Louisiana High School Boys Basketball Playoff Bracketology: Divisions III and Below

High School on SI continues to preview the LHSAA playoffs.

Lafayette Renaissance coach Brad Boyd / SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There will be 10 state champions crowned in the coming weeks in Louisiana high school boys basketball with the opening round of the playoffs set to unfold Friday.

Here is a look at Division III & IV and Class B & C with favorites, intriguing matchups and potential upsets. You can find the complete brackets here: LHSAA brackets.

Division III Select

Top eight seeds (all get byes)

1. Calvary Baptist (28-4)

2. Dunham (23-6)

3. Country Day (21-6)

4. De La Salle (19-6)

5. Lafayette Renaissance (19-6)

6. St. Louis (17-10)

7. GEO Next Generation (21-12)

8. D'Arbonne Woods (18-7)

No. 12 Lafayette Christian (12-13) should square off with District 6-2A and neighborhood rival Lafayette Renaissance for the third time. The Knights lost the first game 36-21 before winning in league play at LRCA by one point. Christian Bernard, Graham Comeaux and the Knights will try for a second straight road win over the Tigers, who are led by seniors Turbo Gordon and Bubba Etienne. LRCA hasn't lost since the LCA game, while the Knights finished the regular season with a single digit loss to Division I select top-seeded John Curtis Christian.

Upset special: No. 9 Catholic New Iberia (16-10) over No. 8 D'Arbonne Woods in the second round. The Panthers lost two starters earlier in the season, but coach Dylan Vincent has 6-foot-10 Joab Trosclair and 6-foot-8 Jacob Minvielle. D'Arbonne Woods lost three of its last four games.

Defending champion Country Day is on the opposite side of the bracket from runner-up Calvary Baptist.

Division III Nonselect

Top eight seds (first four get byes)

1. Marksville (23-5)

2. Madison (25-3)

3. Donaldsonville (15-5)

4. Doyle (26-5)

5. Mamou (22-5)

6. Red River (21-10)

7. St. Helena (13-6)

8. French Settlement (23-11)

Marksville is coming off a win over the No. 1 team in the last edition of the Top 25 rankings, Peabody. The game was called with a few minutes left due to safety concerns, and it was an exhibition game, but the results are real. The Tigers led by 15 points at one juncture at Peabody, which had never lost a Hall of Fame game.

Upset specials: No. 12 Richwood (17-12) over No. 5 Mamou in the second round and No. 13 Jena in the quarterfinals. The defending state champs win in Cajun Country and at home in the quarterfinals after Jena takes out No. 4 Doyle, which hasn't faced near the gauntlet that the Giants have (recent games vs. Alexandria, Marksville, Tioga and Pleasant Hill). Richwood defeated Marksville in the title game last year. Red River and Madison Parish reached the semifinals.

Division IV Select

Top eight seeds (all receive byes)

1. Lincoln Prep (26-3)

2. St. Martin's Episcopal (20-6)

3. St. Frederick (19-2)

4. Central Catholic (22-9)

5. Westminster Christian-Lafayette (26-5)

6. Southern Lab (13-12)

7. Delhi Charter (20-8)

8. Ascension Episcopal (21-10)

Upset special: No. 14 J.S. Clark (11-14) over No. 3 St. Frederick in the second round. Bulldogs will be ready, having faced Marksville, Northside, New Iberia, Southside, Lafayette, Abbeville and Barbe. JS Clark defeated Marksville early in the season.

Is it Lincoln Prep and everybody else? Central Catholic, which is highly touted and has played big schools Teurlings Catholic, Thibodaux, Southside, South Lafourche and Carencro, as well as small school powers Ferriday and West St. Mary, could give the Grambling school its toughest test in the semifinals.

Central Catholic could also have its hands full in the quarterfinals vs. new program Westminster Christian-Lafayette, which can run teams off the floor with its perimeter shooting led by Ben Andress. The second round could be a struggle, too. The Eagles will face either No. 13 Westminster Chrisitan-Opelousas (16-13) or No. 20 Hanson Memorial (15-6). WCA-Opelousas has an accurate 3-point shooter in Parker DeVille.

WCA-Lafayette should face No. 12 Covenant Christian (14-13), which split district games vs. Central Catholic, in the second round.

Upset special part II: No. 10 Central Private (18-12) or Delhi Charter over No. 2 St. Martin's in the quarterfinals. Central Private actually lost by four points to St. Martin's (63-59) in the final game of the regular season. Delhi Charter comes out of a strong district where they lost close games to D4 No. 1 Ferriday and D3 No. 2 Madison Parish. St. Martin's got a brutal draw with a capable No. 15 Opelousas Catholic (11-11) traveling to Metairie after the Vikings disposed of No. 18 Sacred Heart in an early first round game.

There will be a new state champion after Hamilton Christian didn't field a team this season. The Warriors beat Southern Lab in last year's final.

Division IV Nonselect

Top eight seeds (first four get byes)

1. Ferriday (29-2)

2. Lakeview (27-4)

3. East Iberville (24-7)

4. West St. Mary (25-4)

5. Arcadia (13-12)

6. Lake Arthur (15-12)

7. MIdland (16-10)

8. Vinton (20-6)

The top half of this bracket is overloaded. Two-time defending champ No. 16 Franklin (9-14), which split games with West St. Mary, should travel to No. 1 Ferriday in round 2. Vinton, last year's runner-up, could travel to Ferriday in the quarterfinals. You also have multiple state title winning program North Central at No. 9. The Hurricanes (16-17) are on an eight-game winning streak, and No. 5 Arcadia, which won state in 2021 by defeating White Castle. The Hornets upset North Central in the semifinals that year.

Class B

Top eight seeds (all get byes)

1. Anacoco (31-4)

2. Zwolle (26-7)

3. Quitman (24-5)

4. Lacassine (24-6)

5. Hicks (23-11)

6. Stanley (21-6)

7. Hathaway (23-10)

8. Pitkin (22-16)

Hicks vs. Negreet Part III. The No. 12 Indians (12-15) stay in central Louisiana for a regional road game vs. Hicks, which won two regular season meetings. Hicks won by 36 points in the first game of the year.

Upset special: No. 6 Stanley over No. 3 Quitman in the quarterfinals. Panthers are coming in with wins over Zwolle and Class C No. 4 Saline in their last two games.

Class C

Top eight seeds (all get byes)

1. Gibsland-Coleman (25-3)

2. Pleasant Hill (29-7)

3. Plainview (20-6)

4. Saline (21-13)

5. Georgetown (29-6)

6. Claiborne Christian (22-9)

7. Hornbeck (17-10)

8. Starks (16-9)

Plainview won it all last year as a No. 2 seed. Gibsland-Coleman, runner-up Pleasant Hill and Georgetown (also a No. 5 seed last season) all reached the state tournament. Georgetown and No. 4 Saline should meet in a quarterfinal rematch of the regular season won 56-43 by Saline at home.

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