Louisiana girls basketball playoff overview: After opening-round byes, many higher seeded teams now in regionals
Opening-round bi-district action in each of the select and non-select brackets in Louisiana high school girls basketball took place last week.
Several of the higher seeded squads were not involved, as those teams drew byes. But those teams will be in action as the second round of the LHSAA playoffs - also known as the regionals - get under way on Monday.
Louisiana high school girls basketball Top 25 rankings (2/14/2024)
Here is an overview of each division entering regional playoff action:
Division I non-select
Defending champion
Parkway
Top 8 seeds (top four received first-round bye)
1. Walker (33-0)
2. Denham Springs (26-4)
3. Mandeville (26-5)
4. Southside (26-4)
5. Parkway (22-4)
6. Zachary (23-7)
7. Ruston (23-7)
8. Haughton (28-6)
Regional games to watch
No. 11 Ponchatoula at No. 6 Zachary is a rematch of last year's quarterfinal game and is the LGRBasketball Game of the Week.
Ponchatoula won that matchup at Zachary as a No. 5 seed, topping the No. 4 Lady Broncos on the road, 65-57. The Lady Wave went on to upset No. 1 Walker in the semifinals before falling to No. 2 Parkway, 80-57.
Alyssa Hillard scored 29 points with 11 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in Ponchatoula's 82-45 first-round win over No. 22 Live Oak. The Lady Wave (20-11) lost to Zachary, 58-49, in a January tournament.
Last year, sixth-seeded Denham Springs was upset by No. 27 Slidell in the first round, 46-45. The Lady Jackets get a chance for payback on Monday when No. 15 Slidell (20-6) visits again. The Lady Tigers held off No. 18 Barbe, 63-62, in the opening round.
Denham Springs had an 11-game winning streak snapped by Walker in a 71-38 loss at home in the regular-season finale.
Ruston, which eliminated district rival No. 26 West Monroe in the first round, comes into Monday's game against No. 10 Natchitoches Central (23-10) on a 10-game winning streak.
The Lady Chiefs, meanwhile, have won eight of their last nine with only a loss to Fairview. Natchitoches Central lost to district rival Parkway in last year's quarterfinals.
Division I select
Defending champion
Lafayette High
Top 8 seeds (all received first-round bye)
1. Huntington (24-2)
2. John Curtis Christian (18-4)
3. Liberty Magnet (22-4)
4. St. Scholastica (22-5)
5. Woodlawn-Baton Rouge (22-9)
6. Carencro (22-7)
7. Archbishop Chapelle (21-7)
8. St. Thomas More (15-10)
Regional games to watch
No. 10 Lafayette (14-8) at No. 7 Archbishop Chapelle. The defending champion Lady Lions are surging, winning nine of their last 10 games with only an overtime loss to Carencro. Lafayette bounced No. 23 Mount Carmel from the bracket on Thursday, 54-33. Kira Johnson scored 16 points with five steals, four assists and two rebounds, while Tris Breaux had 11 points.
The Chipmunks, who had a six-game winning streak halted in a 48-32 loss at Denham Springs, have only played one game since Feb. 4.
No. 12 Northwood-Shreveport (22-11) at No. 5 Woodlawn-Baton Rouge. The Lady Falcons feature one of the state's best players in Hannah Mouton, a senior transfer from Southside in the Lafayette area. Mouton totaled 25 points and six assists in Northwood's 67-48 first-round win over No. 21 Alexandria.
Division II non-select
Defending champion
Wossman
Top 8 seeds (top four received first-round bye)
1. Wossman (25-4)
2. South Beauregard (24-7)
3. Bastrop (31-2)
4. Albany (21-7)
5. LaGrange (20-7)
6. Church Point (25-6)
7. Iowa (25-5)
8. Brusly (26-8)
Regional games to watch
No.11 Plaquemine (19-9) at No. 6 Church Point. Plaquemine, the No. 11 seed for a second straight year, is motivated after getting upset in the 2023 first round by No. 22 Jennings. The Lady Green Devils defeated No. 22 Kaplan last Thursday, 44-33.
Church Point is enjoying its best season ever. The Lady Bears have won 11 of their last 12 games, including a 75-32 trouncing of No. 27 Livonia in the playoff opener. 6-foot senior Shaine Parker poured in a career-high 38 points.
No. 24 West Feliciana (13-12) at No. 8 Brusly. The Lady Saints upset No. 9 Abbeville, 66-61, to set up a showdown at District 6-4A rival Brusly, which has won 14 of its last 15 games with a loss to Southern Lab.
Brusly defeated West Feliciana, 57-36, at home earlier this month. The Lady Panthers reached the 2023 semifinals as a No. 3 seed where they lost to No. 2 Albany in overtime.
Division II select
Defending champion
Lafayette Christian
Top 8 seeds (all received first-round bye)
1. Lafayette Christian (27-1)
2. Vandebilt Catholic (19-6)
3. Madison Prep (22-10)
4. E.D. White (22-7)
5. Bunkie (20-4)
6. Booker T. Washington-New Orleans (18-8)
7. Teurlings Catholic (18-12)
8. Northside (12-13)
Regional games to watch
No. 10 George Washington Carver (13-12) at No. 7 Teurlings Catholic. The Lady Rams pummeled No. 23 L.B. Landry, 54-12, in the opening round.
Carver has won five straight, including wins over No. 9 Frederick Douglass and No. 21 Cabrini, which upset No. 12 Haynes Academy in the first round.
Teurlings Catholic has lost six of its last seven games.
Douglass (19-10), which defeated No. 24 St. Louis Catholic, 42-36, on Thursday, travels to No. 8 Northside. Three of the top eight seeds - Lafayette Christian, Teurlings Catholic and Northside - are members of District 4-4A.
Division III non-select
Defending champion
Rosepine
Top 8 seeds (top four received first-round bye)
1. Rosepine (27-5)
2. Amite (26-5)
3. Doyle (28-4)
4. Westlake (22-5)
5. French Settlement (21-6)
6. Sterlington (22-7)
7. Pine (22-10)
8. Springfield (17-9)
There were a handful of upsets in the opening round. No. 24 Ville Platte (10-16) knocked off No. 9 St. James (19-7), No. 20 Kinder (15-13) beat No. 13 Jena (12-13), and No. 18 Marksville took out No. 15 Winnfield.
This bracket feels like Rosepine, Amite, Doyle, Westlake and everyone else. 2023 semifinalists Winnfield and Union Parish were eliminated in the first round. No. 22 Union Parish, which lost to No. 1 Rosepine as a No. 5 seed last year, was bounced by No. 11 West St. Mary, 44-42.
2023 runner-up Amite was also a No. 2 seed last year. Westlake, which hosts district rival Kinder, reached the quarterfinals as a No. 13 seed (losing at Union Parish).
Division III select
Defending champion
Parkview Baptist
Top 8 seeds (all received first-round bye)
1. Dunham (23-7)
2. Parkview Baptist (20-10)
3. Holy Savior Menard (21-11)
4. University Lab (21-11)
5. Sacred Heart-New Orleans (14-7)
6. St. Mary's Academy (15-7)
7. Glenmora (17-14)
8. Isidore Newman (10-12)
Tournament notes
Three of the top four seeds are from the Baton Rouge area, with Alexandria-based Holy Savior Menard the lone exception at No. 3.
No. 2 Parkview Baptist hosts another local program, No. 15 Episcopal (10-14), in a rematch of last year's title game. In 2023, the No. 5 Lady Eagles defeated No. 6 Episcopal, 52-34.
Newman was the top seed in 2023, Menard was No. 2, Houma Christian No. 3 and St. Thomas Aquinas No. 4.
Newman hosts No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (12-13) on Monday, while No. 10 Houma Christian (13-4) travels to No. 7 Glenmora.
Division IV non-select
Defending champion
Oakdale
Top 8 seeds (top four received first-round bye)
1. Arcadia (28-3)
2. Oakdale (24-7)
3. Lake Arthur (25-4)
4. LaSalle (23-2)
5. Lakeview (24-3)
6. White Castle (20-11)
7. East Beauregard (20-11)
8. Oak Grove (18-7)
Sleeper team
Oak Grove, which struggled against a series of elite opponents before reeling off nine consecutive wins to finish the regular season.
Last year, the No. 3 Lady Tigers lost to No. 2 Lakeview in the semifinals, 36-30. Freshman center Caroline Bradley is a big-time player.
No. 9 Oakdale upset No. 1 White Castle, No. 4 Arcadia and Lakeview to win the 2023 title.
If No. 3 Lake Arthur and No. 2 Oakdale meet in the semifinals, that could be this bracket's most intriguing matchup.
Division IV select
Defending champion
Northwood-Lena
Top 8 seeds (all received first-round bye)
1. Southern Lab (24-7)
2. Northwood-Lena (16-12)
3. Hamilton Christian (22-6)
4. Sacred Heart-Ville Platte (24-5)
5. Ouachita Christian (20-8)
6. Central Catholic (16-7)
7. Highland Baptist (15-10)
8. St. Martin's Episcopal (16-5)
Tournament notes
Last year, No. 2 Northwood-Lena won its second straight state title with an overtime win over No. 1 Southern Lab.
Northwood has won 10 its last 12 and 13 of its last 17 games with losses to LaSalle, Class 4A Huntington and Class 5A programs Ruston and Ponchatoula.
Central Catholic and Hamilton Christian reached the semifinals last year as No. 5 and No. 6 seeds.
Sacred Heart and LSU-Eunice signee Kali Shiver have won eight straight games.
No. 10 Covenant Christian (20-9) travels to New Iberia to face District 7-1A rival Highland Baptist on Monday. Highland Baptist, which beat the Lady Lions by seven points at home in the second round of league play, has made four consecutive quarterfinal appearances.
Division V non-select
Defending champion
Hathaway
Top 8 seeds (top four received first-round bye)
1. Hicks (31-3)
2. Fairview (28-7)
3. Anacoco (30-5)
4. Midland (24-9)
5. Gibsland-Coleman (11-12)
6. Castor (23-4)
7. Hathaway (18-15)
8. Pitkin (24-16)
Tournament notes
No. 5 Gibsland-Coleman drew a tough out in No. 12 Bell City, which hammered No. 21 Weston, 69-28. Bell City (18-10) is a member of a rugged District 6-B that includes J.S. Clark, Midland and Hathaway.
Midland hosts a No. 13 Negreet team that is 27-10 and has won 22 of its last 25 games.
Eleven of the 16 teams in this bracket, including the top four seeds, are from southwest/central Louisiana.
Division V select
Defending champion
Oak Hill
Top 8 seeds (top six received first-round bye)
1. Oak Hill (26-13)
2. J.S. Clark (21-6)
3. Family Christian (24-11)
4. Claiborne Christian (29-1)
5. Plainview (15-18)
6. Family Community (16-14)
7. Avoyelles Public Charter (13-21)
8. St. Joseph's-Plaucheville (11-15)
Top-seeded Oak Hill, which downed J.S. Clark in the 2023 finals, has a regional round bye and will host the winner of No. 8 St. Joseph's/No. 9 Rapides (10-21) in the quarterfinals.
Claiborne Christian began the season 28-0 before a loss to Gibsland-Coleman. No. 5 Plainview, which has played a tough schedule, will attempt to upend the No. 4 Crusaders on the road on Monday.
Oak Hill and J.S. Clark could be destined for a repeat showdown. Last year, J.S. Clark lost, 74-54, as a No. 3 seed.
Photo of Lafayette High's Kira Johnson by Brad Bowie, The Acadiana Advocate
-- Mike Coppage | @SBLiveLA
