St. Tammany News

Skippers' Ganapamo joins 1,000 point club

Mandeville's Skippers topped the Covington Lions, 78-66, Friday at CHS to capture the District 7-5A title in the season's final district game.

Jordane Ganapamo

MHS (26-7) finished 11-3 in district one game ahead of Hammond and Ponchatoula. The Skippers, Hammond, Ponchatoula and St. Paul's, the fourth place team with a 9-5 district record, will advance to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association basketball playoffs later this week. The playoff brackets are scheduled to be released later today.

Mandeville coach John Priola, in his 12th season with the Skippers, jokingly said his club was on the 12-year plan reference winning a district title.

"We've made the playoffs the last five years, but we were never able to win a district championship. Winning the district title is special. It's been a fun year that I will always remember. This is a special group of players. We have a well-balanced team, which hasn't lost more than two games in a row during the year. It has been a memorable year to this point. Now we have to focus on the playoffs," Priola said.

Senior guard Sean Apetrei led the way for the Skippers Friday night with a game-high 21 points, including three treys. Brandon Weeden contributed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Aaron Schaefer finished with 17 points and five boards, while Chad Alfaro added 12 points.

Jordane Ganapamo, a 6-foot-2 inch, 175-pound junior, entered the final district contest with 993 career points. He finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists to help lead the Skippers to victory. Ganapamo grabbed an offensive rebound scoring on a put back with 4:54 left in the second quarter to give him 1,001 points in his two-year career at Mandeville.

"Getting to 1,000 points was just a stop along the way. Coach Priola told me I was seven points away from 1,000 going into the game. I didn't force anything to get my 1,000th point," Ganapamo said.

"I just played my normal game. I'll just continue to play the game I love, and try to help my team win in the playoffs."

Ganapamo said it wasn't about him scoring 1,000 points Friday night, but more about his team getting a win.

"We got a victory and became the district champions at the same time, so it was special. Winning the district title was fantastic," Ganapamo added.

Ganapamo said the Skippers are focused on the playoffs, and are ready.

Priola described Ganapamo as a scorer.

"Jordane has a way attacking the rim. He has a scorer's mentality, and is a big part of our success. When he plays well, we are a pretty good team. He has done a good job this year passing the ball to set up his teammates inside. He played an outstanding game against Covington rebounding and passing the ball. He loves to win and he is very competitive. He has been a blessing that fell in our lap," Priola said.

Ganapamo transferred in from France during his sophomore year. Priola said Ganapamo trusts his teammates.

"Jordane is excellent driving to the basket, which frees up his teammates inside."

MHS took a 20-10 first quarter lead over Covington en route to the district title Friday. The Skippers outscored the Lions 25-13 in the second quarter to take a commanding 45-23 halftime lead.

Sophomore Jordan Bedford topped the Lions with 19 points, clicking on 5-of-9 three-point shots. Bedford also contributed three assists and two rebounds. Sophomore Phillip Bickham delivered 16 points with three rebounds, three steals and three assists to aid the Lions' cause. Ian Sperry tacked on 15 points, while Paul Fontenot pulled down seven rebounds for CHS.

Covington first-year coach Michael Smith said his young club continued to improve during the season.

"I'm really looking forward to these young players continuing to grow. We had a good rebuilding year," Smith said.

Covington (10-20) finished the district season with a 5-9 record.