Boys playoffs underway tonight
Published 7:00 pm Friday, February 28, 2020
Vinton has won three consecutive District 5-2A championships, but the one thing that has eluded the Lions over that time is success in the postseason.
The No. 9 Lions (21-5) will host No. 24 Amite (17-16), the team that knocked them out in the first round last season. The Lions are preparing for every possibility as they go for their first playoff win since 2008. The game will start at 6:30 p.m. today in the opening round of the state basketball playoffs.
“It is a different team,” Vinton head coach Keith Kelley said. “They had a lot of graduates and a lot of kids that went on to play football in college and other things.
“They have a different coach. They play some man and zone (defense). It all depends on what they think fits the situation best. We are going to be ready for anything they can throw at us.”
Amite beat Vinton 63-55 last year while Rapides upset the Lions 62-54 in 2018.
Kelley said controlling the defensive boards will be essential to slowing down the Warriors.
“We have to rebound on the defensive end,” Kelley said. “They have a couple of kids that are quick, and we have to force them to shoot over us.
“Everybody has to block out and rebound. If we can rebound, that gives us a great opportunity to be successful.”
At Iowa, the No. 14 Yellow Jackets (21-7) will host No. 19 Green Oaks (14-13). The ‘Jackets are looking for their first playoff win since 2017. The visiting Giants feature one of the state’s most famous names in De’Coldest Crawford, who is an LSU football commitment as a receiver. Green Oaks has lost four of its last six games. Two of the losses have come to District 1-3A rival Bossier, the top seed in Class 3A.
South Beauregard (16-12) drew the final bi-district home game as the No. 16 seed in Class 3A and will host No. 17 Crowley (20-8), which enters on an eight-game winning streak, including a District 6-3A title showdown at St. Martinville in its regular-season finale. The Golden Knights lost three of five to finish the regular season, but had a four-game winning streak prior to the slide.
Rodrick Anderson/American Press
