Bell City’s 52-year wait is over. The No. 2 Bruins will play for a state championship for the first time since 1973 after beating No. 3 Oak Hill 72-54 on Tuesday at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association girls state basketball tournament in Hammond.

The Bruins’ win set up an all-Southwest Louisiana Class B final. They will face 14-time state champion No. 1 Fairview in the finals on Friday at 6 p.m.

Bell City sophomore Caroline Guillory had a big night from 3-point range with six deep balls for 18 points. She shot 60 percent from beyond the arch, including five in the first half to lead the Bruins to a 31-20 halftime lead.

Junior Payton Herpin also played a big role in the Bruins’ (25-3) 13^th consecutive win. She led all scorers with 24 points, plus eight rebounds, four steals and six blocks.

While the Bruins led for most of the game, they struggled through the first few minutes of the game. Oak Hill (30-11) surged to a 7-0 lead off the opening tip off. But the Bruins responded with a massive 19-1 run to close out the first quarter.

Jodie Jowers led Oak Hill with 23 points.

 

Class B

No. 1 Fairview 82, No. 5 Anacoco 48

The top-ranked Panthers never trailed Tuesday as they avenged a regular season loss to District 4-B rival Anacoco in the Class B semifinals.

The first half was close, but the Panthers stormed out of halftime to outscore Anacoco 24-7 in the third quarter and never looked back. The Panthers’ lead got as high as 37 in the fourth quarter.

All five of the Panthers’ (36-5) starters scored in double-figures, led by Avery Williams, who had 24 points and eight rebounds. Reesie Jinks had a double-double with 19 points and 12 assists. Andi Turner, Andi Stanley and Madison Turner scored 14, 12 and 10 points respectively.

Raylee Mitchell led Anacoco (23-12) with 18 points.

Non-select

Division II

No. 1 Wossman 67, No. 4 Iowa 26

The Iowa Yellow Jackets’ first-ever state semifinal appearance was derailed by turnovers and powerhouse No. 1 Wossman Tuesday in Hammond.

Westlake trailed 23-11 after the first quarter, but the Wildcats turned 14 first-half turnovers into 20 points to balloon their lead to 39-16 by halftime.

Ramiah Augurson had 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to help Wossman (27-3) return to the finals for the fourth consecutive season. Ashanti Smith had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman Aubrey Young led Iowa (22-8) with 13 points, and junior Kimora Celestine had eight points and five rebounds. Jo’Nylah Walker grabbed 10 rebounds.

Division III

Oak Grove 58, Westlake 37

HAMMOND – Westlake second consecutive appearance at the girls state basketball tournament at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond was derailed by No. 2 Oak Grove and 6-5 center Caroline Bradley on Tuesday.

The sophomore 5-star recruit had a double-double with 27 points and 25 rebounds and made life difficult in the lane for the Rams. Westlake scored four points in the paint.

The Rams fell behind 7-0, but senior Gabby Guillory sunk a 3-pointer to cut the Tigers’ lead to 7-3 with 2:48 left in the first quarter. Then Oak Grove used a 12-4 run to take control in the second quarter.

Gabby Guillory led Westlake with 14 points, while twin sister Maddy Guillory added 12.

The Rams struggled on offense, shooting 25.5 percent, while the Tigers’ shot 52.1 percent.