It's been a few years since St. Thomas More won a boys state basketball championship.
To be precise, it was 2021 when the Cougars won the last of four consecutive state titles.
After finishing as 2024 runners-up, the third-seeded Cougars will look to make a second straight trip to the Division II select final against No. 7 John Curtis at 1 p.m. Thursday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.
"I think we are peaking at the right time," coach Danny Broussard said. "You never want to lose, but I really think that loss to David Thibodaux (in the regular season) woke us up a little bit and got us refocused. I like where we are right now. We are playing good basketball."
The 45-42 loss to the Bulldogs snapped the Cougars' 14-game winning streak and a shot to win the District 4-4A championship outright.
Since then, the Cougars have won five in a row.
Some didn't consider the Cougars (31-5) a title contender before the season after losing star players Michael Mouton, Chad Jones and Anthony Angelle to graduation.
"People on the outside, and to be honest even on the inside, didn't expect us to be very good after what we lost," Broussard said. "We lost 90% of our scoring from last year's team and that is hard to replace. That was the sentiment around town.
"But our kids have a chip on their shoulders. They have something to prove, and they were determined not to let the tradition of STM slide. They want to keep it going."
The Cougars have gotten defensive literally in their pursuit of another title game appearance. The Cougars' defensive effort has been well-documented, setting a school record by holding opponents to an average of 39.5 points per game.
"This is not the most talented team I've had at STM, but they are the best defensive team in STM history statistically," Broussard said. "We haven't had to scorch the nets to get wins. Defense is what has gotten us here."
If the Cougars knock off Curtis to reach the title game, defense will likely get them there.
"John Curtis has been good now for a couple of years," Broussard said. "They have now (talented) basketball players at the school."
Among them is 6-foot-1 junior guard Autrail Manning, a varsity player since the eighth grade.
"The Manning kid is a special kid," Broussard said. "But he is not the only one. They have a lot of speed (and) quick hands and they can shoot the (3-pointer). They are a solid team."
When the Cougars need a shutdown defender they call on John Luke Bourque.
"John Luke has held the best shooter down against Tioga and against Huntington," Broussard said. "But it isn't going to be just one person we have to stop or one person playing defense. It is going to take a total team effort because we have to make sure they don't get open looks."
The challenge is something STM is ready for, Broussard said.
"We are going to have our hands full," he said. "But I know our guys are going to do whatever it takes to win this game."