Not only did Bossier (Bossier City) and Jennings win the boys and girls state basketball championships, respectively, but they garnered top honors on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State teams.
Jennings forward
Shalyn Riley was named the Girls Most Valuable Player with Jeremiah Williams of
Bossier winning Boys Coach of the Year recognition.
Riley averaged 17 points, nine rebounds and four steals per game for state-champion Jennings. In the last three years of his four-year tenure Williams has led Bossier to an 107-11 record.
Emma Brooks of
Bastrop earned Girls Coach of the Year honors, and
T.J. Price of Salmen (Slidell) took home the Boys MVP award. Price averaged 17.9 points per game in leading Salmen to the semifinals.
It came as no surprise that Kaplan's
Tina Roy repeated as the girls Class 3A MVP. Amanda Clemons was the girls Coach of the Year after leading
Avoyelles (Moreauville) to the state title game and a 29-2 record.
D'Andre Martin of Richwood (Monroe) was the Boys MVP and Juan Lumas of
Holy Cross (New Orleans) was the boys Coach of the Year. Martin averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals per game. Lumas led Holy Cross to the semifinals for its deepest advancement in the playoffs since 1974.
Arcadia High sophomore guard
Sh'lonte Allen and North Central senior
Howard Wilson were the Class 1A MVPs. Allen won the girls honor with an average of 28 points per game. Wilson averaged 23.5 points, 12 rebounds and six assists per game to win the Boys MVP.
Tammy Pierce of
White Castle was the girls Coach of the Year and Butch Fontenot of
North Central (Lebeau) was the boys counterpart. Fontenot won his 800th career game during the regular season.
TOP WRESTLER, COACH CHOSENElijah Levee of
Mandeville and Rod Cusachs of
Archbishop Rummel (Metairie) were the top wrester and coach, respectively, on The Times-Picayune of New Orleans All-Metro team. In winning the 160-pound title at the Division I state meet, Levee became only the third wrestler in Louisiana history to win at least 200 career matches. An Air Force Academy appointee, Levee also is senior class president and an honor student. He was a three-year starter in football.
Levee's two older brothers also wrestled at Mandeville. Zac now is a Marine lieutenant serving in Afghanistan. Caleb won titles in 2004 and 2005 as Mandeville's first state-championship wrestler. A Naval Academy graduate, Caleb now is a helicopter pilot based in Pensacola, Fla.
Archbishop Rummel, on the other hand, is a wrestling neophyte, with Cusachs leading the Raiders to their first state championship.
SEMIFINAL BASKETBALL SITES SELECTEDIn changing the format of its state basketball championships, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association had to find three cities to host the semifinals before the combined boys and girls championship games will be contested in Bossier City next year. The LHSAA chose Lake Charles, Hammond and Monroe in an attempt to reduce travel for teams and fans. In the past, the LHSAA had played the boys and girls semifinals and finals on separate weeks and at separate sites but in one location.
DEQUINCY RECEIVES PUNISHMENTAcademic violations have cost the DeQuincy football, basketball and baseball teams both games and money.
For using academically ineligible players, the LHSAA ruled that DeQuincy must forget three football games, 11 basketball games and eight baseball games. DeQuincy also was fined $650 or $50 per ineligible student per team. DeQuincy self-reported its violations.
