Top 10 Games of 2018-2019

There are times when you preview a new season, you reflect back to what happened the season before. In this article, we will take a look at my top ten list of games from last season and look forward at some players who participated in them. 1. Minden vs North Caddo (Girls final of the Doc Edwards Holiday Classic) In a game that was nip and tuck all night, the Minden girls defeated the North Caddo Lady Rebels 74-69 in double overtime. Bre Rodgers, the Western Texas College signee, scored a game high 30 as the Lady Tide held off the Rebels led by Alabama signee Destiny Rice. The drama and suspense during the each twist and turn made this game number one. North Caddo had a chance to win the game in the first overtime but Rice’s half court shot bounce off the front of the rim. Rodgers, with help from Derricka Gilbert, helped seal the deal in the second OT. 2. St. Thomas More vs De La Salle (Division II state championship) - pictured above The first half saw De La Salle jump out to a big lead only to have St. Thomas More come back with a 24-11 4th quarter. After a low scoring first OT, STM finally hit their stride in the second overtime. Their second half press ultimately wore the Cavaliers down. [player_tooltip player_id="848226" first="Jalen" last="Ned"] (6’2", 2020) was on his way to an MOP with his 33 and 7 performance playing all 42 minutes until [player_tooltip player_id="765919" first="Jaden" last="Shelvin"] (6’2, 2021) literally stole the show. Shelvin and fellow sophomore Carter Dominigue (6’2, 2021) scored 40 of the 77 Cougar points in a game they ultimately won by 5. Look for these three to be some of the top players in 4A going into the 2020 season. 3. Walker vs Red River (Showdown on the Lake - 1st round) Games in the 1st round do not usually turn into game of the year material. However, a game with two of the state’s best point guards ended up being one. [player_tooltip player_id="778619" first="Jalen" last="Cook"] (LSU commit, 2020) displayed why he was Gatorade Player of the Year early in this one and Walker was up big at the half. It took E’maryeon McDonald (6’1, 2021) catching fire in the third and Southern Arkansas signee Jesse Davis scoring 18 in the fourth to win 82-81. A Davis layup late in the game gave the Bulldogs the only lead they would need in the game. As of now, we will not see a matchup between McDonald and Cook this season due to eligibility issues with McDonald at Scotlandville. There would be some serious fireworks if we could. 4. Breaux Bridge vs Bossier (4A state championship) This was not the game that people expected it to be. Most people thought that Bossier was going to easily dismiss the Tigers as they had Carencro in the semis. However, Seth Alexander (game MOP) and his almost perfect night at the free throw line coupled with a Dalton Alexander (5’10, 2020) late three helped the Tigers win the title. After being down, Jacoby Decker (Panola signee) and [player_tooltip player_id="687699" first="Cody" last="Deen"] (5’9, 2020) brought the Bearkats back and had the lead late. However, a missed free throw by Dean and missed three by Decker doomed Bossier in the end. The 61-58 win brought Breaux Bridge their first state basketball title. Look for [player_tooltip player_id="687699" first="Cody" last="Deen"] to be a player of the year contender and Tiger wing [player_tooltip player_id="927999" first="DeAndre" last="Hypolite"] (6’3", 2020) to be a possible all state performer. 5. Rayville vs Ouachita (Don Redden tournament final) There is no atmosphere like "the Madhouse" during a big game. Needless to say, the Don Redden final which featured tournament host Ouachita against Rayville was a big game. The Lions were locked in from the jump as tournament MVP Paul King (BPCC signee) lead all scorers early and Ouachita led at the half. In pure Hornet fashion, they came back. UL-Lafayette signee Mylik Wilson led the comeback as he took over offensively and defensively. Spurring a double digit comeback, Wilson tied the game at 71 with 34 seconds remaining. On the Lions last possession, [player_tooltip player_id="848217" first="Charquez" last="Owens"] (6’3, 2020) makes the game-winning layup at the buzzer for the 73-71 win. Owens and the Lions will be a strong favorite to reach Lake Charles again this season. The remaining top 10 6. Sophie B. Wright vs Landry-Walker (Madison Prep tournament semifinal) After surviving a [player_tooltip player_id="778619" first="Jalen" last="Cook"]-led comeback on Friday night, Sophie B. Wright survived a 30 point scoring barrage by Shadon Green (2019). The game went to overtime where Southern signee Damiree Burns secures the 85-84 victory with a layup. The Warriors would lose three hours later to the Chargers in the championship. 7. Southwood vs Airline (1-5A district game) The Cowboys entered the game undefeated in district facing the two-time district champions at home. Southwood senior Sadarionne Ellis (Bishop State) led Southwood most of the game. [player_tooltip player_id="765923" first="Daniel" last="Ortiz"] (6’0, 2021) helped late with key buckets and free throws. Airline takes the lead with 5 seconds on a DeQuan Randle three. Ellis missed the shot at the buzzer and the Vikings won 62-61. Ortiz will look to lead the Cowboys to a victory this season at Airline and repeat as district champions. 8. Simsboro vs Zwolle (Class B state championship) In a rematch of an in season matchup, Simsboro repeats as state champions with a 59-53 win. Even though Simsboro controlled most of the game, Zwolle took a brief lead in the fourth led by juniors [player_tooltip player_id="928003" first="Kobe" last="Montgomery"] (6’1) and Dkendrick Pittmon (6’1). [player_tooltip player_id="848237" first="Kalep" last="Crane"] (6’1", 2020) hit a big three to give the Tigers the lead for good. He, along with Gianni Nelson and MOP [player_tooltip player_id="530963" first="Jakemin" last="Abney"] (6’3", 2020), scored 51 of the 59 Simsboro points on the way to victory. Look for another addition to this series as the Hawks host Simsboro in early November. 9. Walker vs Sophie B. Wright (Madison Prep tournament quarterfinal) Just the week before, Walker had given up 20-plus point lead to Red River in a loss. Now, they were the ones coming back from over 20 down. [player_tooltip player_id="778619" first="Jalen" last="Cook"] scored 20-plus in the 4th quarter to help Walker come within a bucket. However, the Warriors got timely buckets by their big three to secure the quarterfinal win. 10. Captain Shreve vs Southwood (1-5A district game) This was a battle for first place in 1-5A at "The Swamp". Led by Kendal Coleman (6’7, 2020) and Marvin Young, the Gators had a five point lead over the Cowboys in the 4th. The Cowboys score five straight to take a late lead. A [player_tooltip player_id="687702" first="Christian" last="Caldwell"] (6’6", 2020) block and two SD Ellis free throws later, Southwood walks out with a four point victory. Players like [player_tooltip player_id="687699" first="Cody" last="Deen"], [player_tooltip player_id="778619" first="Jalen" last="Cook"], [player_tooltip player_id="530963" first="Jakemin" last="Abney"], and [player_tooltip player_id="848217" first="Charquez" last="Owens"] will be in the discussion all year for player of the year in their district and their respective classes. Others like [player_tooltip player_id="765923" first="Daniel" last="Ortiz"], Kendal Coleman, and [player_tooltip player_id="848237" first="Kalep" last="Crane"] will hopefully build on the momentum they gained this summer. Even though this article reflects on last season, most of the players highlighted will be returning to create more memories and highlights on the prep scene. We will see as scrimmages begin this week in class C and B around various parts of Louisiana.