Washington-Marion, Lacassine make it to final week of the season
Published 10:00 am Monday, March 9, 2026
After many months of practice, travel, and games, Washington-Marion and Lacassine have made it to the final week of the season and the Louisiana High School Athletic Association state basketball tournament at the Burton Complex.
No. 3 Washington-Marion (20-8) will play powerhouse No. 2 Peabody (29-2) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Select Division II semifinals. It is the first time the Charging Indians will play at the state tournament since they won the 2017 Class 4A state championship. In the other semifinal is No. 1 Madison Prep (31-4) and No. 12 Northside (23-13). The Select Division II finals will be played on Saturday at 2 p.m.
No. 4 Lacassine (28-6) is on a mission to defend its Class B state championship from last season. The Cardinals played No. 8 Pitkin (24-16), who upset No. 1 Anacoco in overtime 70-68 in the quarterfinals, late Monday night in the semifinals. The winner will face the winner out of No. 2 Zwolle (28-7) and No. 3 Quitman (26-5) in the finals on Friday at 6 p.m.
The Cardinals survived a second-half rally by No. 5 Hicks on Friday to win 66-62 in the quarterfinals, led by junior Maliki Broussard (23 pts) and Remy Prudhomme (19 pts), who combined for 42 points.
Lacassine led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter before the Pirates went on a 14-3 run to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 47-44 with a minute left in the quarter on a bucket under the goal by Micah Merchant. Pitkin’s Brayden Doyle hit a game-tying three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, then charged into the lane with 13 seconds left to pull within one, 63-62, of the Cardinals.
Lacassine turned the ball over with just under five seconds left, but Prudhomme, who scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, forced a turnover as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Like Lacassine, Washington-Marion had to hold off a third-quarter rally to beat No. 6 John F. Kennedy 68-52 in their final game at Clyde Wilkins Gym before their new gym opens next season.
JFK narrowed W-M’s lead to 39-34 with less than four minutes left in the third quarter, but the Charging Indians closed out the quarter with an 11-3 run that was started by a three-pointer by Khali Celestine.
Celestine (16 pts) and fellow seniors Monte Farmer (18 pts), Victor Fisher Jr. (13 pts), and Landon Duhon (14 pts) accounted for 61 of W-M’s 68 points.
