5 nonselect quarterfinal matchups to watch | LHSAA Playoffs

Teams from every corner of Louisiana to the next will battle Friday (with a couple Thursday early birds) for berths in next week’s state tournament at McNeese State in Lake Charles.

The levels of competition and drama have ratcheted up with each stage of the postseason thus far from last week’s first round to now what appears poised to be a memorable slate of quarterfinals.

Here are the five games on the schedule that most caught our attention among the nonselect divisions.

No. 5 Ouachita at No. 4 Walker (Division-I)

A pair of Class 5A semifinalists from a year ago will square off Friday to battle for one spot in that round next week. The programs, both perennial contenders, haven’t met since a 2019 semifinal that Walker won, 53-48. The Wildcats will be waiting with a group led by seniors Warren Young Warren Young 6'1" | CG Walker | 2023 State LA Jr., Kedric Brown Kedric Brown 6'0" | SG Walker | 2023 State LA , Ja’Cory Thomas, Mekhi Varnado Mekhi Varnado 6'3" | SF Walker | 2023 State LA and Brandon Bardales. The Lions take the trip south led by the senior trio of forward  Jonathan Bradshaw Jonathan Bradshaw 6'4" | SF Ouachita | 2023 State LA  and guards  Jordan Davis Jordan Davis 6'1" | PG Ouachita | 2023 State LA  and James Ross with Trevon Bradford a highly ranked junior.

No. 5 Rayville at No. 4 Patterson (Division-III)

Perennial power Rayville will take one of the weekend’s longest treks, more than four hours south to Patterson. Senior guards Camron Smith, Getaydreyan Foster and Zephaniah Elmore, senior big man Clay Thompson, junior  Kaleb Jackson Kaleb Jackson 5'7" | PG Captain Shreve | 2026 State LA  and sophomore  Lantavious Murphy Lantavious Murphy 6'3" | SG Rayville | 2025 State LA will try to help lead the Hornets back to their seventh straight semifinal appearance, including a streak of five straight title games from 2017 to 2021 and back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. Patterson is already the deepest it has been into a playoff run in that span. The Lumberjacks get the benefit of home-court advantage, though, where they are 7-2 in the playoffs dating back to that 2016 quarterfinal appearance — compared to 0-5 on the road. Senior forward Josiah Jennings Josiah Jennings 6'4" | SF Patterson | 2023 State LA , a Mississippi College football signee, is the headline prospect for Patterson, with junior big man Demond Davis, senior guard Kendall Francois, junior guard Khylin Brooks and sophomore guard Carlos Brooks Jr. rounding out the lineup.

No. 6 Doyline at No. 3 Fairview (Division-IV)

A pair of Panthers squads from small rural schools will help kickoff the quarterfinal round Thursday, with the winner punching its first semifinal ticket since Doyline’s 2020 state championship. Both teams have had each of the past two seasons end in the quarterfinals. Doyline is 1-4 in quarterfinals the past five years, with Fairview 0-3 the past three years. But each set of Panthers has a talented, battle-tested upperclassman group eager to push forward for more. Doyline is led by combo guard Jamaria Clark Jamaria Clark 6'2" | CG Doyline | 2023 State LA , who has been one of Louisiana’s most unstoppable scorers all season, and junior teammates Keidric Clark Keidric Clark 6'4" | SG Doyline | 2024 State LA and Broox Swain Broox Swain 6'5" | PF Doyline | 2024 State LA . Fairview

No. 8 Northshore at No. 1 New Iberia (Division-I)

Two of Louisiana’s highest-ranked junior prospects will take the same court Friday as explosive guard Kohen Rowbatham Kohen Rowbatham 6'1" | PG Northshore | 2024 State #239 Nation LA leads his Panthers to New Iberia to face Wayne Randall-Bashay Wayne Randall-Bashay 6'4" | SF New Iberia | 2024 State LA and the Yellow Jackets after their respective second-round survivals: Northshore by two points in double overtime against in-town rival Salmen, and New Iberia by one point on a Randall-Bashay game-winner against East Ascension. Seniors Gabriel James and  Tyrell Yates Tyrell Yates 6'3" | SG Northshore | 2023 State LA  join Rowbatham in the Panthers’ backcourt, with James Bridges on the wing and stretch big Dawson Knox providing front-court versatility. Joining Randall-Bashary on the home side are the senior trio of Christian Walker Christian Walker 6'0" | PG New Iberia | 2023 State LA , Kylan Dugas Kylan Dugas 5'9" | PG New Iberia Senior High | 2023 State LA and Jayden Westley Jayden Westley 6'3" | SF New Iberia | 2023 State LA and fellow juniors Austin Delahoussaye Austin Delahoussaye 5'9" | PG New Iberia | 2024 State LA and Kentravion Smith as some of the Yellow Jackets’ other standouts. The senior trio of Landon Strother Landon Strother 6'2" | SG Fairview | 2023 State LA , Brett Jinks and Brennan LeJeune meanwhile headline the Fairview group awaiting in Grant.

No. 9 Franklin Parish at No. 1 Wossman (Division-I)

Former district rivals will meet for the first time since Jan. 18 last season in Winnsboro, which itself was the first meeting since the three times during the 2018-19 season. Wossman has reached the past seven state tournaments, including runner-up finishes in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2022. Big forward Kamron Coleman Kamron Coleman 6'8" | PF Wossman | 2023 State LA and shooting guard Juvian Keys Juvian Keys 6'2" | SG Wossman | 2023 State LA are highly ranked senior prospects for the Wildcats, with junior point guard Cordell Payne Cordell Payne 5'9" | PG Wossman | 2024 State LA and wings Jordan Comanche Jordan Comanche 6'7" | CG Wossman | 2024 State LA and Krystian Lewis Krystian Lewis 6'3" | CG Wossman | 2024 State LA and a sophomore trio of Antron Mason II Antron Mason II 6'1" | CG Wossman | 2025 State LA , Kesean Hines Kesean Hines 6'2" | SF Wossman | 2025 State LA and Andrew Ross Andrew Ross 6'0" | CG Jersey Village | 2025 State LA all on the Prep Hoops Louisiana 2025 prospects list. Meanwhile, in his second year back at the Franklin Parish helm, a coach Lonnie Cooper, a Louisiana Basketball Hall-of-Famer for his playing career at McCall High and Louisiana Tech, has the Patriots in their first quarterfinal since 2019 after a missed 2020 postseason and back-to-back first-round exits in 2021 and 2022. Multisport standout Javion White, an underrated football prospect, is a veteran standout with Cooper’s son, sophomore forward Drew Cooper, also a baseball standout, and freshman power forward Chris Addison, also an intriguing young football and basketball prospect to watch, also already among the Franklin Parish’s players to watch.