LHSAA Class 3A Tournament Preview
2016 Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Boys' Top 28 Basketball Tournament Class 3A Above you’ll see the link to get to the bracket for the respective class in this article. Class 3A is next and the back to back champions are sitting…
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Continue Reading2016 Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Boys' Top 28 Basketball Tournament Class 3A
Above you’ll see the link to get to the bracket for the respective class in this article. Class 3A is next and the back to back champions are sitting as the 2 seed readying for another run. Class 3A also houses the only team in LHSAA that is still undefeated in the state. Peabody has moved down from 4A and has had their way in state with the teams on their schedule this season. It also houses a couple surprise teams and a team looking to play in their own backyard if they make the Top 28 again. All roads lead to Lake Charles where the final four for each of the seven classes make up the Top 28. With future changes on the horizon, this may be the last season we see things play out this way in the state of Louisiana.
Class 3A
The number one seed has bounced back and forth between an undefeated Peabody team and the back to back state champions in 3A, University Lab. The battle behind them between the likes of St. Louis, Wossman, Patterson, and Carroll has been an exciting one to monitor as well. There are teams with some serious playoff experience but only UHigh and St. Louis really have Top 28 experience. That means we could see a wild set of playoffs as we advance in rounds.
The undefeated regular season for Peabody comes after a disappointing quarterfinal loss last season as the 2 seed in 4A. They return most of their production from last season and have stepped it up a notch. Senior 6’0 point guard JaCoby Ross has taken his game to a new level while juniors in 6’2 guard Cedric Russell (LSU Commit) and 6’5 forward Kevin Norman give them a serious trio of returning talent and experience.
Their likely match-up in the Finals is the 2 seed and defending champions UHigh Cubs. Much was made about Skylar Mays heading to Findlay Prep but this team hasn’t skipped a beat. That’s in large part due to their two senior forwards. The consistency of the LSU commit and senior 6’6 forward Wayde Sims has always guided this team; he was last season’s Gatorade player of the year. However, the emergence, or rather re-emergence, of senior 6’7 forward Jalen Johnson has been the storyline for them. He’s taken his game to a new level and there isn’t much other teams can do about it. They could see district match-up Brusly in the 2nd round which means a senior duo of 6’4 guard Michael Bryant and 6’8 forward Darian Jones could get another crack.
The 3 seed St. Louis squad is looking to return to the Top 28 for revenge over UHigh who beat them in the semifinals last year. They too return a load of senior leadership in two guards, 6’0 McNeese State commit Kelvin Henry Jr. and 5’10 PJ Hardy. That duo in the backcourt is as tough to handle physically and experience wise as most teams in the state.
On opposite sides of the bracket you have the 4 seeded Wossman who used a big one game playoff victory over 6 seed Carroll to flip the seeding around. Wossman is led by 5’10 junior point guard CJ Jones while Carroll is led by 6’8 junior post Larry Owens. Carroll is used to deep runs but the Wossman turn around has been one of the more impressive stories in the state this season.
Like the story of a lot of teams in Class 3A, 5 seeded Patterson is a roster led by seniors with a lot of experience. They are led by senior 6’0 point guard Taylan Grogan but drew an incredibly tough first round match-up against Lutcher who can score with the best of them. A team full of 2017 talent De La Salle is the 7 seed, led by 6’7 big man David Williams, they would see ED White in the 2nd round if seeding holds which features junior 6’0 point guard Kevin Johnson.
Other teams to watch include Albany, Parkview Baptist, Eunice, Bogalusa, and of course Port Allen. Port Allen has senior 6’1 point guard Nigel Allen who has proven when he gets hot, there is little other teams can do.