High School

Top 25 Louisiana High School Boys Basketball State Rankings (2/24/2025)

St. Thomas More moves into the top five; Zachary up to No. 7 after win over District 4-5A foe Catholic-BR

Mike Coppage

Grayson Roy 5 STM takes on Acadiana basketball in the Teurlings Catholic Basketball Tournament. Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
Grayson Roy 5 STM takes on Acadiana basketball in the Teurlings Catholic Basketball Tournament. Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Marsh Madness has arrived in Louisiana for high school boys basketball teams. With the LHSAA set to release the playoff brackets Monday, it's time for one last look at the top 25 teams in the state after the end of the regular season on Saturday.

1. Liberty Magnet (23-1)

Previous rank: 1

Power rating: No. 1 (Division I select)

The Patriots beat 18-11 Scotlandville by a score of 78-42 and defeated Woodlawn-BR, 56-26. The defending state champs led Scotlandville at halftime, 45-17. Senior Malek Robinson made 9 of 11 field goals for 22 points. The senior finished with eight rebounds, eight assists and eight steals.

Robinson is averaging 15.1 points, 8.2 steals, 7.7 assists and seven rebounds per game. Kingston Jarrell (6-4, Jr.) is averaging 9.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting a team-high 56% from the field. Robinson is connecting on 53% of his field goal attempts. Kareem Washington is second in scoring (10.6) and is shooting a team-high 43% from 3-point land.

Liberty will get a first-round bye and is projected to face the winner of No. 16 Lafayette (16-9)/No. 17 Hammond (19-9).

2. Archbishop Shaw (24-2)

Previous rank: 2

Power rating: No. 1 (Division II select)

The Eagles defeated 22-11 LB Landry on the road, 67-52, beat 18-15 East Jefferson (71-31) and defeated The Willow School, 80-60. Sophomore Tristan Naquin scored 16 points as the Eagles rebounded from a 7-1 deficit at Landry, according to Darrell Williams of The New Orleans Advocate. Freshman Christian Clair added 15 points.

The Eagles will get a first-round bye and are projected to face the winner of No. 16 Parkview Baptist (22-9)/No. 17 Frederick Douglass (23-8).

3. Archbishop Hannan (19-6)

Previous rank: 5

Power rating: No. 2 (Division II select)

The Hawks handled 15-9 Franklinton for the district title, 71-37. Drew Timmons had 21 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, according to Joseph Halm of The New Orleans Advocate. AJ Thompson, Zach Lauro and CJ Woodard added nine points apiece. Hannan cruised through league play, winning by an average of nearly 40 points per game.

The Hawks will get a first-round bye and are expected to face the winner of No. 15 St. Michael (22-10)/No. 18 Bunkie (11-8). St. Michael, which impressed at the Teurlings Catholic Round-Robin with a win over Alexandria, was thumped by 30 points in its final regular season game by aother DII seelct contender in McKinley.

4. Wossman (24-6)

Previous rank: 6

Power rating: No. 1 (Division II nonselect)

The Wildcats, who will enter the playoffs on a seven-game winning streak, were idle. Wossman, which last lost to Calvary Baptist, will receive a first-round bye and is projected to face the winner of No. 16 Abbeville (19-13) and No. 17 Iowa (13-11), which lost in the finals to Wossman last season.

5. St. Thomas More (25-4)

Previous rank: 8

Power rating: No. 3 (Division I select)

The Cougars won league games over Rayne and Teurlings Catholic and won at Crowley in a non-district game. Bo Couvillon scored 10 points, and Trenton Potier and Elijah Guidry chipped in eight apiece in the 33-27 win over 18-13 Teurlings Catholic.

STM will get a first-round bye and is expected to face the winner of No. 14 Tioga (21-10) and No. 19 Woodlawn-BR (16-15).

6. Central-BR (22-4)

Previous rank: 4

Power rating: No. 2 (Division I nonselect)

The Wildcats beat Zachary 78-71 and lost to Scotlandville on the road, 51-45. UL Ragin' Cajuns' football signee Steven Ranel was named as a Hustle Leader by the Central Wildcats Basketball X page in the assists and hustle categories for the win over Zachary. Kedrick Franklin scored 14 points in the loss to Scotlandville as the Hornets outscored the Wildcats in overtime, 11-5.

The Wildcats will receive a first-round bye and are expected to face the winner of No. 15 Parkway (18-11) and No. 18 Fontainebleau (18-11).

7. Zachary (24-6)

Previous rank: 13

Power rating: No. 1 (Division I nonselect)

The Broncos lost at Central-BR and won at home vs. Catholic-BR, 56-54. Sophomore Ian Edmond scored all 18 of his points in the second half vs. Catholic and added two rebounds, two assists and two steals for Zachary, which will have a first-round bye and is projected to host the winner of No. 16 West Monroe (15-13) and No. 17 H.L. Bourgeois (19-12). Zachary was upset by No. 8 Ruston in the quarterfinals last season as the top seed.

8. Catholic-BR (27-4)

Previous rank: 7

Power rating: No. 2 (Division I select)

The Bears lost to Zachary and beat Woodlawn-BR, 75-51. Catholic, which dropped three of its last five to Central-BR, Liberty and Zachary by a total of 16 points, will get a first-round bye and is expected to host the winner of No. 15 Scotlandville (18-11)/No. 18 McDonogh 35 (23-10). The Bears won at Scotlandville on Feb. 14, 67-60.

9. Lake Charles College Prep (25-4)

Previous rank: 9

Power rating: No. 4 (Division II select)

The Blazers defeated 19-13 Abbeville, 59-57 (score was also listed as 59-47). Evan Burns scored 16 points. Juriah Matthews added 15, and Jaiven Matthews contributed nine points. The Matthews' twins are leading the team in scoring with a combined 21.8 ppg. LCCP will receive a first-round bye and is expected to face the winner of No. 13 University (17-9) and No. 20 Booker T. Washington-Shreveport (18-10).

10. Ponchatoula (20-5)

Previous rank: 10

Power rating: No. 6 (Division I select)

The Green Wave won its 11th straight game by defeating Mandeville, 79-64. Ponchatoula will receive a first-round bye and is projected to meet the winner of No. 11 Huntington (21-8)/No. 22 East Jefferson (18-15). Huntington has a recent win over Natchitoches-Central, which finished as runner-up last season to Ponchatoula.

11. Peabody Magnet (23-4)

Previous rank: 11

Power rating: No. 3 (Division II select)

The Warhorses beat 19-11 Captain Shreve, 48-44, and won an exhibition game (Hall of Fame) on Saturday against defending Division III nonselect champion Marksville, 62-44. Peabody will receive a first-round bye and is expected to face the winner of No. 14 Washington-Marion (17-10)/No. 19 St. Charles (18-13). Washington-Marion is on an eight-game winning streak.

12. Calvary Baptist (25-3)

Previous rank: 3

Power rating: No. 1 (Division III select)

The Cavaliers lost to red-hot Bossier, 57-56. Tyrone Jamison scored 20 points with five assists and four rebounds, according to Jimmy Watson of The Shreveport Times. Bubba Strong had 13 points and three assists. Robert Wright added seven points, five rebounds and four steals. Calvary Baptist will receive a first-round bye and is projected to face the winner of No. 16 Notre Dame (12-8)/No. 17 St. Thomas Aquinas (10-11). Last year, the fourth-seeded Cavaliers were upset No. 13 Episcopal, which went on to eliminate No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas in the quarterfinals.

13. Ruston (16-5)

Previous rank: 12

Power rating: No. 6 (Division I nonselect)

The Bearcats, who were idle, are projected to host No. 27 Destrehan (16-16) in the bi-district round. Ruston began the year 0-3 with subsequent losses to Calvary Baptist and Alexandria.

14. East Ascension (24-4)

Previous rank: 14

Power rating: No. 7 (Division I nonselect)

The Spartans took down Dutchtown and Walker to win their 10th and 11th straight games. Twin towers Brysten Martinez and Labron Napeleon combined for 20 points, 22 rebounds and nine blocked shots in the 75-60 win over Dutchtown, according to Chris Chapple of The Baton Rouge Advocate. D'Ron McZeal added 16 points with four 3-pointers for East Ascension, which is expected to face No. 26 Barbe (13-14) in the bi-district round.

15. Denham Springs (27-3)

Previous rank: 15

Power rating: No. 3 (Division I nonselect)

The Yellow Jackets beat Walker and St. Amant to finish the regular season on a five-game winning streak after dropping a pair of contests to local opponents Central-BR and East Ascension. Jermaine O'Conner scored 19 points in the 75-54 win over 17-12 St. Amant, according to William Weathers of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

De'Sean Golmond added 17 points. JK O'Conner contributed 15 for Denham Springs, which is projected to face the winner of No. 14 Westgate (13-9) and No. 19 St. Amant. Westgate, a freshmen-laden Class 4A team, has won seven of its last nine with district losses to ranked teams Northside and David Thibodaux.

16. Dunham (19-5)

Previous rank: 16

Power rating: No. 2 (Division III select)

The Tigers defeated Northeast 70-22 and Episcopal, 71-35. Dunham is expected to face the winner of No. 15 D'Arbonne Woods Charter (18-12) and No. 18 Geo NEXT Generation (21-11) after an opening-round bye.

17. St. Augustine (26-4)

Previous rank: 17

Power rating: No. 4 (Division I select)

The Purple Knights beat 24-6 John F. Kennedy handily (53-30) on the road and defeated St. James, 75-38. Aaron Miles had 25 points vs. JFK. Jakobe Shepeard added 12, according to Ken Trahan of Crescent City Sports. St. Aug is expected to face the winner of No. 13 Bonnabel (24-7) and No. 20 Teurlings Catholic (18-13). The Purple Knights won at Bonnabel during the regular season, 50-46.

18. Northside (24-5)

Previous rank: 18

Power rating: No. 7 (Division II select)

The Vikings defeated Teurlings Catholic 48-41 in a neighborhood district road game and handled North Vermilion, 57-26. Northside is expected to face the winner of No. 10 Vandebilt Catholic (23-6) and No. 23 George Washington Carver (13-16).

19. David Thibodaux (25-6)

Previous rank: 19

Power rating: No. 8 (Division II select)

The Bulldogs celebrated a share of their first Class 4A league title with Northside and St. Thomas More. David Thibodaux won last week vs. Comeaux and Rayne and is expected to face the winner of No. 9 John F Kennedy (24-6) and No. 24 Booker T. Washington-New Orleans (15-17). JFK recently defeated Booker T. Washington by one point, 47-46.

20. Natchitoches-Central (23-5)

Previous rank: 20

Power rating: No. 4 (Division I nonselect)

The Chiefs pounded central Louisiana small school programs Oak Hill (19-17) and Castor (19-12) by scores of 77-34 and 93-57. After a bye, Natchitoches-Central is expected to face the winner of No. 13 Neville (18-11) and No. 20 Live Oak (13-12).

21. Alexandria (26-6)

Previous rank: 21

Power rating: No. 5 (Division I select)

The Trojans won at 12-10 Jena, 75-50. Coach Lance Brasher notched win No. 400. The Trojans are expected to face the winner of No. 12 Captain Shreve (19-11) and No. 21 Carencro (9-11). Shreve has won five of its last six games with a four-point loss to Peabody.

22. John Curtis (22-6)

Previous rank: 22

Power rating: No. 7 (Division I select)

The Patriots, who have won eight of their last nine games with a three-point (47-44) loss to St. Aug, were idle. John Curtis celebrated Catholic League boys & girls hoops championships for the first time this season. The Pats are projected to face the winner of No. 10 Archbishop Rummel (18-9) and No. 23 Evangel Christian (13-16). Curtis beat Rummel, 62-55, at home earlier this month.

23. Lacassine (28-1)

Previous rank: 23

Power rating: No. 1 (Class B)

The Cardinals were idle and are expected to face the winner of No. 16 Fairview (16-151) and No. 17 Holden (13-16). Fairview recently had a five-game winning streak halted by No. 7 Pitkin (29-10). Lacassine beat Fairview in the regular season, 78-43.

24. Northshore (22-5)

Previous rank: 24

Power rating: No. 5 (Division Inonselect)

The Panthers won at Fontainebleau 52-50 and handled city rival Slidell High, 63-41. Fontainebleau's only league loss was to Northshore, which went 7-0 in District 7-5A. Northshore is expected to host No. 28 Airline (11-18) in bi-district.

25. Madison Prep (25-9)

Previous rank: 25

Power rating: No. 5 (Division II select)

The Chargers defeated Scotlandville, 59-50, as well as taking wins over Port Allen and University (40-37) for the district title. Madison Prep is expected to face the winner of No. 12 LB Landry (22-11) and No. 21 E.D. White (14-7).

Team to watch: Lafayette High (16-9)

The Lions forged a tie with Sulphur for the District 3-5A championship by beating the Tors on a last-second bucket by Diego Duhon. The Mighty Lions have one of the state's best players in 6-foot-4 senior Kevon'te "Flip" Landry, who scored 26 points but dished off to Duhon for the game-winner in a 55-54 overtime contest. If the Lions get past expected opening round foe Hammond, they'll travel to top-seeded Liberty in the Division I select regional round.

Dropped Out: None

First Out: Lafayette (16-9), Bossier (17-10), Opelousas (20-5), Richwood (19-9), Franklin (21-5), Huntington (21-8), Scotlandville (18-11), McKinley (20-7) Vandebilt Catholic (23-6), Country Day (22-6), Avoyelles Public Charter (20-7), Holy Cross (24-5)

On the Bubble: Sulphur (26-5), Southside (18-12), Ouachita Parish (18-9), Westgate (13-9), Neville (18-11), Hahnville (14-15), Carroll (17-14), Minden (20-3), Brusly (22-4), Northwest (14-11), Bastrop (17-6), Madison (23-3), Marksville (22-8), Red River (24-9), Vinton (20-4), Lakeview (24-9), Ferriday (23-9), Rummel (18-9), Captain Shreve (19-11) Bonnabel (24-7), Tioga (21-10), John F. Kennedy (24-6), Sophie B. Wright (22-8), LB Landry (22-11), University (17-9), Newman (19-6), Rosepine (26-3), Catholic NI (19-9), Crescent City (16-10), Lincoln Prep (23-7), Southern Lab (18-7), Hamilton Christian (16-7), Vermilion Catholic (14-3), Zwolle (21-8), Simsboro (20-8), Pleasant Hill (26-5), Plainview (25-3), Gibsland-Coleman (17-9), Family Christian (24-9), Georgetown (30-7), Loreauville (16-8), French Settlement (20-12), St. Helena (18-7), Donaldsonville (15-7), Church Point (23-9)

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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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