LHSAA Marsh Madness: Takeaways from Day Two of boys basketball state championship games

Jimmy Watson, Shreveport Times

March 11, 2023 at 11:10 PM·3 min read

The 2022-23 LHSAA boys high school basketball championships concluded Saturday in Lake Charles at the Burton Coliseum with five games.

NW-Lena wins LHSAA Select Division IV championship over Lincoln Prep

Northwood-Lena added a second state championship trophy in a week when the No. 1 Gators topped No. 2 Lincoln Prep 73-56 for the Select Division IV title.

NW-Lena’s girls’ basketball team won a state title last week in Hammond.

The Gators (29-7) were led by title game Outstanding Player Omarion Layssard, who pumped in 34 points to lead all scorers. He battled Lincoln Prep guard Brayln Mayfield throughout the game as Mayfield finished with 32 points.

NW-Lena won its first state title in boys basketball in its first season under coach Samuel Tinsley. Lincoln Prep (24-5) was seeking its seventh title but first since 1992 when the school was known as Grambling Lab.

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Carver wins Select Division II title over Madison Prep

In one of the lowest scoring games of the entire tournament, No. 6 George Washington Carver completed an unexpected complete run to the Select Division II championship with a 34-25 win over No. 1 Madison Prep.

Jaylon Hicks scored nine points for Carver (24-10) with six rebounds to earn title game MVP honors. Ken’Wyion White actually topped Carver with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Madison Prep (32-3) was led by Josh Smith, who finished with 10 points and five boards.

Port Allen tops Winnfield to win the Non-Select Division III championship

Port Allen overcame a tough second quarter to win its fourth consecutive state title with a 73-56 victory over upstart Winnfield in the Non-Select Division III championship game.

Winnfield (26-5) was seeking its first state title, but the Pelicans (29-4) were too much to handle. Port Allen’s Isaiah Howard was named the game’s MVP after scoring 27 points.

Sophomore Jaylon Jackson had a solid game for the Tigers with 23 points but wasn’t as effective in the second half after the Pelicans adjusted defensively.

Catholic-B.R. captures LHSAA Select Division I championship

Catholic of Baton Rouge knocked off No. 1 seeded Scotlandville 57-54 to capture the Bears’ first boys basketball state championship.

Catholic (28-6) got a big game from Connor Green, who was named the Most Valuable Player. Scotlandville (32-4) led 30-27 at halftime but let the Bears remain close after the break.

Ponchatoula makes school history with its Non-Select Division I championship

Allen Graves scored at will on one end and altered shots on the other in leading Ponchatoula to the first boys state championship in school history with a 63-48 dismantling of No. 1 seeded New Iberia in the Non-Select Division I final.

The 6-foot-9 Graves, a junior who has an offer from Texas Tech, poured in 21 points in earning MVP honors for the Green Wave (29-7). New Iberia (30-4) was game but didn’t have enough firepower despite 20 points from Wayne Randall-Bashay.

Trey Parham came in and hit four 3-pointers and another key bucket to help spur Ponchatoula with 16 points.

Jimmy Watson covers Shreveport-Bossier area sports. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.

The Bossier boys basketball team hoists their LHSAA Non-Select Division II state championship trophy Friday in Lake Charles' Burton Coliseum.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Takeaways from Day Two of LHSAA boys state championship games

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