High School

Top 25 Louisiana Boys High School Basketball State Rankings (2/3/2025)

Ponchatoula ascends seven spots; John Curtis, East Ascension and Opelousas among the new faces in this week's list

Mike Coppage

Archbishop Shaw vs. Catholic-Baton Rouge
Archbishop Shaw vs. Catholic-Baton Rouge / Archbishop Shaw High School Instagram

As expected, this past week packed a wallop of boys high school basketball games as programs worked to reschedule games postponed from the winter storm that pummeled Louisiana last month.

Naturally, more games lead to more upsets, which resulted in several teams making their rankings debut this week. Here are our top 25 teams this week.

1. Catholic-BR (24-1)

Previous rank: 1

Power rating: No. 2 (Division I select)

The Bears defeated St. Amant, 79-48. Catholic has won 12 straight games by double digits and will take on Madison Prep on Feb. 3 and Liberty on Feb. 7. Austin Fruge scored a lay-up off a teammate's steal in the early going vs. St. Amant. Shortly thereafter, Fruge hit a 3-pointer from the corner.

CJ Washington's 11 points paced the Bears to a recent 71-25 rout of GEO Next Generation (17-9). Catholic, which was up 52-14 at halftime, got 10 points from Trey Coleman.

2. Liberty Magnet (16-1)

Previous rank: 2

Power rating: No. 1 (Division I select)

The Patriots defeated Dunham and David Thibodaux, which came into the game with a 19-4 record. Liberty won at Dunham, 51-44, in a matchup of premier Baton Rouge programs. Malek Robinson and Devin Houston scored nine points apiece for the Patriots, according to Chris Chapple of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

Robinson, a senior, added eight rebounds and six steals. Senior Chivas Lee is averaging 9.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.7 assists per game. Liberty will face defending Division IV select champion Crescent City (12-8) on Feb. 4.

3. Archbishop Shaw (16-2)

Previous rank: 3

Power rating: No. 1 (Division II select)

The Eagles routed Belle Chasse 94-62 and defeated Zachary, 80-70. Freshman Christian Clair had a huge game against Zachary, pouring in 26 points with eight assists. Clair has scored a minimum of 17 points in the last four games, including a 20-point, nine-rebound performance in a 97-61 rout of a McDonogh 35 team with a 21-6 record. Kobe Butler added 20 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks vs. Zachary. Khalil Awogboro added 16 points. Triston Naquin had 12, and Allen Shaw chipped in nine points.

Shaw will face L.B. Landry (18-9) on Feb 17 in a matchup of top West Bank programs. The Eagles also beat St. Charles 70-52 in a district game that was postponed earlier.

4. Calvary Baptist (22-2)

Previous rank: 4

Power rating: No. 1 (Division III select)

The Cavaliers defeated Magnolia School of Excellence 92-36 and D'Arbonne Woods Charter, 72-29. Calvary Baptist will face Class 5A Airline, which is coming off a big district win over Huntington, on Feb. 7 in Bossier City.

The Cavs also tangle with Division III nonselect No. 1 Red River (19-3), which beat Class 5A Captain Shreve last week, on Feb 15. Sophomore Tyrone Jamison, the No. 1 point guard in the nation per 247Sports, recently visited TCU.

5. Peabody Magnet (20-2)

Previous rank: 5

Power rating: No. 2 (Division II select)

The Warhorses won on the road at Tioga in a district game, 64-53. In a recent win over Franklin Parish, senior guard Rashad Mitchell racked up 15 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Mitchell scored 10 points in a 65-55 rivalry win over Alexandria. Isaiah Jones scored 14 of his 26 points vs. ASH in the fourth quarter, according to Bret McCormick of ASH Media. Peabody visits Avoyelles Public Charter (18-6) on Feb. 4. A Feb. 5 game vs. Wossman was postponed.

6. St. Thomas More (19-3)

Previous rank: 6

Power rating: No. 3 (Division I select)

The Cougars defeated Notre Dame, Northside and Carencro. STM was stingy on defense in the 43-15 win at Notre Dame (10-4). The 47-40 win over Northside (18-5) was an away district game. Grayson Roy's 14 points and Elijah Guidry (12) paved the way at Northside. Roy scored all of his points in the first half, according to Eric Narcisse of The Acadiana Advocate.

John Luke Bourque (16 points) and Trenton Potier (13) were the leading scorers in the 52-41 win over Carencro. STM has a game vs. defending Division III nonselect champion Marksville (21-6) on Feb. 8.

7. Central-BR (18-2)

Previous rank: 8

Power rating: No. 2 (Division I nonselect)

The Wildcats won on the road at 8-10 Live Oak (69-44) and 7-10 Dutchtown (65-42). Central travels to St. Martinville (11-14), which beat Class 5A Thibodaux on Saturday, on Feb. 4. The district opener vs. Woodlawn-BR (15-10) is on Feb. 7. Kedrick Franklin followed a missed shot on a fast break for an early bucket at Dutchtown.

Max Tingle converted on another transition play, followed by a Collin Verrett 3-pointer. Franklin (6-6) averages 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds, according to Robin Fambrough of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

8. Archbishop Hannan (16-6)

Previous rank: 9

Power rating: No. 3 (Division II select)

The Hawks won their fourth straight game by downing 12-9 Pearl River in the district opener by a 65-28 score. Hannan's last loss was to Archbishop Shaw. The Hawks continue league play this week vs. Lakeshore (15-7). Zachary Lauro hit a 3 near the top of the key in a recent 58-42 win at Walker. Moments later, forward Drew Timmons converted a contested lay-up on a fast break.

9. Zachary (20-3)

Previous rank: 7

Power rating: No. 1 (Division I nonselect)

The Broncos lost in Marrero to Archbishop Shaw, 80-70, and beat East St. John, 85-42. Zachary is at Slidell (16-8) and Scotlandville (15-6) this week. The game against Scotlandville will be the league opener. Against Shaw, senior Xavier Ferguson scored 35 points.

10. Lake Charles College Prep (20-4)

Previous rank: 11

Power rating: No. 5 (Division II select)

The Blazers earned wins over Iowa (57-40) and Jennings in the district opener (72-57). Juriah Matthews scored 17 points vs. Jennings. Jordan Levier had 13, and Byron Glodd had 11. LCCP has a deep team with numerous offensive threats, including Izayha Brown, Evan Burns, Jordan Dugas and Jaiven Matthews. The Blazers face league opponents St. Louis Catholic (10-11) and Westlake (11-6) this week.

11. Wossman (20-6)

Previous rank: 12

Power rating: No. 1 (Division II nonselect)

The Wildcats defeated Neville, 77-63, and West Ouachita (63-28). Wossman, which has won three straight games after losing two of three to Calvary Baptist and Carroll, takes on Franklin Parish (15-6) this week in a district matchup.

12. Ruston (13-4)

Previous rank: 14

Power rating: No. 8 (Division I nonselect)

The Bearcats defeated 14-8 Gibsland-Coleman (66-48) and 17-7 Ouachita Parish, 73-42. Ruston made 10 3-pointers and held Ouachita to its lowest scoring total of the season, according to Matt Belinson of The Ruston Daily Leader. Sophomore KeShun Malcolm scored 18 points. Ahmad Hudson, who was recently predicted to commit to LSU for football, added 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

13. St. Augustine (21-3)

Previous rank: 15

Power rating: No. 4 (Division I select)

The Purple Knights bounced back from a recent loss to Jesuit with wins over Warren Easton and Archbishop Rummel in Catholic League action. St. Aug won at 12-8 Rummel, which was coming off a win over Jesuit, by a 50-28 score. Braydon Boyd posted 10 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and three assists, according to Ken Trahan of Crescent City Sports.

14. Alexandria (24-5)

Previous rank: 17

Power rating: No. 5 (Division I select)

The Trojans trounced Pineville, 69-25, and have won seven of their last eight games heading into a Feb. 7 league showdown vs. Ruston.

15. Natchitoches-Central (19-4)

Previous rank: 18

Power rating; No. 4 (Division I nonselect)

The Chiefs took a 71-59 win at small-school power Negreet (19-7) and also defeated Benton and Evangel Christian. Jaden Braden and Ja'Dell Demery combined for 29 points in the 44-41 win at district rival Evangel. The Chiefs are at Captain Shreve (14-9) this week.

16. Madison Prep (18-6)

Previous rank: 19

Power rating: No. 4 (Division II select)

After losing four in a row, the Chargers have now won five straight games entering Monday's contest at Catholic-Baton Rouge. Madison Preps's most recent wins were against 15-6 St. Helena (50-41), 8-19 Glen Oaks (76-33) and 15-10 Woodlawn-BR (72-54). The Chargers have road games this week at GEO Next Generation (19-8) and Southern Lab (15-5).

17. Ponchatoula (16-5)

Previous rank 24

Power rating: No. 7 (Division I select)

The defending Division I nonselect champs - who are now in select with the other Tangipahoa Parish schools - have won seven straight games. The Green Wave defeated rival Hammond (17-6) by a score of 69-48 on the road and won vs. Sophie B. Wright (15-7) by a 64-40 margin. Ponchatoula takes on 16-7 Covington on Feb. 4.

18. John Curtis (19-5)

Previous rank: Not ranked

Power rating: No. 8 (Division I select)

The Patriots make their debut in the rankings. Curtis has won nine of its last 10 games with a loss to Crescent City. Junior Autrail Manning and company have notable recent wins over 16-7 Covington by an 87-57 margin, 18-4 Jesuit (52-45) and 17-6 Vandebilt Catholic (62-53). In the win over Jesuit, Manning scored a team-high 17 points, accordng to Spencer Urquhart of The New Orleans Advocate. Zavion Shepherd added 12 and Jewellz Tapp had 10 points.

19. East Ascension (18-4)

Previous rank: Not ranked

Power rating: No. 5 (Division I nonselect)

The Spartans began the year 12-0 before losing four of five to top Baton Rouge competition (University Lab, Dunham and Catholic-BR twice). East Ascension won its fifth straight game by downing Denham Springs, 65-60, in the district opener.

20. Denham Springs (22-3)

Previous rank: 13

Power rating: No. 3 (Division I nonselect)

The Yellow Jackets dropped their second straight game, losing 65-60 to East Ascension. Its next four opponents have a sub-.500 record. The regular season concludes vs. St. Amant (14-9). Junior Jermaine O'Conner is averaging 14 points per game. Sophomore Jeremy Williams is scoring 13.2 ppg.

21. Dunham (13-5)

Previous rank: 16

Power rating: No. 2 (Division III select)

The Tigers lost to Liberty, 51-44, and defeated University Lab 54-47 and Episcopal, 52-42. Dunham was held to four points in the fourth quarter vs. Liberty, according to William Weathers of The Acadiana Advocate. Brayden Rabalais' eight points were a team-high. Jarvis Washington, Will Ours and Gavin Blanton scored seven points apiece.

22. Jesuit (18-4)

Previous rank: 10

Power rating: No. 6 (Division I select)

The Blue Jays lost to 12-8 Archbishop Rummel, 60-50, and to John Curtis, 52-45. Brewer Nitcher scored 17 points vs. Curtis. Ben Cimini and Brennan Pitts chipped in 12 and 10 points, according to Spencer Urquhart of The New Orleans Advocate. The Jays were without 6-foot-7 center Ethan Lapeze (injury).

23. Lacassine (24-1)

Previous rank: 23

Power rating: No. 1 (Class B)

The Cardinals took wins over St. Louis Catholic (67-61), Hathaway (76-17) and Bell City (64-23). Lacassine travels to Episcopal School of Acadiana on Jan. 4.

24. Opelousas (15-4)

Previous rank: Not ranked

Power rating: No. 4 (Division II nonselect)

The Tiges have won 10 straight games since a loss to Southside. On Saturday, Opelousas won at Northwest, 39-36, with a tremendous defensive effort. According to reports, Northwest 2027 star guard Markez Davis didn't score in the game. Evan Thomas is among the players to watch for coach Rayvon Gray.

25. Northshore (16-5)

Previous rank: Not ranked

Power rating: No. 6 (Division I nonselect)

The Panthers have won 11 straight games vs. in-state competition since a loss to John Curtis.

Dropped Out: No. 20 Northside (18-5), No. 21 Country Day (16-5), No. 22 Ouachita Parish (17-7), No. 25 Carroll (16-11)

Watch List: Country Day (16-5), Northshore (16-5), Sulphur (21-4), Carroll (16-11) Minden (16-2), Bastrop (14-4), Albany (19-6), Plaquemine (13-6), Red River (19-3), Ouachita Parish (17-7), Bossier (10-10), Brusly (16-3), Madison Parish (21-3), Marksville (21-6), Church Point (16-6), Tioga (18-9), Holy Cross (19-3), Bonnabel (17-6), David Thibodaux (19-5), Northside (18-5), McKinley (13-7), LB Landry (18-9), St. Michael (19-7), De La Salle (14-5), Newman (14-5), Rosepine (22-3), Catholic-New Iberia (12-8), Ouachita Christian (19-5), Hamilton Christian (12-5), Lincoln Prep (17-7), Southern Lab (15-5), Avoyelles Public Charter (18-6), Hicks (24-6), Simsboro (14-8), Plainview (21-3), Pleasant Hill (24-5), Gibsland-Coleman (14-8), Georgetown (24-5), Lakeview (19-4), Franklin (13-4), Ferriday (20-7), Vinton (16-3)

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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.

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