Top 28 Action Day 2

I am getting a late start today but the Top 28 in Lafayette is getting underway as we speak as Spearsville is trailing Athens 17-10 after the first. In the second game we will have Pleasant Hill taking on Saline. The third contest of the day will feature a first time participant in the Riverside Rebels as they take on Evangel Christian who is a perennial football powerhouse in Louisina. Riverside will be lead by the 9th ranked sophomore nationally Ricardo Gathers and seniors Cedric Jenkins and Ed Gallina. The night cap will involve a pair of familiar 5A schools along with a pair of  newcomers. The first 5A game will feature the 2 seed Scotlandville Hornets led by Stephen F. Austin signee J-Jay Thomas and they will face the 6 seeded Jesuit Blue Jays who will be led by senior Dominick Scelfo who is heading to Cornell. The final game of the day will feature the Hammond Tornadoes with my guy Brent Grigas as their 1st year head coach and are led by a trio of guards with senior Dominick McCoy and juniors Mark Bridgewater and Mikel Henry. The Tors will take on a former powerhouse in Brother Martin who won back to back 5A titles in 2004 and 2005 before Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans six months later. Brother Martin will rely heavily on senior Pat Swilling Jr and 6'4" junior Jamon Gray. Now it is time for our predictions where below you will see the daily talk and preview from Brady and Kevin with the Daily Advertiser. For further Top 28 Action coverage check in at the Daily Advertiser.



Class C
Game 1- Athens over Spearsville
Game 2- Pleasant Hill over Saline

Class 2A
Game 3- Riverside over Evangel

Class 5A-
Game 4- Scotlandville over Jesuit
Game 5- Hammond over Brother Martin
 
 

Class C Top 28 Capsules

Athens Trojans

Coach: Marcus Jackson.
Record: 38-4.
Seed: No. 2.

Playoff road: Beat Holy Rosary 91-25, Marion 76-47, Grace Christian 75-27.

Top scorers: Devarius Critton, 6-2, Sr, 16.0 ppg; Willie Cato, 5-11, Sr, 15.0 ppg; Earvin Sneed, 5-11, So, 14.0 ppg; Quartez McDaniel, 6-2, Jr, 12.0 ppg.

Top 28 history: 11th appearance with three titles and five runner-up finishes.


Notes: In addition to an eventful recent history at the Top 28, Athens also brings a healthy resume to this year's Top 28. The Trojans have three wins over fellow semifinalist Saline, split two games with Class 1A semifinalist Arcadia, and also went 1-1 in two games against Class 4A Minden.

SPEARSVILLE PELICANS

Coach: Derion Gipson.
Record: 26-18.
Seed: No. 11.
Playoff road: Beat Assembly Christian 86-50, Atlanta 75-71, Plainview 70-67.

Top scorers: Xairius Larry, 5-4, Fr, 20.0 ppg; Juana Sims, 6-2, Jr, 13.0 ppg; Wesley Hay, 5-10, Sr, 10.0 ppg; Giancarlo Levingston, 5-11, So, 7.0 ppg.

Top 28 history: Second appearance with one runner-up finish.

Notes: Spearsville is one of the few double-digit seeds still alive. The Pelicans beat No. 6 Atlanta and No. 3 Plainview to reach the semifinals. During district play, Spearsville lost two single-digit games to Athens — 60-51 and 70-62.

Pleasant Hill vs. Saline • 3:30 p.m.

PLEASANT HILL EAGLES

Coach: Dale Skinner.
Record: 32-6.
Seed: No. 1.

Road to the Top 28: Beat McManus 89-38, Calvin 73-52, Grand Isle 65-47.

Top scorers: Matthew Scott, 6-3, Sr, 17.0 ppg; Ledarius Holmes, 5-8, So, 13.0 ppg; Aaron Holmes, 5-8, Fr, 12.0 ppg; Latarius Turner, 6-2, Sr, 12.0 ppg; Damaris Holmes, 6-2, Jr, 11.0 ppg.

Top 28 history: Eighth appearance with two titles and three runner-up finishes.

Notes: Not only is Skinner the team's basketball coach, but he's also the principal of the school. Pleasant Hill was 3-2 against Zwolle and has wins over Many and Leesville this season.

Saline Bobcats

Coach: Douglas Madden.
Record: 16-18.
Seed: No. 12.

Playoff road: Beat Elizabeth 84-69, Kilbourne 67-59, Pelican 71-65.

Top scorers: D'Larious Venzant, 6-3, So, 24.7 ppg; DeAndre Venzant, 5-11, Jr, 12.2 ppg; Raylond Venzant, 6-0, Sr, 9.8 ppg; Gus Watts, 5-6, Sr, 9.1 ppg.

Top 28 history: Eighth appearance with four titles and three runner-up finishes.

Notes: While Saline's record may be under .500, the Bobcats didn't exactly get to that record taking the easy way out. Among their 18 losses, four are to Athens, two to Atlanta, one to Arcadia, one to Red River and one to Jonesboro-Hodge. All but quarterfinalist Atlanta are in the Top 28.

Class 2A Capsule
Riverside Rebels

Coach: Timmy Byrd.

Record: 36-6.

Seed: No. 1.

Playoff road: Beat Sterlington 102-52, Port Barre 103-68, Springfield 72-52.

Top scorers: Ricardo Gathers(left), 6-7, Soph, 20.0 ppg; Cedric Jenkins(right), 6-2, Sr, 19.0 ppg; Louis Dabney, 6-3, Soph, 13.0 ppg; Ed Gallina, 6-5, Sr, 11.0 ppg; Franklin Francois, 5-7, Sr, 8.0 ppg.

Top 28 history: First appearance.

Notes: This is the school's first boys basketball playoff appearance since 2005. The Rebels do so as the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2A. Of course, the cast is different. Byrd and all of his starters were Reserve Christian Eagles last year. All moved over to Riverside when Reserve Christian closed its doors in May.

Evangel Christian Eagles

Coach: Reni Mason.
Record: 32-5.
Seed: No. 5.

Playoff road: Beat North Caddo 84-45, Dunham 55-41, Many 66-56.

Top scorers: Devin George, 6-4, Sr, 16.8 ppg; Cameron Monroe, 6-0, Jr, 14.2 ppg; Eric Thomas, 6-3, Sr, 13.2 ppg; Virgil Williams, 5-10, Sr, 11.2 ppg.

Top 28 history: First appearance.

Notes: Mason is a former college basketball player at UNO. Known as a football school, Evangel comes to the Top 28 red hot, having won 16 straight games and 21 of its last 22. The Eagles own a win over Class B Top 28 participant Zwolle this season. Thomas was an All-State wide receiver and Williams an All-State defensive back on the Class 2A All-State football team.

Class 5A Capsule

Jesuit Blue Jays

Coach: Chris Jennings.

Record: 25-10.

Seed: No. 6.

Playoff road: Beat East St. John 68-56, Catholic-BR 61-54, St. Thomas More 57-54.

Top scorers: Dominick Scelfo(right), 6-2, Sr; Brady Hadden, 6-4, Sr; Alec Melendreras, 5-6, Sr; Colby Kiefer, 5-11, Sr., Brady Hadden(left), 6-4, Sr

Top 28 history: Sixth appearance with four state titles.

Notes: While Scotlandville is a big test for Jesuit, the Blue Jays have been playing tough competition all season. They've won and lost games to the likes of St. Augustine and Brother Martin. Jesuit last won the state title in 2001.

Scotlandville Hornets

Coach: Carlos Sample
Record: 32-5.
Seed: No. 2.

Playoff road: Beat Denham Springs 65-57, Natchitoches Central 75-63, Covington 89-83.

Top scorers: J-Jay Thomas(right), 6-4, Sr, 24.2 ppg; Levi Wright, 6-1, Jr, 16.5 ppg; Deshawn Washington, 5-9, Soph, 11.3 ppg.

Top 28 history: First trip.

Notes: The Hornets won their first district title since 1975 this year. In the modern LHSAA format, the last time the team advanced to the quarterfinals was in 1977. Scotlandville did win a state title in 1959 in the old LIALO. Thomas averages 11 rebounds and is a Stephen F. Austin signee.


Hammond vs. Brother Martin • 8 p.m.

Hammond Tornadoes

Coach: Brent Grigas
Record: 29-3.
Seed: No. 5.

Playoff road: Beat West Jefferson 77-60, Southwood 101-77, Sulphur 59-55.

Top scorers: Mark Bridgewater, 6-1, Jr, 16.0 ppg; Mikel Henry 5-9, Jr, 14.0 ppg; Domonick McCoy, 5-8, Jr, 10.0 ppg; Terrence Bridges, 6-3, Sr, 8.0 ppg.

Top 28 history: Third appearance with one runner-up finish.

Notes: Grigas is in his first year as head coach of the Tors after being an assistant at Southwood in 2008-09. Hammond has won 18 straight since losing to Plaquemine, 39-35, in the Plaquemine Tournament on Dec. 30.

Brother Martin Crusaders

Coach: Scott Thompson
Record: 28-10.
Seed: No. 9.

Playoff road: Beat Lafayette High 56-49, Ponchatoula 66-63, St. Augustine 62-58.

Top scorers: Patrick Swilling(right), 6-4, Sr, 18.3 ppg; Schane Rillieux, 5-11, Jr, 14.1 ppg; Ryan Berger, 6-4, Sr, 8.7 ppg; Myron Chapman, 6-2, Soph, 7.5 ppg.

Midland defeats Zwolle 79-78, Advances to Class B Championship

         Midland's BJ Cormier                                                                               Zwolle's Marvin Frazier

Zwolle's Breion Beaver

What a game, if you like shooting, hard nosed, fundamental basketball then the Midland Rebels of Coach Briley is the team to watch. Midland started the game out very slow as they missed 3 jumpers in the first two minutes as Zwolle took a 11-6 lead early on. It didn't last long as halfway through the quarter BJ Cormier  and Allen Fontenot caught fire. Fontenot started it and Cormier finished it. Fontenot buried the first one at the 2:27 mark,  then Cormier buried one a minute later and gave Midland the 12-11 lead. Cormier would go on to hit two more in the quarter, including a 23 footer at the buzzer to give the Rebels a 21-11 lead after the first.

The second quarter was more Midland and more threes. Allen Fontenot connected on two right off the bat as Zwolle called a timeout. After the time, Fontenot hit another to make it 32-13 with 4:48 left in the half. Then Zwolle finally made their run.  A layup by  David Smith, layup by Jerry Palmer, layup by Frazier, and another jumper by Palmer cut the lead to 16. Then once again, Cormier with a 3, Fontenot follows off a Cormier assist before Zwolle called another timeout. Zwolle would then answer with big Frazier again with a layup, followed by a 3 by Jerry Palmer, a lay up by Smith before Fontenot hit another 3 to close out the half. After 2 Midland led 43-28.

As the first half ended with Zwolle having momentum, it carried into the 3rd quarter. A jumper by Dave Smith got things rolling as Zwolle went on a 18-4 run to start the half, it was led primarily by Smith and Frazier. Big time rebounds, big time blocks and a handful of jumpers later the lead was 47-46 Midland with 3:22 left. Midland would finally answer with a pair of triples by Cormier and Fontenot to extend the lead to 55-52 after the third.

As Zwolle finally got back to playing Hawk basketball, the fourth quarter was nip/tuck the rest of the game. Basket for basket, defensive stops and tough play by Frazier on the inside carried Zwolle back and tied the game at 70 after regulation.

At the start of the overtime period, Midland immediately went to the stall offense with Miles Prejean being a big factor in the OT. After struggling all game and being limited on his touches by the Zwolle D, Prejean took control as he made 6/6 free throws down the stretch to lead his team to the state title. As good as he had been all year and to be overshadowed by the great shooting of Fontenot and Cormier, Prejean really came through in the clutch as Midland defeated Zwolle.

2010 LHSAA Boy's Top 28 Semi-Final Day 1 Preview and Capsules

Top 28 State Boy's Basketball tournament, is there a better event in the state? If there is I would love to know so I can be sure to be there. Like I say, there are 3 things that are great about March, first is that my birthday is March 1, second Top 28 action and last is the NCAA tournament. My favorite is the Top 28 and that is what gets kicked off today at 3:30 in Lafayette at the ULL Cajun Dome. There are four games on tap today and it gets started with the defending Class B state champion Zwolle Hawks taking on Midland. The second game features top seeded Rapides against a very dangerous Fairview team. In the night cap, it will be district rivals from Monroe when Carroll takes on defending champion Richwood and the final game is top seed Vidalia taking on local favorite Abbeville. Now it is time for our predictions where below you will see the daily talk and preview from Brady and Kevin with the Daily Advertiser. For further Top 28 Action coverage check in at the Daily Advertiser.

Class B

Game 1- Zwolle over Midland

Game 2- Rapides over Fairview

Class 3A

Game 3- Richwood over Carroll

Game 4- Vidalia over Abbeville

Class B Team Capsules Courtesy of the Daily Advertiser's writers of Kevin Foote and Brady Aymond

Midland Rebels

Coach: Todd Briley
Record: 33-4.
Seed: No. 2.

Road to Top 28: Beat Simpson 94-32, Hosanna Christian 78-45, Hornbeck 63-46.

Leading scorers: Miles Prejean(pictured), 5-11, Sr, 22.3 ppg; B.J. Cormier, 5-9, Sr, 15.0 ppg; Colby Gantt, 6-0, Sr, 12.0 ppg; Allen Fontenot, 5-11, Jr, 7.6 ppg; Michael Vincent 5-8, Sr, 2.8 ppg.

Top 28 history: Ninth appearance with one title and three runner-up finishes. Last Top 28 appearance was 2004.

Notes: Midland's lost in the state finals three times and won its only state title in 1977 under Briley's father and current principal, Clyde Briley. Todd Briley is the school's all-time leading scorer, a former state MVP and played at McNeese State. Leading scorer Miles Prejean was Miles Sonnier for his first three seasons, but changed his name this past offseason.


Rapides Mustangs

Coach: Travis Broussard
Record: 45-5.
Seed: No. 1.

Road to Top 28: Beat ESA 90-34, Bell City 95-52, Castor 108-63.

Leading scorers: C.J. Johnson(pictured), 6-3, Sr, 18.7 ppg; Tremaine Woodruff, 6-0, Sr, 13.7 ppg; Keldrick Timothy, 5-10, Jr, 12.8 ppg; D.D. Birdsong, 6-1, So, 11.6 ppg.

Top 28 history: The is the program's 10th Top 28 appearance with one title, five runner-up finishes.

Notes:

Fairview Panthers

Coach: Ron Stark.
Record: 31-7.
Seed: No. 4.

Road to Top 28: Beat Weston 115-71, Holden 106-79, Centerville 86-79.

Top players: Cody Neal, 6-0, Sr, 27.2 ppg; 5-9 Colby Marler, 5-9, Sr, 15.5 ppg; Jake Howard, 5-9, Sr, 15.2 ppg; Tyler Maddox, 5-10, Fr, 14.0 ppg.

Top 28 history: Fourth trip to Top 28; last trip was in 1988.

Notes: Starting PG Jake Howard missed most of last season after tearing ACL. Neal was District 5-B MVP. Panthers went undefeated in district play and were 1-2 in three pre-district games against Rapides this season. Rapides swept both meetings last year when they were in same district.

Zwolle Hawks

Coach: Bradley McLarin
Record: 38-10.
Seed: No. 3

Road to Top 28: Beat Mount Hermon 90-50; Summerfield 74-36; Simsboro 63-50.
Leading scorers: Breion Beaver, 6-0, Jr, 18.8; Marvin Frazier(pictured), 6-8, Jr, 13.1; David Smith, 6-5, Jr, 10.3.

Top 28 history: 17th Top 28 appearance with 12 titles and two runners-up.

Class 3A Team Capsules Courtesy of the Daily Advertiser's writers of Kevin Foote and Brady Aymond
 
Abbeville Wildcats

Coach: Berwick Hamilton
Record: 26-5.
Seed: No. 5.

Playoff road: Beat Patterson 52-32, Madison 70-58, E.D. White 70-39.

Top scorers: Keelon Lee(pictured), 6-7, Sr., 17.2 ppg; Tiremone Williams, 6-0, Soph, 11.0 ppg; DaJuan Smith, 6-0, Jr., 11.3 pgg; Dion Perry, 5-11, Sr., 9.2 ppg; Alonzo Williams, 6-4, Soph, 8.0 ppg.

Top 28 history: First trip in school history.

Notes: Hamilton won a state title at Patterson in 1998 and took the Lumberjacks back to the semifinals again in 1999. Abbeville was a Class 4A team last year, losing to eventual state champion Salmen in the regional round. Lee also averages 10 rebounds a game. Abbeville's last loss was to St. Augustine in the Northwest Tournament in late December.

Vidalia Vikings

Coach: Robert Sanders.
Record: 28-2.
Seed: No. 1.

Playoff road: Beat Carver 102-38, Bogalusa 90-50, Rayville 98-87.

Top scorers: Torrey Dixon, 6-3, Sr, 25.0; Gary Stewart(pictured), 6-4, Sr, 17.1; Quartell Thomas, 6-1, Sr, 14.5; Daryl Polk, 6-1, Jr, 10.1.

Top 28 history: Fifth appearance with one title and one runner-up.

Notes: Sanders has a career record of 336-219.

Richwood Rams

Coach: Terry Martin.
Record: 17-10.
Seed: No. 7.

Playoff road: Beat Loyola Prep 103-65, North DeSoto 91-66, Plaquemine 50-47.

Top scorers: LaDon Carter(pictured), 6-7, Sr, 20.2; Marceis Davis, 6-3, Sr, 18.1; Ladarrin Williams, 6-6, Sr, 15.2; D'Andre Martin, 6-4, Jr, 10.0.

Top 28 history: Eight appearance with 4 titles and one runner-up finish.

Notes: Low number of official games because they played a ton of games out of state. Also, struggled in district but have absolutely blown out teams in playoffs until last week. Carter was the title game MVP last year. Carter is first-team all-district and averages 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks per game; he was District MVP last year in 3-4A. Williams averages 15 rebounds and 5 blocks a game and is also first-team all-district. Davis averages 4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.


Carroll Bulldogs

Coach: Jesse Burnette.
Record: 21-10.
Seed: No. 3.

Playoff road: Beat Cohen 82-53; Northwest 78-47, Green Oaks 73-53.

Top scorers: Xavier Lee, 5-11, Jr, 21.5; Dashiell Franklin, 6-2, Sr, 10.0; Josh Tarver, 6-4, Sr, 12.0; Perry Horne, 6-6, Sr, 11.5.

Top 28 history: 11th appearance with 3 titles with 4 runner-up finishes.

Notes: Beat 3A defending champ Richwood two out of three times already this season to win the district title. Lee averages 5.1 assists per game; he switched from point guard last year to two-guard this year and improved his scoring by 2.3 points per game. He was District MVP this year for 2-3A and was MVP last year in 2-4A. Franklin was first-team all district the past two years (2-3A this year and 2-4A last year, scored 12.4 points per game last year..

Quarterfinal Playoff Prediction Results

With 28 games to pick last week and and that cut down to 14 for this coming week, the Louisiana Basketball Report picked 22 out of 28 winners correct last week for the quarterfinal round for a 78.57% correct while perfectly picking the winners of 4A and 3A.


Quarterfinal Prediction Results

Class 5A - Total = 3/4 for 75%
Class 4A- Total = 4/4 for 100%
Class 3A- Total = 4/4 for 100%
Class 2A- Total = 3/4 for 75%
Class 1A- Total = 3/4 for 75%
Class B-   Total = 3/4 for 75%
Class C-   Total = 2/4 for 50%

Total Correct = 22/28 for 78.57% Correct

Class 5A Quarterfinal Predictions

1 seed St. Augustine over 8 seed Brother Martin = wrong
5 seed Hammond over 4 seed Sulphur = correct
6 seed Jesuit over 14 seed St. Thomas More = correct
2 seed Scotlandville over 23 seed Covington  = correct
 
Total = 3/4 for 75%

Class 4A Quarterfinal Predictions

1 seed Peabody over Istrouma = correct
4 seed Glen Oaks over 5 seed Wossman = correct
6 seed Northside over 3 seed Washington Marion = correct
2 seed Bossier over 7 seed Ellender = correct
 
Total = 4/4 for 100%

3A Quarterfinal Predictions

1 seed Vidalia over 8 seed Rayville = correct
5 seed Abbeville over 4 seed ED White = correct
3 seed Carroll over 6 seed Green Oaks = correct
7 seed Richwood over 2 seed Plaquemine  = correct
 
Total = 4/4 for 100%

Class 2A Quarterfinal Predictions

1 seed Riverside over 8 seed Springfield = correct
4 seed Many over 5 seed Evangel = wrong
3 seed Red River over 6 Mamou = correct
18 seed Jonesboro-Hodge over 7 seed Donaldsonville = correct
 
Total = 3/4 for 75%

Class 1A Quarterfinal Predictions:

1 seed Christian Life over 9 seed East Iberville = correct
4 seed North Central over 5 seed Plain Dealing = wrong
11 seed Arcadia over 3 seed Central Catholic = correct
2 seed Country Day over 10 seed White Castle = correct
 
Total = 3/4 for 75%

Class B Quarterfinal Predictions:

1 seed Rapides over 8 seed Castor = correct
5 seed Centerville over 4 seed Fairview = wrong
3 seed Zwolle over 6 seed Simsboro = correct
2 seed Midland over 7 seed Hornbeck = correct

Total = 3/4  for 75%

Class C Quarterfinal Prediction:

8 seed Grand Isle over 1 seed Pleasant Hill = wrong
13 seed Pelican over 12 seed Saline = wrong
3 seed Plainview over 11 seed Spearsville = wrong
2 seed Athens over 7 seed Grace Christian  = correct

Total = 2/4 for 50%

Class 5A Quarterfinal Predictions and Preview

Pat Swilling(left and the St. Aug trio of Javan Felix(right), Sydie London(bottom left) and Elridge Moore(bottom right) will get it on tonight in quarterfinal action

The Catholic League is back as St. Augustine will travel to Brother Martin for a classic quarterfinal playoff game between the top seed Purple Knights and the 8 seed Crusaders. Led by senior Elridge Moore and sophomore sensations Javan Felix and Sydie London, St. Aug looks to get back to the Cajun Dome for the first time since 2004 when they loss to DJ Augustin and guess who, Brother Martin. BM will look to Patrick Swilling Jr. to take control and lead his team to the win and back to the dome for the first time since they won the 2005  state title before Hurricane Katrina hit six months later. The second game of the top part of the bracket features 4 seed Sulphur traveling 5 seed Hammond who is coming off a big road win at 21 seed Southwood. Sulphur is lead by 6'3" senior Chip Armelin while Coach Brent Grigas and Hammond will rely on junior Mark Bridgewater and Dominick McCoy.

Xavier Blackburn of St. Thomas More(left) and Dominick Scelfo of Jesuit(right) will

take on each other in quarterfinal action tonight

J-Jay Thomas(left) and Levie Wright(right) of Scotlandville will lead their

team in the quarterfinals tonight vs. Covington

On the bottom side, we have another all-Catholic battle as 14 seed St. Thomas More of Lafayette travels to New Orleans to play 6 seed Jesuit. STM of Coach Danny Broussard is coming off a huge win over defending Champ Ouacita on the road while Jesuit went on the road as well and defeated 22 seed Catholic High. Xavier Blackburn and Will Norman will lead STM while Coach Chris Jennings' team will be lead by Cornell University committ Dominick Scelfo and Brady Hadden. The last 5A game of note is 2 seed Scotlandville with Stephen F Austin signee J-Jay Thomas and junior Levie Wright hosting 23 seed Covington.

Class 5A Quarterfinal Predictions

1 seed St. Augustine over 8 seed Brother Martin
5 seed Hammond over 4 seed Sulphur
6 seed Jesuit over 14 seed St. Thomas More
2 seed Scotlandville over 23 seed Covington

Class 4A Quarterfinal Predictions and Preview

The state's two top point guards, Jalan West(left) of Bossier and Nick Syrie(right) of Northside

will lead their teams in the quarterfinals tonight

What more can you ask for than the 4A playoffs that have the top 8 seeds in the quarterfinals tonight. This means there will be four games that will include eight very good and talented teams. Let's start on the bottom sid of the bracket which features the two games that are less intriguing as the top bracket but still very good nonetheless. In the 3/6 game you have Northside traveling to always tough Washington Marion who is back in the playoffs after a year absence due to LHSAA penalty of an ineligible player in 2009. Washington Marion will look to 5'9" Keaven Fontenot to to lead the way as NHS will rely on the point guard play of junior Nick Syrie. Syrie, one of the top juniors in Louisiana seems to have found his shot in the playoffs and is providing Coach Devan Clark with an added outside shooting threat. Others to watch for Northside are 6'6" junior Chris Robertson and 5'10" guard Tony Montgomery. In the other game on the bottom side, you have 2 seed Bossier hosting 7 seed Ellender. Ellender, who has yet to see a true tough opponent this playoffs, will run into a buzzsaw this round as Bossier has it's entire team back from last years state runner-up team except one kid. Lead by Jalan West, Devonta Francis and JJ James, the Bearkats will look to push the tempo and win this game going away. Ellender will rely on the steady play of 6'5" Trevon Lewis who scored 37 on tuesday and Karderro Dixon who led Ellender with 20 in the first round.

Brian Williams(left) throwing down a dunk in Wednesday's win over Minden

will lead Glen Oaks, while Ronald McGhee(right) of Istrouma

will take on Markel Brown(bottom) of Peabody in quarterfinal action tonight

Now on to the top side of the bracket as two Baton Rouge teams, Glen Oaks and Istrouma look to take on Wossman and Peabody. Glen Oaks comes in as the 4 seed after a hard earned win at home on Wednesday and will travel to Monroe to take on Wossman, the 5 seed. Glen Oaks is going to rely on the senior leadership once again of Oklahoma State signee Brian Williams as they take on a tough Wossman team led by Johnathon Ross. Istrouma, the 8 seed will travel to Alexandria and play top seed Peabody and another Oklahoma State signee Markel Brown. Istrouma defeated defending champ Salmen tuesday who has beaten Peabody the previous two seasons in this very round. Peabody advanced by an easy win over McDonogh #35. Both games feature several Division 1 prospects. For Glen Oaks, you have Williams who has signed and potentially 3 more D1 prospects as juniors Erron Chesterfield(6'6") and Tre Drye(6'6") both are promising players that will get a lot of D1 attention this summer. Drye is one of the top juniors in Louisiana while Chesterfield is just now making his name. The third player with possible D1 talent down the line will be 5'5" freshman PG Jalen Variste. Variste is the x-factor of this Glen Oaks team that can come in and hit 3's in bunches. D1 prospects in the Istrouma/Peabody game besides Brown for Peabody are 6'5" Ronald McGhee whose list of schools interested are North Texas, UCLA, Alabama, St. Joe's, Arkansas, Tulane and others. Also for Istrouma is 6'2" PG Darius Johnson who is a sophomore. Peabody has 6'6" Troy Jones that is a sophomore as well.

Class 4A Quarterfinal Predictions

1 seed Peabody over Istrouma

4 seed Glen Oaks over 5 seed Wossman

6 seed Northside over 3 seed Washington Marion

2 seed Bossier over 7 seed Ellender

Class 3A Quarterfinal Predictions and Preview

LeDon Carter(left) of Richwood and Gary Stewart(right) of Vidalia will lead

their teams in the quarterfinals tonight

Richwood and Vidalia are definitely two teams people think about in 3A as the top dog of the class. For Vidalia, this is true as they are the top seed and will face a Rayville team that has scored 100+ twice in their last two games as the 8 seed. Now, they will face a team in Vidalia that can not only outscore Rayville but limit their scoring as well. Led by three quality seniors that in Gary Stewart, Quartrell Thomas and Torrey Dixon, the Vikings are poised to stop the offensive exploits of RHS. Richwood on the other hand, has a different task at hand and one that will see a team in 2 seed Plaquemine that doesn't have to score a lot to win but win with defense, toughness, great coaching and well disciplined kids. The defending champion has a tough task coming to the "Wood" tonight as the Green Devils will look to make Richwood play a halfcourt game and limit possessions. Marceis Davis who has had 7+ 3's made in both playoff wins will look to continue his shooting streak tonight while LeDon Carter looks to provide the highlights. In other action in 3A tonight, 3 seed Carroll hosts 6 seed Green Oaks while ED White will host 5 seed Abbeville and their big man 6'6" Keelon Lee.

3A Quarterfinal Predictions

1 seed Vidalia over 8 seed Rayville
5 seed Abbeville over 4 seed ED White
3 seed Carroll over 6 seed Green Oaks
7 seed Richwood over 2 seed Plaquemine

Class 2A Quarterfinal Predictions and Preview

TJ Williams(left) of Jonesboro-Hodge and Zack Baty(right) of Mamou

will lead their teams in the quarterfinals tonight

When you think of 2A in recent years you think St. Thomas Aquinas as the team to beat, well  18 seed Jonesboro Hodge did that at STA on wednesday night and will now host 7 seed Donaldsonville tonight in a 2A quarterfinal game. With STA out the picture, the bottom part of the bracket is very wide open. Not only did J-Hodge beat the Falcons, but they secured themselves a home game which may be huge if they want to make the top 28. Looking to lead J-Hodge will be 6'7" TJ Williams who had a game high 23 on wednesday. Lorenzo Collins will lead D'ville as they look to get to the Cajun Dome as well. The winner of that matchup will face the winner of 3 seed Red River and 6 seed Mamou. Red River will look to Cordarius Johnson and Cordarius Smith to lead the way while Mamou, who is coming off a thrilling 2 OT win over Episcopal will rely on Zack Baty who hit the 3 to win the game over the 11 seed Knights.  Baty is one of the top scorers in the state in 2A.

Cedric Jenkins(left) and Dantrell Thomas(right) of Many will lead their teams

in the quarterfinals tonight

On the top side of the bracket you have the two best teams in the state left with top seeded Riverside and 4 seed Many. Riverside will travel to 8 seed Springfield while Many will host 5 seed Evangel. Riverside will look to make a statement early as they go on the road to a hostile Livingston Parish crowd in Springfield. Coach Timmy Byrd's team will be very aware what awaits them as most of his players have been in this situation before while at Reserve Christian. Seniors Kyle McClue, Cedric Jenkins and sophomores Louis Dabney and Ricardo Gathers will lead the way for the Rebels. Many is also in familiar territory as the 2009 state runner-up will look to advance to the top 28 for the 3rd straight year with a win tonight. Dantrell Thomas and Nic Jacobs will lead the way for the Tigers of coach Darrin Dyess who is one of the top coaches in 2A and Louisiana.

Class 2A Quarterfinal Predictions

1 seed Riverside over 8 seed Springfield
4 seed Many over 5 seed Evangel
3 seed Red River over 6 Mamou
18 seed Jonesboro-Hodge over 7 seed Donaldsonville