Ludwig, Country Day 'confident underdogs'

“I had seen him (Roberson) on film and heard from people and they said he was the real deal,” Country Day head coach Mike McGuire said. “But Eddie kept hearing he was the second-best junior, Monroe was the best player in the city, there are kids in Baton Rouge better. It has kind of fueled the fire.”

The result?

A 33-point, 12-rebound performance in Country Day’s 80-58 win over Arcadia, putting the Cajuns into today’s 6:30 p.m. final against Christian Life. Roberson, by the way, had only nine points - only three in the first half when the game was in question.

“I definitely felt going into (Monday’s) game that I had something to prove,” Ludwig said. “Everyone was saying Roberson was the top player in the state. I had played him in the summer and I knew he was a good player, but I had a pretty good game against him in the summer.”

And now Ludwig and the Cajuns have something else to prove. A year ago in the Class 1A finals, Christian Life put down Country Day by nearly 30 points. Ludwig and his teammates want to show that the result was an aberration, the result of the Crusaders carrying three Division I players on its roster and some bad-timing illnesses for the Cajuns.

Ludwig and friends are a year older, a year more experienced and this time, healthy.

“The main motivation was to get back to this point and have a different outcome that last year,” Ludwig said. “That’s pretty much been the goal from the beginning.”

It all starts with Ludwig, a quiet, shaggy-haired teenager whose game speaks for itself.

In the past six games, Ludwig is averaging 34 points. And lest anyone feel that Ludwig hasn’t played anyone because the Cajuns reside in 1A, McGuire said that assessment is wrong.

Country Day has played Reserve Christian, a traditional state power. It played Holy Cross, with Arkansas-signee Brandon Moore. The Cajuns took on O. Perry Walker, a 4A finalist. They played McMain, a 3A metro power. And they also went to California, where, though they went 0-4, Ludwig held his own.

“We played over our heads, but we played at the national level and he was one of the best kids on the floor every night,” McGuire said.

Make no mistake; Country Day goes as Ludwig goes. Luckily, his teammates understand that. Look at the result – the Cajuns are one win away from a state championship.

“We realized, especially in the playoffs, that when the offense runs through me, everyone gets open,” Ludwig said. “I think that’s our best offense. We’re scoring like 80 points in the playoffs.”

He added, “At first, I was little timid about how many shots I was taking. Then we started winning and everyone else got involved. And everyone is happy when you’re winning.”

For Ludwig, it appears the decision to focus completely on basketball is paying off. At a school like Country Day, McGuire said they encourage the students to play multiple sports. Their rosters need all the help they can get, after all.

And Ludwig was a standout football player, using his height and his athleticism at safety and receiver. But following the 2006 season, he decided to stick to only basketball.

It wasn’t an easy decision.

“As football season was coming back, I started second-guessing that,” Ludwig said. “Then I talked to my coaches and talked to my dad. At the end of the day, I decided it was best that I stick with basketball. It’s really starting to pay off.”

Yet, like Monroe, some of his legacy will be connected to whether he can bring home a state championship. He gets his second chance as a junior.

Christian Life has won the past two titles, and there’s no reason to believe it is looking to give up the blue trophy anytime soon. Being an underdog, though, suits the Cajuns just fine, Ludwig said.

“This entire year has felt like we’ve been the underdogs with the schedule we played,” he said. “We’re embracing that role right now. Losing to them last year makes us want to come out and win even more.”

He added, “We’re confident underdogs.”