Five non-select quarterfinal LHSAA playoff matchups to watch
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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 “non-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 “non-select” school brackets that caught our attention, due in no small part to the notable talent on the rosters.
No. 6 Southside at No. 3 New Iberia — Division-I Non-Select
The Sharks are in the quarterfinals for the first time in the school’s young history, while the Yellow Jackets are back for the third straight spring and trying to complete their mission after a 2023 runner-up finish. Southside scratched out a win in a staggeringly low-scoring district matchup, 32-29, earlier this month on New Iberia’s home court and also won the teams’ meeting last season. Guards Noah Brookter Noah Brookter 6'2" | CG Soutide | 2024 State LA , Jayce Bolivar and Quentin Carey Quentin Carey 5'10" | PG Southside | 2024 LA are among the senior leaders for the Sharks, with juniors Jaydon Bolivar and Jaydon Norbert Jaydon Norbert 6'0" | PG Southside | 2025 State LA among other top names to know. The Yellow Jackets boast the game’s highest-profile prospect in Xavier (New Orleans)-signed forward Wayne Randall-Bashay Wayne Randall-Bashay 6'4" | SF New Iberia | 2024 State LA , along with senior point guard Austin Delahoussaye Austin Delahoussaye 6'0" | PG New Iberia | 2024 State LA , senior wing Kentravion Smith and junior wings Otis Anderson Otis Anderson 6'1" | SG New Iberia | 2025 State LA , Devin Frank Devin Frank 6'3" | SG New Iberia | 2025 State LA and Khaled Fusilier.
No. 6 Bossier at No. 3 Carroll — Division-II Non-Select
A rematch of last season’s title game — with reigning champion Bossier traveling to runner-up Carroll — will mark the fourth straight postseason the teams have run into one another with 2021 and 2022 quarterfinals also in that span. The Bearkats have won the past two and make the trip down Interstate 20 behind senior guards Javon Johnson Javon Johnson 6'1" | CG Bossier | 2024 State LA and Keyshun Johnson Keyshun Johnson 6'2" | SG Bossier | 2024 State LA , juniors Kerel Dean-Woods Kerel Dean-Woods 6'6" | SF Bossier | 2025 State LA and Kameron Davenport Kameron Davenport 5'10" | PG Bossier | 2025 State LA and talented sophomore Justin Slaid. The Bulldogs are led by their own cast of ranked upperclassman standouts in senior forward Lavion Owens Lavion Owens 6'4" | SF Carroll | 2024 State LA and the junior guard duo of Treylan Neal Treylan Neal 6'1" | CG Carroll | 2025 State LA and Jaden Williams Jaden Williams 6'1" | CG Carroll | 2025 State LA .
No. 6 Marksville at No. 3 Winnfield — Division-II Non-Select
Lower-seeded Marksville beat Winnfield, 59-58, in an early-season thriller in December at Alexandria’s tournament, and the two central Louisiana programs will meet again, this time in Winnfield, with a trip to next week’s state tournament on the line. Winnfield reached the 2022 quarterfinals as a No. 10 seed and 2023 title game as a No. 3 seed before having each run fall victim to Port Allen’s dominant run for four straight state championships. Senior guards Decavian Duncan and CL Davis, junior wing Jaylon Jackson Jaylon Jackson 6'2" | CG Winnfield | 2025 State LA , junior forwards Ja’Ven Jackson and Damascus Lewis and sophomore guard Craig St. Cyr are among Winnfield’s top players to know. And seniors Marcus Price Marcus Price 5'11" | PG Marksville | 2024 State LA Jr. and Zach Shuler and junior Elidrick Murray are among the leaders of a Marksville team back in the quarterfinals for the first time since back-to-back 2005 and 2006 state tournament appearances.
No. 7 Slidell at No. 2 Ponchatoula — Division-I Non-Select
The No. 2 seed Green Wave, the defending champions, won all six of their games in February by at least 20 points and an average of 26.3 points per victory. The most recent team to play them closer? The No. 7 Tigers in an outright battle, 73-71, in district play at the end of January. Slidell is back in quarterfinals for the first time since 2017 with particularly strong performances by the senior guard duo of Jaden Hookfin and Jereme Landor, senior forward Micaiah Birdlow and juniors James Chaney and Kolby Rachel. Seniors Allen Graves Allen Graves 6'9" | PF Ponchatoula | 2024 State LA , Jeremiah Lewis Jeremiah Lewis 6'3" | SG Ponchatoula | 2024 State LA and Taj Jackson Taj Jackson 6'2" | CG Ponchatoula | 2024 State LA led the way for Ponchatoula once again in the second round with juniors Cory Jackson Cory Jackson 6'1" | SG Ponchatoula | 2025 State LA Jr. and C.J. Braziel among the top non-senior players to watch.
No. 8 Ruston at No. 1 Zachary — Division-I Non-Select
The Bearcats topped the Broncos in December in the Division-I Non-Select football state championship, but the schools haven’t met in a regular season or playoff basketball game in more than a decade. The Division-I Non-Select bracket has felt to more likely than not be a collision course between the top two seeds and past two champions in Zachary and Ponchatoula, but with Ruston — winners of 16 of its past 18 after a slow start to the season without its multisport athletes — among the most capable and likely potential spoilers. Seniors Jamadrion Lillard Jamadrion Lillard 6'3" | CG Ruston | 2024 State LA , Zhy’Avion Scott Zhy’Avion Scott 6'2" | SG Ruston | 2024 State LA and Trey Dimmer and juniors Aidan Anding Aidan Anding 6'0" | SG Ruston | 2025 State LA and Joran Parker Joran Parker 6'1" | CG Ruston | 2025 State LA have been among the veteran leaders and playmakers, with freshman Ahmad Hudson Ahmad Hudson 6'6" | SF Ruston | 2027 State LA consistently living up to — if not exceeding early hype — as one of the top young players in not only the state, but the nation. A pair of talented wings in senior BeeJay Brooks and junior Xavier Ferguson Xavier Ferguson 6'2" | CG Zachary | 2025 State #322 Nation LA and the quick senior guard duo of Kheiri Haynes Kheiri Haynes 5'9" | PG Zachary | 2024 State LA and Amir Chaney Amir Chaney 5'9" | PG Zachary | 2024 State LA leading the way, senior D.J. Franklin a notable post presence and sophomore forward Kristion Brooks as a young player to know.