LHSAA 3rd Round Predictions: Div. I
1) Scotlandville vs. 8) Holy Cross
The good news is that the playoffs are finally really starting for what high school principals argue should be the best teams in the state.The bad news is that means that the best teams only have to win a single game to get to the Final 4. For Scotlandville, this will be a chance for Javonte Smart to make the Top 28 every single year that he has been in high school.And I don’t see Holy Cross getting in the way of that goal. They are still a year away at best from really competing for a title.
PHLA Pick: Scotlandville
5) Jesuit vs. 4) Mckinley
This is going to be an interesting matchup. Mckinley is going to have the best player on the court with Tyrece Radford, and it’s not even close. However, Jesuit might have the next 2-3 best players on the court at any given time. I expect Jesuit to zone Mckinley up and try to slow Radford down. However, I think that Radford is just too good, and once again this year is going to will his team to victory.
PHLA Pick: Mckinley
3) Catholic BR vs. 6) St. Augustine
I thought that in the first round that St. Aug would be able to outcoach John Curtis on the way to a first round win, and I was right. However, it’s going to take a hell of a coaching job for St. Aug to come away with a win here. This is a really bad matchup for them. Catholic has multiple players that are 6’6+, and St. Aug has one 6’5 and no other players bigger than 6’3. So Catholic has a huge size advantage, and they also have a skill advantage. I expect for them to have the best two players on the court at any point in time. I think all of that is going to be too much for St. Aug to overcome. I’ll take Catholic BR.
PHLA Pick: Catholic BR
2) St. Paul’s vs. 10) Brother Martin
I will be honest here, I don’t expect Brother Martin to make it to the Final 4. However, I also didn’t think that they would make it a year ago, and they made it all the way to the state championship game, off of almost entirely great coaching. But the Crusaders have lost a ton of talent from last year’s squad. And St. Paul’s isn’t going to be satisfied with anything less than a state title appearance. I think that even if Brother Martin slows the pace down like they did last season, that still favors St. Paul’s, so I can’t really imagine a scenario in which Brother Martin can pull off this giant upset.
PHLA Pick: St. Paul’s