The Lakeview girls’ great season ended in the state semifinals Monday in Hammond, but the top-seeded Gators’ boys team joins the parish’s other highly-ranked boys basketball squads in home playoff games tonight.
In Division I Non-Select, fifth-seeded Natchitoches Central plays host to old rival West Monroe (seeded 21st) in the Teepee on the Highway 1 Bypass.
Across town, St. Mary’s begins its playoff push as the No. 4 seed in Division IV Select by hosting No. 13 Opelousas Catholic on East Fifth Street.
Outside of Campti, the No. 1 Lakeview boys begin their Division IV Non-Select postseason run against 16th-seeded Ferriday.
All three games tip off at 6:30.
Monday, the Lakeview girls ran into one of the state’s better teams in any division, Arcadia, and were overwhelmed late in a 60-29 loss in a Division IV Non-Select semifinal at Marsh Madness.
The Lady Gators, who finished with a 26-4 record, were the No. 5 seed but just could not withstand the Lady Hornets’ pressure defense. Lakeview made just 22 percent of its shots as Arcadia (30-3) allowed very few open looks.
Arcadia expanded a 9-4 first-quarter advantage to a 21-12 halftime lead that stretched to 35-22 after three periods. The wheels came off for Lakeview in the final eight minutes as Arcadia ended the game on a 25-7 run, starting with a 15-1 burst. The Lady Gators made only 1 of 13 shots in the fourth quarter while the winners made 10 of 14.
Timberlyn Washington, Lakeview’s junior returning all-state guard, scored 11 while Alonna Henderson added 10 points.
It was the second consecutive Marsh Madness appearance for the Lady Gators, who played in the state finals for the first time a year ago.
