Louisiana crowns 7 high school girls basketball champions

St. Thomas More (Lafayette) led a parade of seven state girls basketball champions with its 52-36 victory over Southwood (Shreveport) for the Class 5A title at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Ladies' Top 28 Tournament. It was the Cougars' first state girls basketball crown.

Despite a leg injury, KeKe Veal scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded two steals to win Most Valuable Player honors for top-seeded STM (31-2). Teammate Brooklyn Arceneaux matched Veal with a team-high 13 points.

Third-seeded Southwood (Shreveport) (36-3), which won the 2008 state title, finished as the runner-up for the second year in a row. Despite encountering foul trouble, Southwood's Kourtney Pennywell scored a game-high 14 points, while Keona Favis added 11.

Southwood shot only 38.2 percent (13 of 34) for the game, while STM made 20 of 47 shots.

The six-day tournament drew 19,425 people to Southeastern Louisiana's University Center in Hammond.

MaxPreps Louisiana girls basketball playoff brackets

JENNINGS, ST. JAMES, WINNFIELD TRIUMPH
Jennings downed Bastrop for the Class 4A title, 60-52, while St. James took care of Avoyelles (Moreauville) in Class 3A, 61-49, and Winnfield defeated Ville Platte, 63-56, for the Class 2A championship.

Jennings (30-5) won its first state title since 1989 thanks in large measure to MVP Shalyn Riley, who led four double-figure scorers with 18 points. Riley also grabbed 11 rebounds, as Jennings handed Bastrop its only loss in 31 games. Rosa Bryant scored 10 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter in a losing cause.

Avoyelles (29-3) lost team captain India Marbs to a right knee injury in the first four minutes and still managed to give St. James (27-8) all it could handle before losing. St. James broke the game open with a 12-0, third-quarter run that wiped out a two-point deficit.

Brandy Jeffery led St. James with 16 points and 18 rebounds.

As for Winnfield, it overcame a 19-11 first-quarter deficit en route to winning its first state title since producing back-to-back championships in 1963-64. Tashana Triplett finished with a game-high 24 points.

PLAIN DEALING, FAIRVIEW STARKS PREVAIL
Dennisha Chambers scored 10 consecutive fourth-quarter points to lift Louisiana New Tech (Plain Dealing) past Arcadia, 64-59, for the Class 1A state title. The victory avenged two regular-season losses to the 2010 state champion. Chambers, who won MVP honors, finished with 20 points.

Fairview (Grant) beat Hathaway (Jennings), 78-46, for its fifth straight Class B state crown. That ties Fairview (42-2) with Lacassine (1975-79) for the second most consecutive state girls basketball championships. Anacoco won a state-record six in a row from 1997-2002. Hathaway finished 26-7.

Starks (34-7) jumped to a 19-2 first-quarter lead en route to a 75-38 victory over Plainview (Glenmora) for the Class C title. Starks' last title was the Class B crown in 1987. Plainview was attempting to repeat as Class C champion.

BOYS BASKETBALL TITLES UP FOR GRABS
Four defending champions will be among the 28-team field vying for seven state boys basketball championships at the LHSAA Top 28 Tournament at the Cajundome in Lafayette.

Brother Martin (New Orleans) will face Catholic League rival and top-seeded St. Augustine (New Orleans) in one Class 5A semifinal. The winner will face the Ehret (Marrero) vs. Scotlandville (Baton Rouge) survivor.

Peabody (Alexandria) is back in Class 4A to face Northside (Lafayette). The other semifinal pits Bossier (Bossier City) against Salmen (Slidell).

Riverside (Reserve) will begin defense of its Class 2A crown against Episcopal (Baton Rouge). The winner's opponent will be either Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport) or Ville Platte.

Rapides (Lecompte) returns in Class B to face Fairview (Grant), while Zwolle and Castor meet in the other semifinal.

The Class 3A pairings have Richwood (Monroe) against Abbeville and Carroll (Monroe) against Holy Cross (New Orleans), while Class 1A features Grambling against Southern Lab (Baton Rouge) and North Central (Lebeau) against White Castle.

In Class C, Family Christian (Baton Rouge) will face Pelican, and Phoenix (Braithwaite) will meet Pleasant Hill.

MaxPreps Louisiana boys basketball playoff brackets