Thoughts from Friday’s State Championship Games

<p>Photo Credits: Lamar Gafford</p> <p><strong>Jehovah-Jireh 56 vs. Crescent City 45</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well for the 3rd straight year, these two small school behemoths matched up, and this one didn’t disappoint either. Even though the final score ended up being a win by 11 points for Jehovah-Jireh, it seemed Crescent City took every punch that the Warriors through at them, and kept on fighting. I thought that Crescent City’s spacing and lack of movement against Jehovah-Jireh’s 2-3 zone really cost them in some key possessions down the stretch of the game, and they ended the game with 28 turnovers as a result. I came away really impressed with the young guards for Jehovah-Jireh in 2022 <strong>John-Paul Ricks</strong> and 2021 <strong>Brandon Horton</strong>, who finished with a combined 31 points.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Lafayette Christian 56 vs. Hamilton Christian 51</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I will be the first to admit that coming into this season, I thought that LCA would suffer a big drop off from the team that they have been over the past few years. I wasn’t even sure if I thought of them as a Final 4 team, let alone a potential state champion. However, I think a lot of credit has to go to first year head coach Errol Rodgers. 2019 G Terrance Jones Jr. (Xavier NOLA commit) was his usual self, going for 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, but after the game, I was impressed with 2020 G Billy Francis, who seemed to be all over the court for the Knights. For Hamilton Christian, 2020 G Michael “Deuce” Thomas (Louisiana commit) tried to take over the game late, but it was just a little too late when he did. I would have liked to have seen him be a little more assertive and aggressive on the offensive end, but this loss is far from on his shoulders. </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Simpson 63 vs. Summerfield 53 </strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This game is an excellent example of a story book ending for a senior reliant team overcoming the team that had put them out the season before, before overcoming the odds and taking home the first state championship in Simpson history. It doesn’t get much better than that. Simpson was a really fundamental and well coached team, and I was really impressed with the off-ball movement and sets that they had on the offensive end. At a certain point, senior <strong>Cameron Battez</strong> just took over the game, and refused to let his team lose, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He hit clutch shot after clutch shot, and as a result, Simpson was able to come away with the win. </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>North Central 59 vs. KIPP BTW 47</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First and formost, the coincidence of Apphia Jordan becoming the 2nd woman head coach to coach a boys team to a state title in Louisiana history on International Women’s Day is not lost on me, and it shouldn’t be lost on you either. For a 2nd year straight, she brought her team to the Final 4, further cementing her status as one of the best coaches in the game, regardless of gender. I think that for both teams involved in this game, their best basketball is ahead of them. For North Central, none of their 3 best players are seniors this season, in 2020 F <strong>Nikembe Johnson</strong>, 2021 G <strong>Derrick Tezeno</strong> and 2022 G <strong>Reginald Stoner</strong>. For KIPP BTW, after overachieving a bit this season, making it to the title game as an 8 seed, this might have been the first of many appearances for the members of this team. They are very reliant on a sophomore in G <strong>Tyrese Johnson</strong> and a couple freshman in G <strong>Christian Ferguson</strong> and 6’7 C <strong>Kyran Ratliff</strong>. This might not be the last that we see of this matchup in a state title game. </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Rayville vs. Port Allen</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I will be honest, this game was a lot closer than myself, and many others, would have probably predicted. And I think that is just the way that Port Allen Coach Derrick Jones would have liked it. Port Allen played with toughness from the beginning, and refused to be bullied like so many others along Rayville’s path to victory have been. However, at the end of the day, the talent level that Rayville possesses was simply too much, The trio of Wilson’s (<strong>Mylik Wilson</strong>, <strong>Ja'Markus Wilson</strong>, and <strong>JaMichael Wilson</strong>) scored a combined 42 points, and grabbed 28 boards in their final game in a Hornet’s uniform. It was a hell of a high school career for those 3, and it will be interesting to see how Rayville rebuilds going forward. For Port Allen, they are another team who’s best basketball is ahead of them, with the duo of 2021 G <strong>Tawasky Johnson</strong> and 2022 G <strong>Jalen Knox</strong> having one of the highest ceilings in the state. I look for Port Allen to be back in this position over the next few years. </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>