Summer Recap: Top 5 Teams in North Louisiana
From summer leagues to team camps, north Louisiana had an abundance of basketball teams improve over the summer. Team improvement over the summer can be a springboard for teams that will be contenders when the season comes around in the…
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Continue ReadingFrom summer leagues to team camps, north Louisiana had an abundance of basketball teams improve over the summer. Team improvement over the summer can be a springboard for teams that will be contenders when the season comes around in the fall. In this article, I will take a look at the five teams I think were the best in north Louisiana this summer.
1. Woodlawn (Shreveport) Knights – 4A
The Knights season ended early with their second round loss to Livonia. Then they lost all state guard Tramichael Moton to graduation and all of the sudden Woodlawn seemed to be influx. What did Coach Kenny Sykes do? He gave the ball to the only Moton left on the roster. Delatrion Moton (6’4″, 2021) took the mantle as primary ballhandler and the Knights went with him. Outside of two losses in the Neville summer league, Woodlawn beat prep powers like Bossier and Ouachita on route to a two loss summer. Moton was big time for them with timely shots and rebounds when the Knights needed them most. The emergence of Michael Jones (6’6″, 2020) as a more versatile scoring option also propelled Woodlawn to their summer record. If they get consistent shooting and guard play, this team will be one of the best in 4A.
2. Bossier Bearkats – 3A
The Bearkats are back and ready to make another postseason run. They will make that run in a new classification however as they have moved down to 3A (due to enrollment). No matter the class, this version of the Bearkats will be as good as any they have had in the past. Three year starter D’ante Bell (6’7″, 2020) will be the anchor in the middle for Bossier. Continuing the tradition of Bossier point guards will be Cody Deen. The 5’9″ senior had a spectacular summer where he led most games in scoring and assists. Anchors Tim King (5’10”, 2020) and Otis Smith (6’2″, 2020) are sharpshooters as well as great man-to-man defenders. The addition of wing Shammah Bryant (6’5″, 2021) may be the key ingredient to Bossier winning it all this year. They will definitely be one of the top four teams in 3A.
3. Ouachita Lions – 5A
Coach Jeremy Madison and the Lions were one otherworldly performance from Jalen Cook away from playing for a state championship. From the looks of it this summer, this set of Lions have taken that experience to heart and let the competition feel it. Their defense has been in mid-season form all summer causing an alarming number of turnovers for the opposition. Leading the way has been Robert Sledge (5’10, 2020). He looks like he will take the lead guard responsibilities that were handled so well by Paul King. Scoring will come from seniors Charquez Owens (6’2″) and Matt Hayman (6’5′). Hayman really had a good summer. He had some memorable dunks during several contest. If they work out the small issue they had closing some games, the sky is the limit.
4. Wossman Wildcats – 3A
Another Monroe area team who played well all summer were the Wossman Wildcats. They are another team that played some stellar defense during the summer against top teams. They defeated Bossier and Huntington during the Grambling team camp as well as other high quality wins during the Northeast Louisiana summer league. Nick Traylor (6’4″, 2020) led the team as the main scoring threat while Jay Jones (5’11”, 2020) orchestraed the offense most possessions. Coach Jones also rotated five in and five out at times to make sure everyone got some run. Outside of scoring droughts that caused them start slow at times and an victory over Bossier at the Northwestern State team camp, the Wildcats were one of the most dominate teams during the summer.
5. Southwood Cowboys – 5A
After a slow start to the summer, Southwood finished strong with plenty of quality wins. The Pokes played anyone and everyone on I-49 and I-20 from Eunice to Richwood. They also hosted one day team camps and defeated the likes of Peabody, ASH, Zachary, Lakeview, and Pineville. This was all done with being minus two of their best post defenders. Wing Christian Caldwell (6’6″, 2020) took his game to another level playing more aggressively on the offensive end while banging in the post on defense. Guard Daniel Ortiz (6’0″) showed why he is one of the top guards in the 2021 class with shooting and playmaking. The emergence of Eric McKnight (6’3″) has also given the Cowboys another threat on offense. If they carry this play into the season, they will be one of the top teams in the state.
Other notable top north Louisiana teams from the summer:
Natchitoches Central, Peabody, Calvary Baptist, Simsboro, West Monroe, & Lincoln Prep