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St. Paul's, St. Aug and Jesuit advance to basketball semis
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March 6, 2021By Ron Brocato
Clarion Herald
Three of the four semifinalists for the LHSAA’s Division I boys’ basketball tournament come from schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
The championship aspirants are St. Paul’s St. Augustine and Jesuit, which have survived two weeks of tournament play to advance to the last stages of competition at the Cajundome in Lafayette on March 9.
No. 2 seed St. Paul’s earned its way to a noon match-up with No. 3 St. Augustine by defeating John Curtis, the No. 10 seed, 54-46, on March 5, while No. 3 seed St. Aug eliminated No. 6 Brother Martin, 44-37, on that same night.
Meanwhile, No. 5 Jesuit scored a mild upset when it toppled No. 4 Catholic High, 53-44, in Baton Rouge. That victory will match the Blue Jays against the reigning Division I champion Scotlandville in a 2:30 p.m. game on March 9.
Another New Orleans Catholic school, De La Salle had its aspirations for a second Division II title ended on March 5 when the Cavaliers lost to the division favorite, University Lab, 47-45. De La Salle, the 2017 state champion, fell short of a finals berth at the hands of U-Lab in 2020 and 2018.
St. Paul’s and St. Augustine have yet to meet in either the Division I or Class 5A tournaments, and while the Purple Knights will be the lower seed, they have advanced to the championship round in 2020 and 2019. St. Aug last won the state championship in 2011 by beating Scotlandville, 67-43.
Historically, St. Paul’s has been competitive on a state level but has just one appearance in the championship game. That came in 2018 when the Wolves lost to Scotlandville, 63-40, in Lake Charles.This season, coach Stephen Dale’s squad enters the semifinal round with a 26-7 record and as the District 6-5A champion.
Jesuit’s basketball championship history dates back to 1939. The Blue Jays have won eight state titles, the last coming in 2001. They have not advanced to the championship round since.
The No. 1 seed, Scotlandville, sporting a 25-3 record, has been juggernaut on the hardwood. Since 2010, the Hornets have won seven Division I or Class 5A titles (divisions were created in 2017) and have been the runners-up four times. They will be shooting for their fifth consecutive crown.PHOTO CAPTION: St. Paul’s junior guard Zach Fenn (35) slips past Buddy Taylor (3) of John Curtis during a Division I quarterfinal round game in the Wolves Den on March 5. Fenn scored 10 points in the Wolves’ 54-46 victory to advance to the semifinal round and a March 9 game against St. Augustine in Lafayette.