Liberty Magnet, St. Thomas More, and Louisiana Basketball Powerhouses Shine in Action-Packed Week

Liberty Magnet and St. Thomas More rebound after rare losses, Mal Mundy’s Lafayette Classic spotlights rising stars, and key district teams heat up in Louisiana hoops
Liberty Magnet bounced back from a recent loss to improve to 12-1 this season.
Liberty Magnet bounced back from a recent loss to improve to 12-1 this season. / Liberty Magnet Basketball Instagram

It was a week of rebounds, rivalries, and rising stars in Louisiana high school basketball. Liberty Magnet and St. Thomas More, two Division I select powerhouses and last year’s state title contenders, showcased resilience with crucial victories following rare losses.

Meanwhile, Mal Mundy’s Lafayette Classic provided a stage for standout performances, as top players and teams battled for recognition. Across districts, the race to the playoffs is heating up, with surprises and streaks shaping the season. Here’s a comprehensive look at the highlights, results, and standout performances from an electrifying week of hoops action.

Division I select powers strike back

Liberty Magnet and St. Thomas More, which met for the Division I select state title last season, responded from rare losses last week. 

The Patriots (12-1), who lost by three points to Carroll in Monroe on Jan. 4, earned wins over Catholic New Iberia and Peabody. Liberty made 10 3-pointers in the first half and led the Panthers 44-26 at halftime.

"We took a loss last time we played," Liberty coach Brandon White said. "I challenged them early. We came out with a lot of energy. You know how it goes with these high school kids...they get relaxed, but other than that, I thought we did a great job competing in the first half."

Liberty hung on to win, 60-57. Seven Patriots scored between 6-and-10 points. Malek Robinson, the nation's steals leader (8.1 spg), scored seven points. The pass-first point guard, who attempted only one shot in the first half vs. Catholic NI, is averaging 7.6 assists. 

Liberty defeated Peabody on Friday at Baton Rouge Community College, 61-46. Despite picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter, Robinson finished with 10 points to hand the Warhorses only their second defeat (16-2), according to William Weathers of Geaux Preps. Kareem Washington had 16 points and three 3-pointers.

St. Thomas More, which dropped a pair of games at New Orleans area schools Archbishop Hannan and Metairie Park Country Day on Jan. 3-4, rallied from a late deficit to defeat Dunham on Monday. Next, the Cougars swept four games to win the Teurlings Catholic Rebel Roundball Classic. 

STM (13-3) defeated Acadiana, Lake Charles College Prep (14-4), Jesuit (15-2) and St. Michael (13-7) to win the tournament. The Cougars, who held LCCP to 34 points in the quarterfinals, limited St. Michael to single-digit scoring in each quarter of a 50-28 win. Matthew Cook came off the bench to score 12 points. 

STM outscored Jesuit, 15-5, in the final quarter of a 47-39 win. John Luke Bourque clinched the game at the free-throw line while scoring 19 points. 6-foot-4 forward Grayson Roy went head-to-head with Jesuit 6-foot-7 senior Ethan Lapeze and scored 12 points. Roy has a patented inside move that usually results in a high-percentage shot and/or a trip to the charity stripe.

Elijah Guidry, a 6-foot-2 senior, has been hot from behind the 3-point line. He has great defensive instincts that lead to frequent steals.

"We had some great steals at the end to close it out," STM coach Danny Broussard said after the semifinal win over Jesuit. "It was a great win for us. It's all about power points at this time. When you play Jesuit, it's a lot of power points."

Mal Mundy presents second Lafayette Classic 

Across town from the Teurlings Catholic tourney on Saturday, promotor Mal Mundy staged a seven-game set at Southside High School with the results as follows:

Catholic-BR 83, Northwest 57

Natchitoches-Central 62, Southside 61

Northside 64, Vandebilt Catholic 52

Washington-Marion 46, Catholic New Iberia 41

Opelousas 46, Lafayette High 39

Beau Chene 56, Carver 40

Abbeville 61, Franklin 46

Opelousas (11-4), which is No. 7 in the Division II nonselect power ratings, has won six straight games. The Tigers have balanced scoring with 6-foot-5 forward Evan Thomas, 6-3 guard Brayhlon Artholee and 6-4 forward Taillion Rideau, who The Tour Hoopfest analyst Clifton Dixon named as players of the game on Saturday.

Catholic-BR (20-1) enjoyed its highest scoring output of the season in the win over Northwest. Dixon named Charlie Mosley (19 points) player of the game for the Bears. 6-foot-4 sophomore Markez Davis (17 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and 6-foot-2 sophomore Reginald Lavergne (16 pts, 7 reb, 4 asst) nabbed the honor for the Raiders. Davis is a national recruit, Mundy said in an interview last week. 

Washington-Marion (8-6) had lost three of four before the win over Catholic New Iberia. It was a battle of big men as Charging Indians' 6-foot-8 junior Monte Farmer posted 16 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and five blocks. 6-10 Joab Trosclair tallied 18 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three assists for the Panthers (7-7).

Miscellaneous Notes

St. Michael was the surprise of the Teurlings Catholic Tournament. The Warriors, who are No. 16 in the Division II select power ratings, had lost five of seven games ahead of tourney wins over Central Catholic, Alexandria and Teurlings Catholic.

Opposing coaches raved about the Warriors' five-guard lineup and how difficult it was to match up with the physically stout squad. Sean Brown scored 13 points in the 42-25 win over Teurlings Catholic in the semifinals. He had 12 of his team's 28 points in the loss to STM. The Warriors held Alexandria to its lowest output of the season in a 48-38 quarterfinal win while giving up size to 6-foot-6, 200-pound Tyshawn Duncan and 6-4 Jarvell Bordelon.

St. Michael is in a district (6-4A) that includes Brusly (13-2), Plaquemine (9-5) and McKinley, which is 9-7 but owns a recent win over Madison Prep and took Liberty Magnet to overtime.

Two other leagues to watch once district play begins:

District 4-5A: Catholic-BR (20-1), Zachary (16-1), Liberty (12-1), Central (12-2), which defeated Madison Prep last week, Scotlandville (13-4) and Woodlawn-BR (12-7).

District 4-4A: Northside (17-3), which claimed double-digit wins on Friday and Saturday over Catholic-NI and Vandebilt Catholic, STM (13-3), David Thibodaux (16-3), Teurlings Catholic (14-6), North Vermilion (9-6) and Westgate (6-6), a much-improved squad that was competitive in a 61-51 loss to STM at the Sunkist Shootout.

Acadiana (10-10) is another program that is trending up under first-year coach Ahmad Onezime. The Rams began the season 7-1, lost seven straight games, and have split their last four with wins over Lafayette High (9-6) and Tioga (14-7). Thirteen of the Rams' games have been decided by 10-or-fewer points. 

After an 0-7 start, Cecilia has won four straight games. The Bulldogs have their football players back, including Ellis Stewart, who led the team in scoring in wins over Washington-Marion and Lafayette Renaissance (11-5). The Bulldogs' four wins have been by seven-or-fewer points. 

Elsewhere in that district (5-4A), Breaux Bridge (9-6) has won seven straight games with its last three coming against Northwest, Church Point and Lafayette. Beau Chene (11-10) and Opelousas (11-4) are also in the league.

Loreauville is climbing the Division III nonselect power ratings. The Tigers, winners of nine of their last 10 games, are 10-3 and No. 8 in the power ratings. Coach Darrell Caesar's team includes football stars Kylon Polk and Dylan Singleton, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound Texas Tech signee.


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Mike Coppage
MIKE COPPAGE

Mike Coppage is a Louisiana-based veteran reporter with decades of experience covering recruiting and high school sports for Scout, Rivals, The Acadiana Advocate and The Daily Iberian. He has been freelancing for High School On SI since 2024.