Tyron Mouzon the coach says Cox’s Tuesday night game against Washington-Marion is just another game.

File Photo

Helen Cox's Greg Monroe dunks during a practice earlier this year.

Tyron Mouzon the realist knows the scenario is a little different for his players.

Washington-Marion put out Mouzon’s Cougars a year ago in the second round, ending another season with bitter disappointment for Cox. A year prior, Cox ended Washington-Marion’s season.

So, Tuesday night in Cox’s gym, Mouzon knows his players are looking at the game with on thing in mind – revenge.

“It’s a whole different team we’re playing,” Mouzon the coach said. “Our whole thing is I didn’t even want to bring that up. They’re just another team in the way of where we’re trying to go.”

But, added Mouzon the realist, “I’m certain with the kids, there is (a revenge factor) in a way. There’s no overlooking the fact that this is the third year in the playoffs we’ve met in the second round. It should be a rivalry game. The kids will have an extra incentive, knowing how that felt, coming back on that bus last year.

“I’m certain they’d love to return the favor.”

Mouzon believes his team is prepared, if for no other reason than he gave his team the toughest possible path he could find prior to the postseason. Besides the district schedule, Mouzon had his team traveling all over the country, facing some of the top teams with some of the best players in the country.

The Cougars are 32-7 overall, going 9-7 against teams not from Louisiana and 23-0 against teams from the Pelican State.

Washington-Marion, should you need reminding, resides inside Louisiana’s state borders.

“It has paid off huge dividends,” Mouzon said. “We got to see some of the top-level talent in the country. The kids, there’s nothing really they haven’t seen as far as crowds. They’ve been on big stages all year.”

So, does that give his Cougars pressure? Certainly, Mouzon said. But, he said, that’s a good thing.

“There is a lot of pressure, but you know what? That’s a good thing,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to be not in the playoffs and not have the pressure.”

Still, Washington-Marion (17-11) won’t be scared of Georgetown signee Greg Monroe and his teammates. The Indians, though, aren’t the same team as last year, and they’re much smaller than Cox.

And that’s where Mouzon hopes the game is won.

“We’ll adjust to what they’re throwing at us,” he said. “Our size will be a determining factor. Looking at their roster, our size will be something we look to exploit, to take advantage of.”

St. Aug at Carencro, Tuesday 7 p.m.

For all the history of St. Augustine basketball, head coach Clifford Barthe wants to make one thing clear – the only pressure on his team at 24-4 and in the second round of the state playoffs comes from itself.

“From the very beginning, our team goal was to get better every year, win a district championship and go on and get into the playoffs and see how far we can go there.”

Make no mistake, Barthe has brought the Purple Knights back from Katrina. They’re the 9th-seeded team in Class 5A, and that might be a little below what they should be. St. Augustine beat Ponchatoula by 21 points in the opening round, and the game wasn’t even that close.

But Carencro is playing with nothing to lose, coming off a four-point upset of No. 8 seed Catholic-BR in Bi-district play. Carencro is the 25th-seed.

“The seed was low,” Barthe said. “They figured that if St. Aug beats them, it was supposed to happen. If they upset us, it’s a great thing for thing.”

Carencro has two athletic players who know how to get to the basket, and stopping them will be key if the Purple Knights want to move into the quarterfinals. And now St. Augustine will have to look out for something else.

Against Catholic, Carencro sank outside shot after outside shot, something it hadn’t done all season.

Nevertheless, defense is the hallmark of St. Augustine basketball this year, and Barthe said it’s his team’s aggression that throws opponents off their game.

“Defense, in some instances, is a passive thing,” he said. “We try to play very aggressive, gamble to make steals. Our quickness gives us the ability to recover.”

St. Aug hasn’t lost in more than a month. Barthe hopes that doesn’t end anytime soon, and he thinks his players are still grounded.

“Now our goal is to get to the state finals, to get to Lafayette,” he said. “It’s not over. At this point, you win or you go home. You keep your head focused, you keep your head down, you keep working hard.”

Salmen at McDonogh 35, Tuesday 7 p.m.

Kevin Sanders knows how much Tuesday’s game means to McDonogh 35. After all, Friday’s night 44-42 upset of McKinley was the Roneagles’ first postseason win in more than a decade.

“They were pretty excited, jumping up and down,” Sanders said. “Everybody was there. People traveled. It was a great feeling for the kids. I was happy for them.”

Now, however, reality strikes, and McDonogh 35 is tasked with Salmen 28-3 and the No. 8 seed in the Class 4A tournament.

“I told them to enjoy the moment,” Sanders said. “We took Saturday off and came back Sunday and focused on the next task at hand. They’re aware we have to leave that in the past. They’re pretty hungry.”

Salmen won’t be easy.

“I don’t know about slowing them down,” Sanders said. “We’ll try to contain them a little bit. They like to pressure the ball. They’re pretty quick.”

To beat Salmen, Sanders said his two guards are going to have play outstanding. That could mean career games for senior Arthur Bush and junior Antonio Edwards.

“They’re good at pressuring the ball in the full-court press,” Sanders said. “They do a lot of stuff in the half-court. Our guards are going to have to be really aware of what’s going on.”

So, Sanders will try to slow the game down, though he won’t play stall-ball he said. If the game stays low-scoring, his team has a chance at a second-straight upset.

“Once we get above 55, closer to 60, we’ll be in trouble,” Sanders said. “We don’t have the depth that they have.”