20 eye-catching second-round playoff performances

Louisiana's boys basketball playoffs gained steam this week as top programs around the state, fresh off byes, joined the action in Monday's and Tuesday's second-round games.   Here's a look at 20 standout performances — including three scouted in-person.   Note: This is not intended to be a definitive list or ranking of the weekend's top performances in 76 games around the state. Just a snapshot of 20 talented student-athletes whose notable performances caught our eye.     <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW3g6XztTow </div></figure>     Brock Smith — 6-0 G — Denham Springs (2024)   One of two seniors on an undersized Yellow Jackets team that has weathered the adversity of losing key players during the season to still earn the program's first quarterfinal berth since 2005 in former star Tasmin Mitchell's senior season before heading to LSU. Smith led the team with 17 points and seven rebounds — playing a big role inside against a bigger Terrebonne — plus a pair of assists and a pair of steals.   [player_tooltip player_id='2194365' first='Jeremy' last='Williams'] — 6-1 G/F — Denham Spring (2027)   The Yellow Jackets' talented freshman multiple sport athlete battled Terrebonne star [player_tooltip player_id='1105552' first='Kylan' last='Billiot'], the LSU football signee, throughout the night and more than held his own with 14 points, four rebounds, a pair of steals and a drawn charge. Williams looks and acts the part of an older player with his strong build and confidence on the court, playing a major role on his team's historically significant run.   Troy Murphy — 6-2 F — Southern Lab (2024)   All five starters scored in double figures as the Kittens cruised back to the quarterfinals for the third straight spring, but Murphy's double-double highlighted the balanced effort. The senior forward finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds and four steals with a particularly impressive performance on the boards where he credits his timing, but also particularly stands out with his motor and strong hands in traffic.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGlYUZxHECA </div></figure>     Daryl Adams — 5-11 G — L.B. Landry (2025)   The quick junior guard provided a steady hand at the helm of the Chargin' Buccaneers' offense and a game-high 22 points, including 15 in the second half, to help lead a 61-47 defeat of E.D. White.   [player_tooltip player_id='2471563' first='Kellen' last='Brewer'] — 6-3 G — Country Day (2027)   The freshman guard helped lead his Cajuns past Sophie B. Wright, 63-52, in a 9-over-8 "road" upset in the matchup of New Orleans area schools. Brewer notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.   Ja'Marriyon Brown — 6-2 G — Scotlandville (2024)   Only one of the second round's combined 16 Division-I games — between the eight Select and eight Non-Select — resulted in an upset by the lower-seeded team, No. 10 Scotlandville's 68-64 road win at No. 7 Lafayette behind their senior wing's 32 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='2574790' first='Sean' last='Brown'] — 6-3 G — St. Michael (2025)   The junior guard took control and poured in a game-high 24 points to lift the Warriors past fifth-seeded Vandebilt Catholic on the road, 62-58.   [player_tooltip player_id='1601451' first='Kobe' last='Butler'] — 6-6 F — Archbishop Shaw (2025)   The junior chipped in 12 points as one of his team's top scorers, while also once again playing a huge role inside defensively with seven blocks in a 46-39 defeat of St. Louis Catholic.   Ronald Ellis — 5-10 G — Vidalia (2024)   The Vikings hadn't won a playoff game in more than a decade until now reaching the quarterfinals with two victories in a four-day span, the most recent coming in the state's biggest upset in the second round: a 55-50 defeat of perennial power and No. 2 seed Rayville. Ellis helped lead the way with 20 points, including a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers to help Vidalia play from ahead early.   [player_tooltip player_id='1480391' first='Allen' last='Graves'] — 6-9 F — Ponchatoula (2024)   Defending champion Ponchatoula won its sixth straight game by at least 20 points Tuesday with a 97-72 roll past a talented Live Oak team. Graves, the Santa Clara-signed forward, led the way with arguably the top offensive performance of any athlete in the state with 35 points.   Jaden Hookfin — 6-0 G — Slidell (2024)   One of a pair of Slidell seniors on this list, Hookfin followed up a 28-points first round with 16 points Tuesday, including a pivotal pair of back-to-back 3-pointers, and five rebounds and four steals to help lead the Tigers to their first quarterfinal berth since 2017.   [player_tooltip player_id='1275273' first='Taj' last='Jackson'] — 6-2 G — Ponchatoula (2024)   Another of the Green Wave's talented senior class continued his own strong season with 23 points in their once-again dominant victory.   Eason Jarreau — 6-0 G — Dunham (2025)   The junior guard hit five 3-pointers off the bench for 15 points in his Tigers' 67-46 defeat of Pope John Paul II.   [player_tooltip player_id='1386535' first='Chad' last='Jones'] — 6-8 F — St. Thomas More (2024)   The Cougars' long, lean senior wing provided another of Louisiana's top second-round performances with an efficient 30-point performance on 14-for-16 shooting to help highlight a 63-43 roll past a good Bonnabel team.   Jereme Landor — 5-9 G — Slidell (2024)   The Tigers' senior reportedly dished out an eye-popping 12 assists, along with nine points and three steals, in the 56-49 defeat of Central (Baton Rouge).   [player_tooltip player_id='1455376' first='Mason' last='Lavergne'] — 5-11 G — Dunham (2024)   The senior guard led his Tigers with 21 points in a 67-46 roll past Pope John Paul II, including three 3-pointers.   [player_tooltip player_id='1561807' first='Marcus' last='Lofton'] — 5-9 G — Captain Shreve (2025)   Lofton led his Gators with 14 points, including three 3-pointers among his repeated timely buckets, to hold off McKinley, 41-37, in a low-scoring battle.   [player_tooltip player_id='1218192' first='Wayne' last='Randall-Bashay'] — 6-5 F — New Iberia (2024)   The Xavier (New Orleans) signee scored 13 points to lead his Yellow Jackets in a 47-37 defeat of Neville and battled on the boards, including a late rebound of his own missed free throw in the final minute to help the team start stretching its three-point lead.   [player_tooltip player_id='1347267' first='Drew' last='Timmons'] — 6-6 F — Archbishop Hannan (2025)   The Hawks' junior star scored a game-high 25 points in a 57-37 defeat of Buckeye as he and his Hannan team appear to get healthy at the right time.   [player_tooltip player_id='1105554' first='Kameron' last='Williams'] — 6-7 F — Lafayette Christian (2024)   The Tulane signee and top-ranked prospect in the state's senior class scored 24 points to help lead his Knights to a 56-41 defeat of district rival Northside, who had beaten Lafayette Christian on the same court earlier this month.

Louisiana's boys basketball playoffs gained steam this week as top programs around the state, fresh off byes, joined the action in Monday's and Tuesday's second-round games.