Rapides Regional Invitational Preview

<p>The Louisiana high school basketball season is in full swing, and I am a happy camper! I absolutely love the November and December schedule because it is full of game after game in tournament after tournament. On any given night, you can find several great matchups all over the state, and this week is no different. The Rapides Regional Invitational Tournament tips off this evening, Wednesday, December 8th, in Alexandria, and there will be no shortage of talent on display. Here’s a look at the nightly schedule and a few of the key matchups, as games run through Saturday. (I’ll follow up next week with top teams and performers.)</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Northwood-Lena (6-1) vs. Menard (5-3)</span></p> <p>This Thursday night game features two tough teams from Cenla that are vying to get back to Marsh Madness. Both of them are led by a couple of point guards who are flying a little under the radar. [player_tooltip player_id="1213564" first="Jonathan" last="Barron"] of Northwood has been on a tear of late and will try to keep things going against the ever-steady [player_tooltip player_id="1275310" first="Daylen" last="Turner"] and his Eagles teammates. It’s also worth mentioning that the Gators’ [player_tooltip player_id="970126" first="Omarion" last="Layssard"] dropped 36 on Marksville not long ago. This one should be fun!</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Natchitoches Central (2-2) vs. Bossier (7-3)</span></p> <p>Friday’s contest between NCHS and Bossier ought to be a good one. The Chiefs have split their first four games and will look to get things going this week in Alexandria. So far the Class 5A runner-up goes as [player_tooltip player_id="1270244" first="Justin" last="Aaron"] goes. He put up big numbers in wins over Pineville and Zwolle, but was held in check in their two losses. Bossier’s three-headed monster of [player_tooltip player_id="1127255" first="Sedric" last="Applewhite"], [player_tooltip player_id="1275269" first="Joseph" last="Manning"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1211105" first="Marquis" last="Harris"] is going to cause problems for everyone. Their size and athleticism have them wreaking havoc on the court and racking up offers off of it. I can’t wait to watch!</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ASH (3-0) vs. Captain Shreve (5-1)</span></p> <p>The Trojans face off against Captain Shreve in this rematch of the 2020 state quarterfinals. With solid wins over Woodlawn and North Caddo in their last two outings, the Gators will look to keep things rolling this Friday evening. ASH hasn’t seen a whole lot of game action yet this season, but that changes this week with four games in four nights. In addition to solid performances by seniors [player_tooltip player_id="1275271" first="Noah" last="Jonker"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1206920" first="Theron" last="Johnson"], the Trojans have got great 3-point shooting help from Charles Williams and some electrifying plays from [player_tooltip player_id="1218194" first="Jaylin" last="Johnson"]. Be sure to pull up for this one.</p> <p><strong>Wednesday, December 8th</strong></p> <p>Teurlings vs. Bolton @ 3:30pm (ASH)</p> <p>Avoyelles vs. Northwood-Lena @ 4:45pm (ASH)</p> <p>Natchitoches Central vs. Marksville @ 6:00pm (ASH)</p> <p>ASH vs. Carroll @ 7:15pm (ASH)</p> <p>Tioga vs. Buckeye @ 3:30pm (Tioga)</p> <p>Acadiana vs. Rapides @ 6:00pm (Pineville)</p> <p>Pineville vs. Menard @ 7:15pm (Pineville)</p> <p><strong>Thursday, December 9th</strong></p> <p>Jena vs. Teurlings @ 4:45pm (ASH)</p> <p>Northwood-Lena vs. Menard @ 6:00pm (ASH)</p> <p>ASH vs. Oakdale @ 7:15pm (ASH)</p> <p>Bolton vs. Avoyelles Charter @ 3:30pm (Tioga)</p> <p>Avoyelles vs. Opelousas @ 4:45pm (Tioga)</p> <p>Buckeye vs. Winnfield @ 6:00pm (Tioga)</p> <p>Tioga vs. St. Martinville @ 7:15pm (Tioga)</p> <p>Marksville vs. Acadiana @ 6:00pm (Pineville)</p> <p><strong>Friday, December 10th</strong></p> <p>St. Martinville vs. Carroll @ 4:45pm (ASH)</p> <p>Natchitoches Central vs. Bossier @ 6:00pm (ASH)</p> <p>ASH vs. Captain Shreve @ 7:15pm (ASH)</p> <p>Oakdale vs. Jena @ 3:30pm (Tioga)</p> <p>Opelousas vs. Menard @ 7:15pm (Tioga)</p> <p>Winnfield vs. Avoyelles @ 4:45pm (Pineville)</p> <p>Pineville vs. Northwood-Lena @ 7:15pm (Pineville)</p> <p>Summerfield vs. Buckeye @ 4:45pm (Pineville Auxillary)</p> <p><strong>Saturday, December 11th</strong></p> <p>Avoyelles Charter vs. Summerfield @ 2:45pm (ASH)</p> <p>Rapides vs. Tioga @ 4:00pm (ASH)</p> <p>Marksville vs. Opelousas @ 5:15pm (ASH)</p> <p>ASH vs. Bossier @ 6:30pm (ASH)</p> <p>Pineville vs. Natchitoches Central @ 6:30pm (Pineville)</p>