Sam Houston, LaGrange girls and St. Louis, LCCP boys eye strong seasons
In this edition of the Three Point Stance, Rodrick Anderson and Warren Arceneaux preview the high school basketball season.
Name a large school boys and girls team to watch.
RA: Sam Houston girls and St. Louis boys. Sam Houston returns everyone from last year’s 5A quarterfinalist team including a pair of dynamic scorers in Jil Poullard and Kyla Hamilton. Head coach Jason Jagneaux has led Sam Houston to three 20-win seasons in four years and two trips to the quarterfinals. St. Louis has lost in the quarterfinals in two consecutive seasons and could make another deep run this year. Seniors Benji Chatters and Jadon Johnson are back and the Saints will add former Hathaway start Trey Blanchard, who led the Hornets to the Class B quarterfinals last year.
WA: LaGrange girls and Lake Charles College Prep boys. The Gators feature a trio of top talents in Nadailyn Carrier, Jeriah Warren and Aasia Sam. They were real young last year and had a good season and should be even better know with another year of experience. The Blazer boys held their own in their first season in Class 3A last season. They went 9-3 in district play with the losses by 3, 4 and 6 points. Junior forward Caleb Robinson could be one of the area’s top players this season and the Blazers could be in the mix for the district title.
Name a small school boys and girls team to watch.
RA: Elton girls and Grand Lake boys. With six seniors led by guards Jameica and Jamaica James, Elton is poised to take control of District 4-1A after it was dominated by Merryville and now UL-Lafayette guard Andrea Cournyer. Elton won over 20 games in back-to-back seasons and reached the quarterfinals last year. Grand Lake lost one of its best scorers ever in Drew Young, who scored more than 2,300 points, and reached the regional round before losing to Arcadian by one point. But the Hornets do return a trio of junior that they can build this year’s team around in guard Kael Delcambre, point guard Luke Mccardle and forward Aaron Young.
WA: Lake Arthur boys and Lacassine girls. Lake Arthur returns District MVP Torrell Levias after a 22-win season that included an undefeated run through district play. The Lady Cardinals return 3-point shooting specialist Hannah Kozelski and are off to a 5-2 start with a quality win over Hicks, a Class B semifinalist last season.
Name a boy and girl player to watch.
RA: Sulphur’s Mo Patterson and Pitkin’s Garrett Edwards. Patterson found a place in the Sulphur girls’ starting lineup last year as a freshman and will likely take on an expanded role this year, including a 13-point, 11-rebound performance in the first round of the playoffs. Patterson has the size and power to be a force in the lane this season. Edwards led Pitkin to the Class B semifinals last year for the first time since 2004. As a 6-4 sophomore last year with the ability to hit shots from anywhere on the court, Edwards averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds and game and will lead a young team this year that has just two seniors.
WA: Alexandria Goodly of St. Louis and Michael Thomas of Hamilton Christian. Goodly missed last season due to injury but looked like her dominant self in the jamboree, terrorizing the opposing offense and scoring in a variety of ways. Thomas is the most entertaining athlete in the area. He is a wizard with the ball and has the hops to throw down dunks. He rises to the occasion against top competition, nearly leading the Warriors to a win over Scotlandville and state MVP Javonte Smart this year. The Warriors should be in-contention for the Division IV title this season.