Louisiana boys basketball playoff brackets officially released

By Mike Coppage 

Photo of Northshore's Kohen Rowbatham by Patrick Dennis, The Advocate

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association released the boys basketball playoff brackets on Monday morning.

This promises to be the most intriguing postseason since public and private schools were split into separate divisions several years ago. Due to the new definitions of select and non-select schools, talent is spread much more evenly across the 10 divisions than before.

The playoffs culminate with the LHSAA's Marsh Madness, set for March 6-11 in Lake Charles.

Division I non-select

Top 10 seeds (first four receive first-round byes)

1. New Iberia (27-3)

2. Ruston (27-3)

3. Ponchatoula (25-7)

4. Walker (27-5)

5. Ouachita Parish (20-9)

6. Sulphur (25-8)

7. Barbe (20-8)

8. Northshore (15-8)

9. Salmen (19-9)

10. Southside (19-12)

New Iberia and Northshore appear destined for a quarterfinal showdown. Two years ago, the Panthers traveled to New Iberia as a No. 11 seed and upset the No. 6 Yellow Jackets in the second round. Northshore point guard Kohen Rowbatham was only a freshman at the time, but he scored 15 points in the 58-45 win.

Northshore reached the Class 5A finals as a No. 11 seed last year, finishing as runner-up to Zachary.

Jonathan Bradshaw and No. 5 Ouachita Parish took down second-seeded Ruston twice to win the District 2-5A championship. The Lions, also the fifth seed last year, won 52-51 at No. 4 New Iberia in the quarterfinals.

Four of the top 10 seeds are out of District 3-5A: New Iberia, Sulphur, Barbe and Southside. Look for No. 10 Southside to meet Barbe in the second round. The Sharks and Buccaneers squared off in the final game of the regular season with Barbe winning, 68-56, in Lake Charles.

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Division I select

Top 10 seeds (first eight receive first-round byes)

1. Scotlandville (29-3)

2. St. Thomas More (30-4)

3. Catholic-Baton Rouge (24-6)

4. Huntington (22-8)

5. Southwood (23-7)

6. Captain Shreve (24-5)

7. Pineville (20-8)

8. John Ehret (19-6)

9. St. Augustine (18-11)

10. St. Paul's (19-8)

With 24 teams, this bracket is twice as large as last year. No. 3 Scotlandville defeated No. 4 John Curtis, 62-58, for last year's crown. Scotlandville, with seniors Dorian Booker and C'Zavian Teasett, may have the best team in any classification.

St. Thomas More won four straight state titles before losing, 47-43, in the semifinals to Liberty Magnet last year. Liberty, which was the last team to hand Scotlandville a defeat, is ineligible for the postseason after a fight broke out in its recent game with Zachary.

St. Thomas More comes into the playoffs with a 15-game winning streak. The Cougars are tough to guard with 6-foot-3 Mason Guillory's perimeter shooting, combined with the inside/outside play of Michael Mouton (6-4) and Chad Jones (6-8) down low.

Pineville should host St. Paul's, last year's top seed, in the second round. Pineville has won seven of its last eight games, with its only loss coming to District 2-5A foe Ruston. The Pineville/St. Paul's winner would travel to Lafayette for a date with St. Thomas More in the quarterfinals.

McMain, which has reached the Class 4A finals each of the past two years, is a dangerous No. 11 seed. The 13-7 Mustangs didn't play their first game until January as a result of a brawl in a preseason jamboree. If McMain advances in the first round versus No. 22 East Jefferson, they'll travel to Captain Shreve.

Another potential marquee second round matchup would pit No. 12 John Curtis (24-7) at Southwood. First, the Patriots have to deal with No. 21 Bonnabel (19-13) in a matchup of East Jeff metro area programs.

Division II non-select

Top 10 seeds (first four receive first-round byes)

1. Wossman (27-4)

2. Iowa (26-4)

3. Carroll (22-11)

4. Bossier (20-10)

5. St. Martinville (21-11)

6. Breaux Bridge (19-8)

7. Brusly (21-8)

8. Lakeshore (18-5)

9. Franklin Parish (23-6)

10. LaGrange (20-7)

Wossman and St. Martinville have collided each of the past three years in the Class 3A playoffs. The Wildcats took two quarterfinal wins at home, sandwiched around a loss to St. Martinville in the semifinals two years ago in the Cajundome.

The Wildcats and Tigers wouldn't see each other this time until the semifinals.

No. 16 Abbeville (14-12) was projected as a top 5-6 seed until the Wildcats were forced to forfeit a handful of district wins due to an ineligible player. If Tyrone Glover, Chad Nolan and company play like they did in their regular season finale against North Central, Abbeville will move past No. 17 South Beauregard (20-12). Their reward would be a second-round trip to Monroe to face Wossman.

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Division II select

Top 10 seeds (first eight receive first-round byes)

1. Madison Prep (29-2)

2. Peabody Magnet (23-6)

3. Archbishop Hannan (21-5)

4. Vandebilt Catholic (25-6)

5. Archbishop Shaw (20-5)

6. George Washington Carver (20-10)

7. Lafayette Christian (20-7)

8. Lord Beaconsfield Landry (22-10)

9. Lake Charles College Prep (25-6)

10. St. Michael (24-8)

There are three reigning state champions in this bracket: Madison Prep (Class 3A), Carver (Class 4A) and Hannan (Division II). Lafayette Christian, which is looking to make its 10th straight semifinal appearance, is in its first season in Division II.

No. 13 Northside (19-13) will host No. 20 Booker T. Washington-Shreveport (13-13) in the first round. If the Vikings prevail, they'll try to play spoiler at Vandebilt Catholic in the second round. Northside, which plays as tough a schedule as anybody, has four solid scoring options in Zion McCoy, Keagan Dugas, Bri'Trevian Lee and Jamarian Johnnie.

Madison Prep is in the conversation when it comes to the best program in the state. Jayce Depron and the Chargers' only losses were to Scotlandville and Ponchatoula. Prep owns a collection of impressive wins against Newman, Ouachita, Ruston, Huntington, St. Thomas More, Walker, Liberty, Zachary, Iowa and Port Allen.

Division III non-select

Top 10 seeds (first four receive first round byes)

1. Port Allen (25-4)

2. French Settlement (27-4)

3. Winnfield (23-4)

4. Patterson (20-4)

5. Rayville (20-12)

6. Richwood (21-11)

7. Madison (23-5)

8. Ville Platte (20-9)

9. Sterlington (24-8)

10. St. Helena (16-4)

Port Allen, led by guard Elliot McQuillan and forward Aries Lewis, has won three straight Class 2A state titles.

If No. 4 Patterson hooks up with No. 5 Rayville in the quarterfinals, it should be worth the price of admission. Patterson is a big, physical Class 3A program which has only lost to Franklin, Breaux Bridge and Southside. The Lumberbacks forfeited an early game against New Iberia.

No. 15 Amite at No. 2 French Settlement is another good potential second round matchup. Although Amite is 12-15, the Warriors lost to programs such as Madison Prep, Newman, East Feliciana, Southside, Walker, Liberty and Scotlandville.

Amite finished as Class 2A runner-up to Port Allen last year.

Richwood and Sterlington both come out of a tough District 1-3A. Richwood, which features 6-foot-5 guard Courtney McCarthey, has a recent win against Wossman.

Division III select

Top 10 seeds (first eight receive first-round byes)

1. Isidore Newman (21-3)

2. Metairie Park Country Day (22-5)

3. Calvary Baptist (22-5)

4. Dunham (18-8)

5. ML King Charter (21-11)

6. St. Thomas Aquinas (17-12)

7. St. Charles Catholic (20-7)

8. Sophie B. Wright (23-9)

9. Episcopal (19-11)

10. Catholic-New Iberia (17-9)

Newman defeated Lafayette Christian in last year's Division III title game. The Greenies are as deep and talented as anybody in the state with Chris Lockett, Chad Jones and Canin Jefferson leading the pack.

Calvary Baptist moves up to Division III after finishing as Division IV runner-up to Southern Lab.

Catholic-New Iberia and St. Charles Catholic could clash in the second round. Catholic features a trio of sophomores in dynamic point guard Jaiden Mitchell, long-range bomber Tristan Lewis and forward Chris Green. 6-foot-7 freshman Joab Trosclair also patrols the lane for the Panthers.

No. 12 Parkview Baptist (15-12) should travel to ML King Charter in an interesting second-round matchup. PBS sophomore guard Issac Brumfield is a player to watch.

Division IV non-select

Top 10 seeds (first four receive first-round byes)

1. East Feliciana (22-7)

2. White Castle (24-9)

3. Franklin (18-5)

4. North Central (20-12)

5. Oakdale (19-7)

6. Lakeview (21-9)

7. Delhi (20-9)

8. Elton (22-11)

9. Welsh (19-12)

10. Ringgold (24-10)

East Feliciana has come a long way since losing to No. 11 Avoyelles as a No. 22 seed in last year's Class 2A bracket. A 6-foot-7, 245-pounder in Trey'Dez Green is ranked as the No. 1 football prospect in Louisiana by one recruiting service.

White Castle finished as runner-up to North Central in last year's Class 1A bracket.

North Central, which won three of the last four Class 1A state titles, is coming off a win against McMain. De'Vion Lavergne, a 6-foot-3 senior, is the complete package. He's joined by high-rising junior Mckinnis Savoie. Lavergne and Savoie can light it up from the outside and finish above the rim.

Franklin gets up and down the court quickly with four players in the 6-foot-3 range along with explosive junior guard Jay'Shaun Johnson. Dalyn Bell is hard to stop in the paint for coach Tremayne Johnson's team.

Lakeview is a long-time Class 2A power. The top-seeded Gators were upset by No. 5 Amite in the Class 2A semifinals last year.

Division IV select

Top 10 seeds (top eight receive first-round byes)

1. Northwood-Lena (25-7)

2. Lincoln Prep (21-4)

3. Crescent City (20-4)

4. St. Martin's Episcopal (19-9)

5. Hamilton Christian (17-8)

6. Central Catholic (19-8)

7. Southern Lab (16-9)

8. St. Mary's (19-6)

9. St. Frederick (17-10)

10. Vermilion Catholic (14-6)

Northwood and St. Mary's should square off in the quarterfinals. The Gators and Tigers met twice in District 3-1A play, splitting the series with each program winning on its home floor.

Omarion Layssard, a 6-3, 198-pound senior guard, is often unstoppable when he drives to the goal for Northwood. Randy Morris, a 6-4 forward, is a left-handed force when it comes to blocking shots and scoring down low.

St. Mary's, led by Ayden Warren and Joseph Metoyer, comes into the playoffs on a high note after the Tigers knocked off Lakeview, 50-49. Warren, a junior point guard, hit the game-winning shot against Lakeview.

Northwood could see Hamilton Christian in the semifinals in what would essentially be a home game for the Lake Charles-based Warriors. Hamilton Christian is long with 6-foot-9 Malachi Evans and 6-foot-10 Deray Vital accompanying 6-foot-2 guard Bryson Colbert, a Southside transfer.

Division V non-select

Top 10 seeds (top four receive first-round byes)

1. Zwolle (30-2)

2. Anacoco (34-5)

3. Fairview (29-5)

4. Gibsland-Coleman (21-7)

5. Lacassine (28-10)

6. Doyline (25-3)

7. Hornbeck (28-6)

8. Choudrant (28-9)

9. Phoenix (19-3)

10. Singer (21-13)

Zwolle finished as Class B runner-up to Simsboro last year. Gibsland-Coleman was Class C runner-up to Calvin.

Zwolle's only two losses have come to Anacoco. Dustin Welch, a junior, had 45 points on 20-of-23 shooting with 14 rebounds in Anacoco's December win against LaGrange.

Kenneth Montgomery led Zwolle with 24 points in the Hawks' win against Claiborne Christian last week.

Doyline should travel to Fairview in the quarterfinals in a matchup of 6-foot-2 senior guards (Jamaria Clark versus Landon Strother).

Division V select

Top 10 seeds (top two receive first-round byes)

1. Avoyelles Public Charter (32-1)

2. Family Christian (22-14)

3. Rapides (21-12)

4. JS Clark (18-13)

5. Claiborne Christian (21-10)

6. Plainview (15-15)

7. Episcopal School of Acadiana (17-17)

8. St. Joseph's-Plaucheville (16-16)

9. Jehovah-Jireh (7-16)

10. Northside Christian (15-20)

Avoyelles Public Charter's only loss was against Southwood. Vikings' guard Jalen Brown won the LHSBCA regional 3-point contest last week. Last year, the Vikings competed in Class 2A, losing in the second round to top-seeded Lakeview.