All three parish high schools have their girls basketball teams opening the state playoffs at home tonight.
Lakeview’s Lady Gators are the parish’s highest seed, with a No. 5 ranking in Non-Select Division IV. Lakeview (23-3) plays at 5:30 tonight at home against No. 28 West St. John (9-17).
Coach Dewaskie Fuller’s Lady Gators have won 10 of their last 11 games. Lakeview is aiming for a return to Marsh Madness in Hamond, where last year it played for the state title and was upset by Oakdale.
A win advances the Lady Gators to a second-round game against either No. 12 Merryville or No. 21 Franklin.
Natchitoches Central is again among the state’s best big school girls teams. The Lady Chiefs are seeded 10th in Non-Select Division I, coming out of what is traditionally the strongest district in the state, 1-5A.
Tonight at 6 o’clock, the NCHS girls host a district opponent, Benton, at The Teepee. The Lady Chiefs (22-10) hold two double-digit wins over the No. 23 Lady Tigers (18-15), where former NSU Lady Demon basketball player Lyndzee Greene McConathy is an assistant coach.
Coach Nikki Jones’ NCHS team hopes to advance to a second-round contest Monday night against one of a couple of former district rivals, No. 7 Ruston (coached by Natchitoches Central alumnae and former Lady Demon Meridith Graf) or No. 26 West Monroe.
Across town Thursday night at 6, the St. Mary’s girls, seeded 16th in Select Division IV, play host to No. 17 Vermilion Catholic. SMHS won only two games a year ago, but earned a home playoff game this year under second-year coach Brooke Jones. The Lady Tigers are 12-18 overall while the visiting Lady Eagles are 12-12.
The winner gets to travel to Baton Rouge to face the No. 1 seed, Southern Lab, Monday night at 6.
The boys basketball season wraps up Friday night, with all three parish teams destined for first-round home games next week. Lakeview and St. Mary’s will draw top 5 seeds in their divisions and NCHS will not be too far back.
