Louisiana High School Girls Basketball Playoff Overview

10 Divisions begin postseason play in earnest on Thursday

Walker Lady Cats are a No. 2 seed / Walker Lady Wildcats Facebook

10 state champions will be crowned in Louisiana girls high school basketball in the coming weeks as the playoffs began in earnest on Thursday.

Here is a look at each division with favorites, intriguing matchups and potential upsets.

Division I nonselect

Top 10 seeds (first four receive bye)

1. Parkway (24-2)

2. Walker (30-2)

3. Zachary (22-4)

4. Haughton (26-4)

5. Barbe (29-3)

6. Natchitoches-Central (27-4)

7. Neville (19-3)

8, Denham Springs (21-9)

9. Slidell (23-6)

10. Sulphur (21-3)

This is the toughest bracket. Division I nonselect has comprised the majority of the teams in the top 25 rankings this season.

No. 4 Haughton should face No. 13 Destrehan (22-8) in the second round. The Wildcats and Koi Ursin have won nine straight games and own wins over defending state champions John Curtis and Southern Lab.

The best game of the regional round could be No. 8 Slidell vs. No. 9 Denham Springs, which defeated Walker and took the No. 2 Wildcats to overtime earlier. That's assuming Slidell gets past No. 24 St. Amant (14-16), which has a recent win over No. 11 East Ascension (20-5).

No. 14 Hahnville (19-8) and No. 19 H.L. Bourgeois (19-9) meet in a rematch of district rivals won by Hahnville, 38-30. The winner of the game, which will be streamed by the The Hash it Out Show, has to travel to Zachary.

No. 5 Barbe and Mia Colston have a tough potential second round matchup against No. 12 Northshore (23-6), which has won eight straight games including a victory at city rival Slidell.

Looking down the road, No. 3 Zachary vs. No. 2 Walker is a game everyone would like to see.

Division I select

Top eight seeds (all get byes)

1. John Curtis (16-4)

2. Edna Karr (26-4)

3. Woodlawn-BR (23-6)

4. Huntington (16-6)

5. Dominican (23-5)

6. Archbishop Chapelle (22-6)

7. St. Scholastica (19-7)

8. Alexandria (23-6)

This bracket has potential upset specials written all over it. We're predicting No. 12 Lafayette (16-11), which faces No. 21 St. Joseph's (10-13) in the opening round, to upset No. 5 Dominican and reach the quarterfinals at No. 4 Huntington, which was the top seed last year.

Also, watch for No. 11 Captain Shreve (23-8), which takes on No. 22 Ben Franklin (15-14) in the first round, to possibly get past No, 6 Chapelle, and No. 10 Ponchatoula over No. 7 St. Scholastica. The Green Wave, led by Alyssa Hillard, has won six of its last seven including wins over D1 nonselect No. 15 Mandeville (21-9) and Northshore. Ponchatoula hosts No. 23 Bonnabel (14-12) in the first round.

Division II nonselect

Top 10 seeds (first four receive bye)

1. Wossman (24-3)

2. North Vermilion (25-2)

3. Sterlington (21-7)

4. Iowa (20-7)

5. Abbeville (18-4)

6. South Beauregard (20-7)

7, Albany (21-11)

8. Bastrop (18-8)

9. Northwest (20-6)

10. Lakeshore (11-9)

No. 7 Albany at No. 2 North Vermilion has the makings of a great quarterfinal game if both teams reach the third round. Albany is accustomed to making late round appearances, while North Vermilion is looking to get over a second-round hump against the winner of No. 15 LaGrange (13-10)/No. 18 Iota (12-11).

Albany, which comes out of a tough Class 3A district that includes Doyle, Pine, Springfield and Amite, has won six of its last seven with a 52-45 loss at Doyle. North Vermilion should face No. 15 LaGrange (13-10), which is always a dangerous team. The Gators ended the regular season with a one-point win over Division II select No. 10 Leesville.

No. 5 Abbeville, which hosts No. 28 Livonia (11-17), was upset in the opening round last year as a No. 9 seed by No. 24 West Feliciana. Abbeville could face district rival No. 12 St. Martinville (17-6) in the second round. Abbeville swept the Tigers, who entertain No. 21 Pearl River (16-12) by scores of 42-32 and 51-48 in the regular season

Division II select

Top eight seeds (all get byes)

1. University Lab (20-3)

2. Vandebilt Catholic (15-7)

3. Parkview Baptist (19-6)

4. E. D. White (24-4)

5. Madison Prep (17-12)

6. Archbishop Hannan (17-7)

7. Booker T. Washington-NO (20-7)

8. Frederick A. Douglass (19-6)

There will be a new champion in this division after Lafayette Christian moved from Class 4A to Class 2A (Division II to Division III select). Madison Prep, which finished as runner-up to the Knights, has a recent win over Parkview Baptist.

Our favorite is Vandebilt Catholic, which reached the state tourney last year but didn't get a chance to advance due to an LHSAA ruling.

The Terriers, who brought back almost their entire roster, have won eight of their last nine games. Parkview Baptist defeated University Lab for the Division III select title last year. Both moved up a division. The top-seeded Cubs won three straight after losing three of five to Madison Prep, Parkview Baptist and Woodlawn-BR.

A potential regional game to watch is No. 8 Douglass vs. No. 9 Buckeye, which is on a 14-game winning streak. Douglass lost its last game to Class 1A Central Catholic.

Division III nonselect

Top 10 seeds (first four receive bye)

1. Oakdale (22-5)

2. Oak Grove (18-2)

3. French Settlement (23-9)

4. Doyle (22-6)

5. Pine (21-5)

6. Westlake (16-6)

7. Kinder (20-7)

8. Ville Platte (19-8)

9. Mansfield (16-12)

10. Jena (19-10)

The top four seeds in this bracket, as expected, are heavy favorites. A potential No. 3 French Settlement and Stella Allison matchup vs, No. 2 Oak Grove and Caroline Bradley and No. 4 Doyle vs. No. 1 Oakdale should come to fruition.

Oak Grove has been in the top 25 rankings most of the season. Doyle has been in the mix for several straight weeks. Oakdale, the No. 2 seed and 2023-24 Division IV nonselect runner-up to Arcadia, has been climbing the rankings behind an 11-game winning streak punctuated by a 61-29 blowout of Class 5A Alexandria.

No. 4 Doyle could meet district rival No. 5 Pine in the quarterfinals. The Tigers won in the regular season on the road, 66-48.

Division III select

Top eight seeds (all get byes)

1. Lafayette Christian (25-5)

2. Academy of Sacred Heart-NO (17-6)

3. Rosepine (21-9)

4. Dunham (16-9)

5. De La Salle (14-9)

6. Northlake Christian (16-10)

7. Newman (13-12)

8. Calvary Baptist (15-7)

Watch for No. 11 Amite (10-15), which is having a rebuilding year by its standards, to possibly upset No. 6 Northlake Christian and set up a quarterfinal game vs. Rosepine. The Warriors and Eagles met in two previous state tournaments in nonselect. Vernon and Tangipahoa Parish schools are now select.

Last year, Rosepine won its second straight state title by defeating Amite. The Eagles will be hard-pressed to achieve a trifecta with Lafayette Christian, a four-time defending state champion, now in Division III. The Knights are as good as any team in any division.

No. 2 Academy of Sacred Heart, which has won seven straight games since a loss to Booker T. Washington-NO, has impressed VK Jones of The Hash it Out Show.

Division IV nonselect

Top 10 seeds (first four receive bye)

1. Lakeview (26-4)

2. Arcadia (25-4)

3. White Castle (23-9)

4. Merryville (21-6)

5. Midland (20-11)

6. Logansport (20-5)

7. Oberlin (19-13)

8. Mangham (20-6)

9. Homer (17-9)

10. East Iberville (22-11)

If Arcadia and 2027 forward DeAsia Alexander are going to repeat as state champions, they'll have to navigate a bracket that includes No. 2 Lakeview and 2,000-point scorer Timberly Washington.

No. 5 Midland is capable of upsetting No. 4 Merryville and giving Lakeview a run for its money. The Rebels lost by two points in overtime to Lafayette Christian at the end of the regular season.

On the other side of the bracket, White Castle has won 12 of 13 with only a loss to Class 5A Denham Springs. The Bulldogs, who began the year 2-3 with losses to Class 5A Woodlawn-BR, HL Bourgeois and East Ascension, lost by one point (43-42) to Walker.

Oberlin, which could face Arcadia in the quartefinals, owns wins over North Vermilion, Midland and Hamilton Christian.

Division IV select

Top eight seeds (all get byes)

1. Southern Lab (18-5)

2. Cedar Creek (26-3)

3. JS Clark (22-8)

4. St. Edmund (23-4)

5. Ouachita Christian (25-3)

6. Central Catholic (24-7)

7. Hamilton Christian (14-9)

8. Pickering (20-10)

Defending champion Southern Lab is an overwhelming favorite. The Kittens, who returned several players, including 2026 guard Asia Patin and 2027 guard Kori Wesley, got 2025 forward Shaila Forman back after she missed last year due to injury.

JS Clark brought back most of its team, including dynamic point guard Taylor Barnaba, from a Division V select title team. The Bulldogs moved up a division.

No. 12 Vermilion Catholic (19-3) will go for an upset in Monroe at OCS if the Abbeville-based Eagles take care of business against No. 21 Ascension Christian (7-18). OCS lost by 33 points at home (52-19) to Oak Grove, its only setback in the previous 22 games.

No. 6 Central Catholic has won 10 straight games, highlighted by a 54-48 win over Class 4A Frederick Douglass in the final game of the regular season.

Cedar Creek showed its a legitimate contender by defeating Arcadia for the district title. Last year's runner-up, Northwood-Lena, is No. 22 (5-18). Hamlton Christian, which could test Cedar Creek in the quarterfinals, has won 10 of 12 with victories over St. Thomas More, Mandeville, Basile and Merryville and losses to Oberlin and Lafayette Christian.

Class B

Top eight seeds (first four get byes)

1. Fairview (33-5)

2. Bell City (22-3)

3. Oak Hill (28-10)

4. Quitman (20-9)

5. Anacoco (21-11)

6. Pitkin (21-16)

7. Negreet (19-13)

8. Weston (21-10)

The small school brackets are always fun because prep hoops aficionados know that the Fairview's and Oak Hill's of the world can play with the Class 5A teams. Small school programs in Louisiana often play at a faster pace than the larger schools with tons of 3-point shots.

Fairview lost to Anacoco in the regular season, 80-70. Anacoco has been playing well, taking Barbe to overtime on the road recently. The Indians could be a good upset pick at No. 4 Quitman.

On the other side of the bracket, Bell City and Oak Hill are the overwhelming favorites. Bell City's losses are to Midland and Class 5A Natchitoches-Central and Zachary. Oak Hill finished as runner-up last year to J.S. Clark in Division V select. Most of Oak Hill's losses are to Class 5A powers, such as Parkway, Walker, Zachary and Natchitoches-Central.

Class C

Top eight seeds (first four get byes)

1. Simpson (37-2)

2. Summerfield (27-6)

3. Plainview (23-7)

4. Reeves (20-7)

5. Phoenix (20-12)

6. Gibsland-Coleman (16-10)

7, Calvin (28-7)

8. Family Christian (22-7)

Simpson has been on top of the Class C power ratings basically from start to finish with close losses to Oak Hill and Leesville and wins over Oak Hill, Rosepine, Leesville, Alexandria and Anacoco.

This bracket feels top heavy with Nos. 1-4 expected to reach the state tourney.