, the situation we’re in right now we have nothing to lose. I felt like Airline had everything to lose. They were undefeated, but we knew coming in they were going to be a well-coached team. They ranked No. 5 in our division. Right now, we’re just playing without a conscience right now. That doesn’t bother us that they’re No. 5 or whatever number it is. We just come out and play hard no matter who we play.”

The Lady Bearcats return to action on Friday afternoon to play Richwood at the Ouachita Tournament.