Warren Young, fellow seniors lead Walker past Ouachita to semis

A hot-shooting Ouachita mounted big second- and third-quarter runs Friday to overcome a slow start and begin taking its share of leads.   But, each time, senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='970138' first='Warren' last='Young'] Jr. stepped up to help spark a Walker answer: driving in the second for baskets that slowed the Lions' momentum, then making a series of big plays in the third on both ends of the court to spark a 17-4 run to close the quarter.   Young sank a midrange jumper over a pair of defenders midway through the third quarter to pull back within a point, then poked the ball away from a Ouachita shooter a few seconds later for a [player_tooltip player_id='970137' first='Kedric' last='Brown'] fast-break layup and the lead.   The Wildcats never trailed again — despite the Lions' continued rally attempts — and pulled away for a 74-63 victory to advance to its sixth straight state tournament.   "I just wanted to be a leader," Young said. "Before the game, I was watching a lot of Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe leadership moments, and I was seeing how he took over games. So when they went on their little run, I was like, 'I've gotta go get the ball and make plays like Kobe did.' So I just went through that and led my team, and they followed right behind me."   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/rV3VXHnn-Ac </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='970138' first='Warren' last='Young'] Jr. (2023) | 6-1 G | Walker   Young finished with a game-high 25 points, six rebounds, six steals, three assists and pair of blocked shots in one final spectacular performance in the Wildcats' home gymnasium. He started with a deep 3-pointer before doing the rest of his damage driving to the basket or find his midrange spots near the foul line or elbow for quick pull-ups. And as much as his scoring provided highlights in pivotal moments, his "go get the ball" mentality was equally impressive. He said afterward that at times the ball felt magnetic to him, but his constant pursuit, active hands and well-timed challenges were impressive.   [player_tooltip player_id='970137' first='Kedric' last='Brown'] (2023) | 6-0 G/F | Walker   The versatile wing with the long arms was once again a critical jack of all trades for the Wildcats from chipping in 12 points and providing an additional reliable ball-handler on offense to his major impact on the boards and defense, including a game-high 10 rebounds and two blocked shots, in a tense, physical contest. Brown made a long list of plays all over the court, with a particular highlight coming on high-leaping defensive rebound that he fired immediately downcourt to [player_tooltip player_id='1461556' first='Mekhi' last='Varnado'] ahead for an open dunk.   Ja'Cory Thomas (2023) | 6-3 F | Walker   The athletic multisport standout finished with 16 points around the basket, three steals and two rebounds. Thomas has good height and length, particularly at the high school level, but particularly impressive leaping ability that allows him to often play bigger and force opposing defenses to be on constant alert of lobs anywhere near the basket that he is highly effective at timing and catching.   [player_tooltip player_id='1461556' first='Mekhi' last='Varnado'] (2023) | 6-3 F | Walker   The senior forward seems to be peaking at the perfect time, following up a 29-point second-round game against Mandeville with Friday's 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. The long, lean athlete was more involved and aggressive with ball-handling than earlier this season, repeatedly getting a step past defenders and driving into the lane for baskets and dishes to teammates.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/OLdtXW7F9Jg </div></figure>     [player_tooltip player_id='1130809' first='Jonathan' last='Bradshaw'] (2023) | 6-3 F | Ouachita Parish   The Lions' highest-rated prospect used his muscular frame and football physicality, which appeared to frustrated the Wildcats in some instances, to compile 10 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots, two assists and two steals in what proved to be his final high school game. Bradshaw is quick and skilled enough to play well away from the basket, including a second-quarter 3-pointer, but used his body well battling for position to provide the game's biggest interior presence.   [player_tooltip player_id='1213812' first='Jordan' last='Davis'] (2023) | 6-2 G | Ouachita Parish   A slew of quick guards with quick, accurate jumpers surrounded Bradshaw much of the night and helped fuel swift Ouachita runs and continue providing realistic comeback hope and pressure late until, ultimately, he and his fellow senior, Davis, fouled out in a span of a few possessions. Davis was the tallest, thickest athlete of the perimeter group, a physical point guard on both ends of the court with his penetration to get to the rim or collapse the Walker defense and help free up open looks for his backcourt mates or applying tight on-ball defense. Davis finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist. He hit one of his two 3-point attempts, but was at his most effective challenging the defense with his dribble and getting to the midrange or into the lane.   Jeremiah Puckett (2024) | 6-1 G | Ouachita Parish   The junior guard ended up lead the Lions with 14 points, thanks to his 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc that included a pair in the fourth quarter. Puckett was the leading sharpshooter for a squad that was 9-for-20 from deep until a few late misses ran the total attempts to 24. He also grabbed five rebounds and a steal and dished out a couple of assists. While Davis was the most consistent of the Ouachita guards of working the ball into the lane, none of the group shied away from the physical play whether on the perimeter, driving or cutting their way through traffic inside or battling for rebounds.   [player_tooltip player_id='1330583' first='Zion' last='Weeks'] (2025) | 6-1 G | Ouachita Parish   The sophomore scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and three steals, dished out three assists and blocked a transition 3-pointer from behind as he kept pursuing the play and timed a contest well to avoid the foul and regain possession for his team. Weeks was one of six different Lions to hit 3-pointers, but scored more of his points inside the arc and at the foul line.

A hot-shooting Ouachita mounted big second- and third-quarter runs Friday to overcome a slow start and begin taking its share of leads.