Lightning-quick Kam Johnson leads Shaw past Catholic (BR), 77-69

A veteran Catholic (Baton Rouge), winner of 10 of its past 11, returned Friday to the same gymnasium in Marrero where its 2022 season ended in the Division-I select quarterfinals.

The Bears (19-5) hoped to add host Archbishop Shaw (18-4) to a revenge tour that already included four victories against teams to have beaten them a year earlier as a new-look roster and new coach navigated learning curves.

But lightning-quick senior point guard Kameron Johnson was — as he has been to many of the Eagles’ opponents the past couple years — kryptonite to those hopes and a leader on both ends of the court with 36 points in his squad’s 77-69 win.

Kam Johnson Kam Johnson 5'9" | PG Archbishop Shaw | 2023 State LA (5’9″ | 2023)

From handle to pull up and release, Johnson is one of the quickest players in the state. He needs the slimmest of spaces or slightest of hesitations from a defender to rise and fire off his pretty jumper or blow past for a basket in the lane. He finished with 36 points on 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc, 6-for-8 on 2’s from top-of-key jumpers to acrobatic finishes through contact and 9-for-12 shooting from the foul line, as well as four rebounds, four assists, a pair of steals and a huge drawn charge early in the fourth quarter to help field the Eagles’ pull-away run. Coach Wesley Laurendine called the Loyola (New Orleans) commitment an extension of himself on the court, a dynamic that was easy and evident to see from start to finish in the guard’s intelligent and gritty play at his size and speed.

Aidan Lasalle Aidan Lasalle 6'0" | PG Archbishop Shaw | 2024 State LA (6’0″, 2024)

The junior wing played huge down the stretch as Shaw’s secondary ball-handler to Johnson making a pair of huge elbow jumpers and a few late free throws to help answer and hold off the Bears’ final comeback attempts. LaSalle scored 19 points — including three 3-pointers — grabbed a rebound and a steal and stood tall alongside teammate Will Lewis Jr. on a defensive play on which one or both of their outstretched arms blocked away a Catholic shot in the lane.

William Lewis Jr. (6’2″ | 2024)

The tall junior athlete with the long wingspan tacked on a handful of late points to finish with seven, but was a menace on defense and hustle plays throughout the contest for 11 rebounds, two or three blocks, a steal and an assist.

Christian Creppel Christian Creppel 6'5" | SF Archbishop Shaw | 2024 State LA (6’5″ | 2024)

The long, lean athlete creates potential matchup issues with his combination of height and perimeter skill. Creppel drained a fourth-quarter 3-pointers to finish with seven points, dished out an assist and drew a charge out past the 3-point line with his on-ball defense just moments after Johnson’s, but also grabbed five rebounds and blocked a shot.

Tate McCurry Tate McCurry 6'3" | CG Catholic Of Baton Rouge | 2025 State LA (6’2″ | 2025)

The Bears’ tallest starter was a versatile inside-outside threat all night on the other end of the court en route to 21 points, including a first-quarter 3-pointer and several driving, cutting or second-chance baskets in the lane, including two three-point plays in the third quarter that fueled an 11-0 run to turn a nine-point deficit into a brief lead. McCurry grabbed five rebounds and a steal to go with his team-high scoring output.

Dennis Hebert III Dennis Hebert III 5'11" | SG Catholic | 2023 State LA (6’0″ | 2023)

The senior guard provided some clear quickness, energy and toughness to the Catholic backcourt, including the other five points of the aforementioned 11-0 third-quarter run with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws after stealing the ball in the backcourt and getting into the lane. Herbert finished with 15 points, a rebound and a pair of steals.

Dylan Gifford (6’0″ | 2024)

The junior wing scored 13 points with a second-quarter 3-pointer, some well-timed cuts and finishes and a strong drive on the block to his left and grabbed a rebound and dished out an assist.