Final day of LHSAA state boys’ basketball tournament
Published 10:08 am Saturday, March 11, 2023
- Walker senior guard Kedric Brown goes for a layup against New Iberia's Wayne Randall during a Division I select semifinal game on Thursday at the Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
The final day of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Marsh Madness boys basketball tournament will end with two big games in Division I non-select and select.
In Division I select, No. 1 Scotlandville (32-3), one of the premier programs in the state, will play in the final for a 14th consecutive season and will face No. 3 Catholic-Baton Rouge (27-6) at 6 p.m. at Burton Coliseum.
The Hornets beat the Bears twice in the regular season and are led by 6-foot-11 center and New Orleans signee Dorian Booker, who had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the semifinals.
Catholic sophomore Benjamin McCurry had 20 points in the semifinals.
Scotlandville has won 25 of its last 26 points.
At 8 p.m., New Iberia and Ponchatoula will battle for the Division I non-select title.
Neither has won a state title before, but the Yellow Jackets do own an 11-point win over the Green Wave from November.
NISH faces a tough matchup in Ponchatoula 6-8 junior forward Allen Grave, who had 20 points and 19 rebounds in the semifinals.
Another state power, Division II select No. 1 Madison Prep, is after its ninth state championship since 2013.
The Chargers (32-2) face No. 6 George Washington Carver (23-10), the lowest seed to reach a final this season, at 2 p.m.
Carver is in the final for a third consecutive season after winning the Class 4A title last year.
At 4 p.m., No. 1 Port Allen (28-4) goes for its fourth consecutive state championship against No. 3 Winnfield (26-4). But it almost didn’t happen for the Pelicans.
Port Allen needed triple overtime to get past Patterson in the semifinals, while Winnfield also had a close brush with French Settlement in the semifinals, winning 57-52.
Winnfield comes in hot with a 21-game win streak but has to find a way to contain two big scorers in the Pelican’s Elliot McQuillan and Isaiah Howard, who combined for 65 points in the semifinals.
The final day will start at noon with the Division IV select title game between No. 1 Northwood-Lena (28-7) and No. 2 Lincoln Prep (24-4).
Lincoln Prep is riding a 14-game win streak.
Neither team has won a state title.
