Five select quarterfinal LHSAA playoff matchups to watch
Forty schools around Louisiana will host their final basketball games of the season this week — 10 divisions’ worth of quarterfinals with trips to next week’s state tournament on the line. Here were five games from the “select” school brackets that…
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Continue ReadingForty schools around Louisiana will host their final basketball games of the season this week — 10 divisions’ worth of quarterfinals with trips to next week’s state tournament on the line.
Here were five games from the “select” school brackets that caught our attention, due in no small part to the notable talent on the rosters.
No. 10 Scotlandville at No. 2 Liberty Magnet — Division-I Select
The Baton Rouge powerhouses will square off for third time this season and second time in less than a month after 10- and 7-point victories by the Patriots in the previous two meetings. Scotlandville has reached a state championship game every year since 2010, but as a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed in each instance. This year’s team is hoping to mount more of a Cinderella run by seeding standards, but still brings not only a wealth of tradition, but talented leaders that include star point junior guard Jamal Drewery Jamal Drewery 5'10" | PG Scotlandville | 2025 State LA , senior shooting guard Ja’Marriyon Brown fresh off 32 points Tuesday and senior big man LaMarkus Williams. Liberty Magnet is aiming to get back to its second title game in three years and complete the mission behind senior guard Howard Gaskins Howard Gaskins 6'1" | PG Liberty Magnet | 2024 State LA Jr. and forwards Jaylen Peters Jaylen Peters 6'5" | SF Liberty Magnet | 2024 State LA and Marquise McPipe Marquise McPipe 6'3" | SG Liberty | 2024 State LA and junior guard Malek Robinson Malek Robinson 5'10" | PG Liberty | 2025 State LA .
No. 12 St. Michael at No. 4 Archbishop Shaw — Division-II Select
The Warriors are among the lower seeds still playing this weekend, but — similar to Scotlandville — that seeding may overstate the “underdog” or surprise dynamics at play. St. Michael makes its fifth straight quarterfinal trip with those previous runs coming as a No. 5, No. 7, No. 8 and No. 10 seed, including semifinals in 2021 and 2022. Junior shooting guard Sean Brown is the hottest hand, fresh off 24 points Tuesday in a road upset of No. 5 Vandebilt Catholic, and among the leaders with senior guards Hayden Bessonet Hayden Bessonet 6'2" | CG St. Michael The Archangel | 2024 State LA and Jude Hardie Jude Hardie 6'0" | CG St. Michael The Archangel | 2024 State LA and fellow junior Josh Bertrand. For Archbishop Shaw, Christian Creppel Christian Creppel 6'5" | SF Archbishop Shaw | 2024 State LA , Xavier Meyers Xavier Meyers 6'2" | SG AB Shaw | 2024 State LA , William Lewis Jr. and Jaden Vappie are the senior leaders, with junior forward Kobe Butler Kobe Butler 6'7" | SF Archbishop Shaw | 2025 State LA playing a huge role anchoring the defense inside and Allen Shaw III Allen Shaw III 5'9" | PG Archbishop Shaw | 2027 State LA a freshman already playing a big role and a young name to know for years to come. The Eagles reached the 2023 semifinals and have been determined to return to the state tournament and complete the mission.
No. 6 Southwood at No. 3 Captain Shreve — Division-I Select
The Shreveport and District 1-5A rivals will meet for the third time in a span of 30 days, with the higher-seeded Gators winning the previous two — the first in a 20-point blowout, but the latter by just four. Louisiana (Lafayette)-signed big man Jeremiah Evans Jeremiah Evans 6'10" | C Southwood | 2024 State #249 Nation LA is one of the state’s top-ranked seniors with guard Maurice Carson Maurice Carson 5'11" | PG Southwood | 2024 State LA , forward Kamauri Fleming, Travis Brooks Travis Brooks 6'1" | SG Southwood | 2024 State LA and wings Dylan Bell Dylan Bell 5'8" | PG Southwood | 2024 State LA and Detreveon “Tre” Lars among other notables to watch in the Cowboys’ deep 2024 class. Wings Jyrin Sowell Jyrin Sowell 6'3" | SG Captain Shreve | 2024 State LA and E’Joshua McDonald E’Joshua McDonald 6'3" | SG Captain Shreve | 2024 State LA and power forward Aaron Guin Aaron Guin 6'5" | PF Captain Shreve | 2024 State LA are among the Gators’ senior leads, with junior guard Marcus Lofton Marcus Lofton 5'10" | PG Captain Shreve | 2025 State LA , fresh off a strong second-round performance, among younger standouts.
No. 6 Lafayette Christian at No. 3 G.W. Carver — Division-II Select
The Knights avenged a recent district loss to Northside in the second round behind a monster performance by Tulane signee Kameron Williams Kameron Williams 6'7" | SF Lafayette Christian | 2024 State #60 Nation LA , the state’s top-ranked senior, and a strong defensive showing overall as a team. Williams is joined on Prep Hoops Louisiana’s 2024 list by fellow ranked seniors such as Jeremy Bargky Jeremy Bargky 6'4" | PG Lafayette Christian Academy | 2024 State LA , Morgan Collins Morgan Collins 6'3" | SF Lafayette Christian | 2024 State LA and Deon Wheeler Deon Wheeler 6'1" | CG Lafayette Christian Academy | 2024 State LA . And standout sophomore Graham Comeaux and well-known football standouts such as Trae Grogan Trae Grogan 6'3" | SG Cecilia | 2024 State LA , Sandy Lewis and Jalen Noel help further highlight a deep rotation. Next up: a trip to defending champion G.W. Carver in New Orleans, where the Rams routed De La Salle in the second round. Big man Daijon Leatherman Daijon Leatherman 6'9" | PF Carver | 2025 State LA is one of the state’s top juniors, with senior guards Laurence Nathan Laurence Nathan 6'2" | PG Carver | 2024 State LA and Stanley Waterhouse running the offense and sophomore Chesney Sadler Chesney Sadler 5'10" | CG Carver | 2026 State LA capable of lighting up the scoreboard.
No. 6 Hamilton Christian at No. 3 Southern Lab — Division-IV Select
A rematch of a nail-biting 2022 semifinal highlights a limited slate of Thursday game. The Warriors and Kittens bring not only a wealth of postseason tradition, but some notable star power into the small-schools matchup. Freshman guard Javon Vital Javon Vital 5'11" | CG Hamilton Christian | 2027 State LA and sophomore big man DeRay Vital are the headline prospects for Hamilton Christian, with seniors Omarion Green, Garrett Humphery and Samuel Knight and junior Seth Ned Seth Ned 5'11" | PG Hamilton Christian | 2025 State LA among the leading upperclassmen. Rebounding machine Troy Murphy is among the familiar standouts of a strong Southern Lab senior class that includes guards Bryson Chapman Bryson Chapman 5'10" | PG Southern University Laboratory | 2024 State LA , Cameron Hardnett and Joseph Harris with junior big man Charles LeBlanc and junior guard Braylon Brown also among the standouts on a veteran team.