Oakdale, Fairview, Reeves, Hathaway kickoff Day 1 on girls’ state basketball tourney
Published 8:00 am Monday, February 27, 2023
- Oakdale's Akeelah Hobson scored 11 points on in a 44-34 loss to Bell City at the MLK Classic on Jan. 16 at the Burton Coliseum. Hobson looks to lead the Warriors to the Division IV nonselect finals for the first time in program history today. Oakdale faces Arcadia in the semifinals today at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association Marsh Madness girls’ basketball state tournament kicks off today at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond with four area teams vying for spots in the finals.
While three-time defending champion Fairview, Hathaway and Reeves have been regulars in the state tournament recently, Division IV nonselect No. 9 Oakdale will make its first appearance in the semifinals since 2009.
Like their last trip to the state tournament, the Warriors had to pull big upsets to get there. This year, the Warriors upset No. 1 White Castle in the quarterfinals on Thursday, outscoring them 31-15 in the second and third quarters to pull away.
In 2009, the Warriors knocked off the No. 4 and 5-seed to reach the state tournament.
The Warriors hit a tough stretch late in the regular season, losing 6 of 8 games, but a 56-45 win over Division III nonselect No. 1 Rosepine in the final game of the regular season lit a spark.
Oakdale (19-12), led by underclassmen guards Akeelah Hobson (Jr.) and Emani Young (So.), face No. 4 Arcadia (25-7) today at 3 p.m. Arcadia has won 13 of its last 14 games.
In the Division V nonselect semifinals, District 4-C rivals No. 1 Fairview (37-6) and No. 5 Reeves (29-6) will face off for the fourth time this season at 6:15 p.m. today.
Fairview, who leads the state with 14 state championships, won all three regular season meetings but had to battle back from an early deficit in the third one, leading head coach Kyle Jinks to suspect the two teams would meet again in the postseason.
The Panthers thrive on the 3-pointer led by Ella Reeves, Reesie Jinks and Bella Smith.
Reeves’ strength is in the lane with Cauthron sisters, Hope and Faith, plus point guard Maddie Ford.
In the other Division V nonselect semifinal, No. 2 Hathaway looks to set up its third meeting in four seasons with Fairview in the finals. The Hornets (31-4) face No. 6 Florien (32-2) at 4:45 p.m.
Freshman Sienna Guidry has had the hot hand in the postseason for the Hornets, scoring 45 points in two games. Junior Madison Suire and Lamiyah Sanchez scored 22 points apiece in the regional round.
Florien is in the semifinals for the third consecutive season and last reached the finals in 2017.
