Last year’s state runner-up, Parkway, and national player of the year candidate Mikaylah Williams, stand in the way of Barbe as the Bucs seek a return to the girls state championship game.

The teams will play in a non-select Division I semifinal at 4:45 p.m. today at Southeastern Louisiana’s University Center in Hammond.

The No. 3 Bucs (27-4) finished runner-up in 2017, losing to Destrehan, and will be making its first state tournament appearance since then. Parkway lost an 80-79 overtime thriller to Ponchatoula in last year’s Class 5A state championship game.

Barbe punched its ticket to Hammond with a 73-59 quarterfinal win over East St. John. Barbe used a 17-0 first-quarter run to build a 21-point lead. Areil Williams led the Bucs with 24 points while Mikaylah Manley added 22. The win extended Barbe’s winning streak to 11 games.

Mikaylah Williams, an LSU signee, won the Miss Basketball award as the most outstanding player in Louisiana last season after averaging 23 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while leading the Panthers to a 32-2 season.

This season the Panthers are 28-5 and the second seed in Division I. Parkway has won 18 consecutive games, with two decided by single digits. The Panthers have outscored their two playoff opponents 124-41.

Defending champion Ponchatoula will play Walker in the other Division I semifinal at 8 p.m. The championship game will be played at 8 p.m. Saturday.