LHSAA 2nd Round Predictions: 3A
1) Madison Prep vs. 16) Northwest
Madison Prep is now back to full health, and over the last two years the second round is where they really turn up the defensive intensity. Two years ago, they held Newman to just 17 points. For the entire game. Last season they held Sterlington to 41 while scoring 94 for themselves. I expect to see a big 40-50 point win over Northwest.
PHLA Pick: Madison Prep
9) Washington Marion vs. 8) Brusly
Just a season ago, Washington Marion made only the 2nd run to a state championship in the school’s illustrious history. Now by any means, I don’t see them going back to back, especially now that they are in a tougher 3A, but I also don’t see them dropping out in the 2nd round. They have too much talent that came back from the championship team last season.
PHLA Pick : Washington Marion
5) Carroll vs. 12) Patterson
This is going to be an interesting matchup. Carroll has some size on their team, but it is mostly younger players. Patterson is totally devoid of size, however they rely mostly on younger kids to get the job done for them. I will take Carroll to get the job done.
PHLA Pick: Carroll
13) Baker vs. 4) Wossman
Baker has been a very interesting team all season long. They easily have the size and talent to be one of the top teams in 3A, yet they wound up as the 13th seed. I predicted that the would fall in the first round to a good North Vermillion team, yet they won by nearly 20. You never know which Baker team is going to show up that night. On the opposite end, you know exactly what you are going to get with Wossman, and I think that is good enough to get a win.
PHLA Pick: Wossman
3) Sophie B. Wright vs. 19) Donaldsonville
This is about as bad of a matchup for Donaldsonville as they could get. Donaldsonville relies heavily on their athleticism, length and size to be able to bully opponents around, however there isn’t much bullying that Sophie B. Wright will put up with. They have the length and athleticism to be able to matchup, and their players just have more skill.
PHLA Pick: Sophie B. Wright
11) Crowley vs. 6) Union Parish
When it comes to the playoffs, these game are all about matchups, and I think this is a pretty bad one for Crowley. Union Parish has a big that is capable of handling the wings that Crowley possesses, and they also have the guards to be able to outplay Crowley down the stretch. I’ll take Union Parish, but in a close one
PHLA Pick: Union Parish
7) Richwood vs. 10) Lake Charles College Prep
In these playoff games, another tell tale sign of a potential upset is when the worse seeded team has the best player in the game, and I think that LCCP does in Caleb Robinson. Robinson is a 6’4 slashing guard that can be a matchup nightmare for Richwood, and Robinson also has talent surrounding him if they try to just deny him the ball. Therefore I’ll be taking LCCP to get the upset on the road.
PHLA Pick: Lake Charles College Prep
18) Madison vs. 2) Peabody
Madison was able to get the slight upset in the first round over 15th seeded Mamou, which means that Peabody now has to go on the road, adding a slight wrinkle in their plans. However, I’m not going to over think it, because Peabody still has the best 2-3 players in this game on their team. I think Peabody’s state title dreams stay alive through the 2nd round.
PHLA Pick: Peabody