Louisiana 'Marsh Madness' girls basketball recap: A 'three-peat' championship is within reach for Northwood-Lena
On the second day of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association's "Marsh Madness" girls state basketball tournaments, there was news on and off the court.
Five more semifinal games were played on Tuesday in Hammond. But toward the end of the last game of the night, news broke that Vandebilt Catholic disqualified itself from Wednesday's Division II select semifinal against Madison Prep for inadvertently using an ineligible player.
As a result, four semifinal games will be played on Wednesday, with Madison Prep automatically advancing into Saturday's Division II select championship game.
Pairings announced for Louisiana girls 'Marsh Madness' state basketball tournaments
Regarding the on-court action Tuesday, here's a recap of what went down at the University Center on the Southeastern Louisiana University campus.
Division IV select semifinal
No. 2 Northwood-Lena 48, No. 3 Hamilton Christian 41
It's all about playing well at the right time for Northwood-Lena, which advances to compete for a third straight state championship after making its fourth straight trip to Hammond.
The reigning state champion Lady Gators (19-12) bounced back from losing eight of their first 11 games to win 12 of their next 14. The central Louisiana program won the 2022 Class 1A crown along with last season's Division IV select championship.
Rhianna Battles knocked down 10-of-18 field goal attempts to finish with 21 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and two assists. Ja'Shira Henson added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Amya Weatherall (nine points, two steals) and Nyasia Moran (eight points, five rebounds) accounted for the rest of the scoring.
The score was tied (14-all) after one quarter, and the Lady Gators led by one point entering the final period.
Battles had four fouls. Hamilton Christian's Kayla Harding (seven points, 14 rebounds) fouled out. Destiny Ware (10 points, two steals) had four fouls for the Lady Warriors (24-7).
Riley Fontenot (5-of-7 FG) led Hamilton Christian with 11 points. McKenzie Deville totaled seven points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Division V select semifinal
No. 1 Oak Hill 79, No. 5 Plainview 46
The defending state champs in Oak Hill rolled to a blowout win behind junior Brilee Dousay's 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
With the win Tuesday, the Lady Rams will meet No. 2 J.S. Clark (23-6) for the second straight year in the final. Tipoff is set for noon on Friday.
Oak Hill (28-13) led at the half, 38-27. Plainview made 12-of-15 free throws in the first half (compared to the Lady Rams' 6-of-6). Dousay had 11 points at intermission. Alexis Dyer had 10.
In addition, Oak Hill was able to overcome foul trouble as both Jodie Jowers and Braylee Cedus had three fouls by halftime.
Plainview finished the season with a 16-19 record.
Division IV select semifinal
No. 1 Southern Lab 54, No. 4 Sacred Heart-Ville Platte 23
The Kittens (27-7) have revenge on their minds, having squandered a large lead in last year's championship game loss to Northwood-Lena. Southern Lab will get another shot at the Gators on Friday at 2 p.m.
Kinsley James had 13 points, five rebounds and two steals for Southern Lab, which only led 17-10 at halftime. The Kittens outscored the Trojans 20-9 in the third quarter and 17-4 in the fourth.
Asia Patin and Jamya Cain scored 11 points apiece. Patin, a sophomore, totaled seven rebounds, six assists and six steals.
The Kittens collected 17 steals while forcing 34 turnovers, made 6-of-19 shots from beyond the arc and sank 6-of-8 free throws.
Sacred Heart (26-6), which was led by Kali Shiver's seven points, made 1-of-7 from 3-point range and 2-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Division V non-select semifinal
No. 1 Hicks 51, No. 4 Midland 45
The Lady Pirates overcame a 22-20 halftime deficit to advance to the championship game where they'll face No. 2 Fairview on Friday at 8 p.m.
Hicks (34-3), which shot 62.5% from the field in the fourth quarter, outscored the Lady Rebels 12-7 in the third period and 19-16 in the fourth.
The Lady Pirates, who were 0-for-12 from 3-point land, were led by Shyanne Phillips' 23 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Reese Stephens added 12 points and five rebounds.
Midland (26-10) led 16-10 after one quarter. Tora Savoy (7-of-14 FG) paced the Lady Rebels with 17 points, 10 rebounds and two steals before fouling out. Gracie Miller chipped in 14 points and accounted for all three of her team's 3-pointers. The rest of the team was 0-for-9.
Myra Carlson, Camri Primeaux and Miller all finished the game with four fouls.
Division V non-select semifinal
No. 2 Fairview 81, No. 3 Anacoco 70
Two teams that love to push the basketball combined to attempt 159 field goals (and 38 free throws).
Fairview (31-7) made 26-of-68 field goals and was 10-for-37 from beyond the arc. The Lady Panthers sank 19-of-30 free throws while Anacoco was 7-of-8 from the line.
Avery Williams and Ella Reeves had double-doubles. Williams scored 20 points with four 3-pointers and grabbed 10 rebounds. Reeves posted 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Andi Stanley added 13 points, Reesie Jinks had 10, Andi Turner (nine) and Kaylee Guillory (eight).
Fairview shot 53.8% from the field (7-of-13 FG) in a fourth quarter where they outscored the Lady Indians, 25-17. Anacoco made 7-of-22 field goals (31.8%) in the final period.
The Lady Indians (32-6) had three players with four fouls, including leading scorers Joanna Mawae (16 points) and Bailey Davis (15). Mawae made 8-of-12 FG, and Davis was 7-of-12. Brooklyn Bryant chipped in 12 points.
Anacoco, which shot 31-for-71 (1-for-8 on 3-pointers), out-rebounded Fairview, 51-37, but the Lady Indians turned the ball over 20 times compared to Fairview's 10.
Photo of Northwood-Lena's Rhianna Battles from her X page
-- Mike Coppage | @SBLiveLA
