Top 25 Louisiana Girls Basketball High School State Rankings - Jan. 26, 2026

No. 1 John Curtis defeats Zachary; Midland wins first round of two district showdowns vs. Lafayette Christian; Fairview beats Pitkin; Sulphur debuts with win over Iowa

Ke'Sonja Nelson, John Curtis Christian / Mike Coppage

Similar to around this time last year, Louisiana is in the grips of a winter storm which is creating havoc with prep basketball schedules. With games being postponed and/or canceled around the weather - especially in north Louisiana - High School on SI will keep you up to date on the top teams.

Before the wintry weather arrived over the weekend, there was plenty of action. Here's this week's top 25 rankings:

1. John Curtis Christian (17-1)

Previous ranking: 1

Ahead of No. 2 Riverdale by more than seven points in the Division I select power ratings, the Patriots defeated Zachary and Mount Carmel. Bailey Timmons scored 22 points with 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals in the 50-45 win over Zachary. John Curtis has a road district game coming up at Division I select No. 4 Archbishop Chapelle (20-5).

2. Simpson (32-4)

Previous ranking: 2

There was criticism last week that Class B and C schools like Simpson, Bell City, Fairview and Pitkin shouldn't be ranked with the larger schools. For the (broken) record, Simpson secured wins over Division IV select No. 2 J.S. Clark (19-5), Lafayette Christian and Huntington at the LCA Tournament and returned all five starters from a state championship team. The Broncos also hold wins over 18-2 Westlake, ranked Iowa and Class 5A Alexandria (15-9).

3. Southern Lab (21-4)

Previous ranking: 4

Division IV select No. 1 Southern Lab won games vs. Division I nonselect No. 6 Destrehan and Division I select Liberty (15-9 record) by scores of 71-54 and 52-35. The Kittens are scheduled to host Lafayette Christian this week.

4. Zachary (21-3)

Previous ranking: 3

The Broncos bounced back from a 50-45 loss at John Curtis with a 76-36 win over Mandeville and are scheduled to face Midland on Jan. 28. McNeese St. signee Ava Raymond scored 27 points with 13 rebounds in the win over 14-10 Mandeville.

5. Slidell (20-1)

Previous ranking: 5

The Tigers posted wins over Fontainebleau and Ponchatoula, beating the Green Wave 77-57 on the road. Slidell is sheduled to face ranked Salmen on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

6. Prairieville (20-3)

Previous ranking: 6

Prairieville won games vs. Episcopal and St. Amant. The 69-48 win over St. Amant was the District 5-5A opener. Upcoming league opponents include 16-10 Walker, 12-6 Live Oak and 15-9 Denham Springs.

7. University Lab (19-3)

Previous ranking: 7

The Cubs, who are No. 1 in the Division II select power ratings, defeated Edna Karr and Division III select No. 6 GEO Next Generation (18-9 record). After a game this week vs. Glen Oaks, there are two huge district games vs. Madison Prep and Parkview Baptist (both on the road).

8. Oak Grove (18-3)

Previous ranking: 8

District 2-2A games vs. Rayville and Ouachita Christian were postponed. OCS (22-1) is No. 4 in the Division IV select power ratings. Oak Grove is No. 2 in Division III nonselect behind French Settlement. The Tigers played one game last week and beat Franklin Parish 39-18.

9. Madison Prep (20-7)

Previous ranking: 9

Ahead of a highly anticipated district clash vs. University Lab, the Chargers defeated Division III nonselect No. 9 Doyle and Division II nonselect No. 11 Opelousas. Another big District 6-3A contest will be against Parkview Baptist at the end of the regular season (Feb. 13).

10. Bell City (19-2)

Previous ranking: 11

The Bruins, who are No. 2 in the Class B power ratings behind Pitkin, were off last week and are scheduled to face No. 11 Lacassine (13-12) on Jan. 30. There are also two district games coming up vs. No. 7 Hathaway (16-9), which owns a recent win over ranked Midland.

For the small school critics, Bell City beat Class 5A Natchitoches-Central by 38 points, Barbe (30-point margin of victory), Southside (18) and coasted past Division II No. 7 South Beauregard 71-51.

11. Wossman (13-8)

Previous ranking: 13

A district game vs. Grant Parish was postponed and a game vs. Carroll was canceled. Wossman also beat Richwood and Carroll to extend its winning streak to six games.

12. Neville (16-5)

Previous ranking: 15

The Tigers clipped Ouachita Parish 49-46 and have key upoming district games vs. Division I nonselect No. 11 Ruston (12-4) and No. 14 West Monroe (14-9) and a non-district game vs. Oak Grove.

13. Parkview Baptist (18-3)

Previous ranking: 16

Anna Richerson and the Eagles beat Collegiate-Baton Rouge and Woodlawn by scores of 70-16 and 62-38.

14. Midland (20-6)

Previous ranking: 21

After losing five of six games, the Rebels have won four of their last five with a 44-38 home win over Lafayette Christian in a district matchup capping off the past week.

Logan Boutte, Lafayette Christian / Mike Coppage

15. Lafayette Christian (16-6)

Previous ranking: 12

The Knights defeated Welsh and Barbe lost at Midland in the first round of district.

16. Fairview (21-8)

Previous ranking: 17

The Panthers, who are No. 3 in Class B's power ratings behind Pitkin and Bell City, defeated Pitkin 77-70 in district competition. A game vs. Class C No. 7 Ebarb (16-12) was canceled.

17. Westlake (16-2)

Previous ranking: 19

The Rams, who defeated Grand Lake, 67-30, travel to Division II nonselect No. 4 LaGrange (19-4) this week in a non-district matchup of top-tier Lake Charles area teams. A 71-35 win over Sam Houston in December is looking mighty nice.

18. Acadiana (24-2)

Previous ranking: 18

Down 20-2 at Sam Houston, the Rams rallied to win by two points. Coach Korey Arnold, in his first year at Acadiana, didn't make the schedule overly tough considering he has a freshman-laden team. Acadiana faces Carencro (10-7) and New Iberia (8-12) in league games this week and is No. 6 in the Division I select power ratings (defending champ Huntington is No. 5).

19. North Vermilion (20-1)

Previous ranking: 22

The Division II nonselect No. 2 Patriots took wins over No. 10 Iota (12-5 record) and Westgate and are scheduled to travel to Division I select No. 10 Northside (12-7) in a district game on Jan. 27. There is also a home game early next month vs. Class 5A Sulphur, which debuts in this week's rankings.

20. Sulphur (13-5)

Previous ranking: not ranked

Sulphur debuts after reeling off seven straight wins, including a 48-45 win at Iowa.

21. Iowa (17-4)

Previous ranking: 10

Iowa bounced back from a three-point loss to Sulphur with a three-point win over Division I select No. 10 Tioga (18-7 record).

22. Parkway (15-6)

Previous ranking: not ranked

The Panthers won their eighth and ninth consecutive games by defeating district rivals Natchitoches-Central and Huntington by a total of four points.

23. French Settlement (20-3)

Previous ranking: 23

The Lions routed Walker by 29 points and defeated Pope John Paul II by 39 points.

24. Pitkin (25-4)

Previous ranking: 20

Pitkin maintains a lead of more than a point in the race to occupy the No. 1 seed in the Class B playoffs. Last week, the Tigers defeated Hicks and lost to Fairview.

25. Riverdale (16-0)

Previous ranking: 24

Riverdale ripped John Ehret 73-38 and survived a scare from Division III select No. 8 Newman (67-62 win).

First out: Salmen (21-1)

Previous ranking: 25

The Spartans, who moved down only because we had to find a place for Sulphur, can make a statement with a win this week vs. city rival Slidell High.

Dropped out: No. 14 Huntington, No. 25 Salmen

On the bubble: Rosepine, JS Clark, Vandebilt Catholic, Sterlington, LaGrange, St. Joseph's Academy, South Lafourche, Albany, Arcadia, Merryville, West St. John, Jena, Ville Platte, Teurlings Catholic, Springfield, H.L. Bourgeois, Archbishop Chapelle, Cedar Creek, Ouachita Christian, Choudrant, Calvin, Denham Springs

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