Five Southwest Louisiana high school basketball teams made it through the first month of the season undefeated, and four won tournament titles over the weekend.

Iowa has the unique honor of sporting two undefeated teams. The boys bested a field of some of the top teams in the state to become the first area boys team to win the Hamilton Christian Showdown in the Lake, while the Iowa girls improved to 10-0 and won the Bell City Bruin Classic.

At Hamilton Christian, Iowa (4-0) beat a trio of state semifinalists — Dunham, Huntington, Wossman — and the 2022-2023 Select Division II runner-up Madison Prep, and it wasn’t easy. The Yellow Jackets won three of four games by four or fewer points, beating Dunham 59- 55, Madison Prep 63-62 and Wossman 64-62 in the championship game after trailing 31-26 at halftime.

Senior guard Dashawn Ceaser was named tournament MVP after averaging 22.5 points, including 29 in the championship game. Desamonte Gradney averaged 15 points a game over the weekend.

The Iowa girls started the week with a 71-30 road win over future district opponent DeRidder, then went to the Bell City Bruin Classic and overcame a pair of slow starts to beat Reeves 70-32 and Bell City 53-51.

With 4:30 left in the first quarter, Reeves’ Lailah Williams hit a tying 3-pointer and a fast-break layup for a 10-9 lead a minute later. Iowa (9-0) retook the lead on the first of Aubrey Young’s three 3-pointers and closed the first quarter with a 9-1 run.

Senior point guard Jaya Grandey led Iowa with 24 points. Sophomore Kamylle Jones added 12 points on four 3-pointers.

In the title game, Iowa fell behind 10-0 to the Bruins early in the first quarter and trailed 28-20 at halftime.

Iowa took its first lead with 5 minutes left in the game, and Gradney finished with 25 points.

The Lacassine boys own the state’s best record at 14-0 and picked up a pair of blowout wins over Reeves (68-48) and Fairview (91-59) to win the Bell City Bruin Classic. Guard Alexx Thomas averaged 21 points a game at the tournament.

The Westlake (6-0) girls are off to their best start in more than a decade after winning the Elton Invitational. They opened with a 62-51 overtime win on Wednesday, handing District 3-3A rival Kinder its first loss, then beat St. Edmund 48-28 Friday and Sulphur 27-23 on Saturday in the final.

Guard Gabby Guillory averaged 17 points at the tournament.

The Jennings boys (2-0) opened the season with wins over LaGrange (75-60) and J.S. Clark Leadership Academy (56-48).

Still going strong

Southwest Louisiana’s three defending girls state champions are still going strong and rated in the top 10 in their respective classes.

Oakdale (8-2), the defending Nonselect Division IV state champion, took its first loss of the season to three-time Select Division II champion Lafayette Christian in its opener at the Hamilton Christian Showdown in the Lake on Thursday. They rebounded with a 41-40 win over Hamilton Christian, then lost to John Curtis Christian, last season’s Select Division I runner-up, 65-52 on Saturday.

Rosepine (8-2), which won the Nonselect Division III state title, went 2-1 at the Hamilton tournament with wins over Ruston and Oak Hill, the Select Division V state champ, and a 69-50 loss to Wossman, the defending Nonselect Division II state champion.

Hathaway (5-6), rated No. 8 and looking to repeat as Nonselect Division V state champion, lost to three-time Select Division III champ Lafayette Christian 64-46 on Nov. 27 and beat Holden 56-50 on Friday.

Oakdale and Rosepine are ranked No. 2 in Nonselect Division IV and III, respectively.