Who’s hot, who’s not on hardwood

    The road to Monroe for the local Catholic high school basketball teams in their quest to win state championships resembles a mine field more than a series of interstate highways.
    The first half of the season has produced just one school that appears to be a deep  playoff contender: Brother Martin.
    Coach Bill Gallagher’s Crusaders have a solid starting four in Jordan Cornish, Jabbar Singleton, Jalen Gray and Jordan Lumpkins.
    This team is favored to win the District 10-5A title, which will be contested mainly by Archbishop Rummel, West Jefferson and Jesuit.
    As for the prospects for the other teams in the archdiocese – whether they be from male, female or co-ed schools – I’m sorry to say that none has surfaced as a team that can contend with the powers scattered throughout other parts of the state.
    Take a look at what’s going on in the statewide districts that make up classes 5A through 1A.
Scotlandville is loaded
    CLASS 5A – Once again, Scotlandville is off to a fast start with a 17-1 record. Its only loss came early in the season to Woodrow Wilson of Dallas, and it has beaten 11 opponents considered to be playoff contenders.
    The other nine to watch are East Ascension, 17-2; Ouachita, 18-4; Brother Martin, 16-2; Dutchtown, 15-3; Byrd, 14-3; H.L. Bourgeois, 16-3; East St. John, 12-6; Comeaux, 18-4 and Higgins, 10-4.
    Local district picks:
    6-5A – 1. Mandeville; 2. Northshore; 3. Covington; 4. Slidell; 5. Ponchatoula; 6. St. Paul’s; 7. Fontainebleau.
    10-5A – 1. Brother Martin; 2. Archbishop Rummel; 3. Jesuit; 4. West Jefferson; 5. Chalmette; 6. Grace King.
    CLASS 4A – This class continues to be the strongest in the state. Case in point is District 3-4A, which includes Tioga (20-1), Alexandria (18-3) and defending champion Peabody (15-3).
    Locally, East Jefferson (18-2) would be considered a prime contender if it does not lose two of its top players to grades. We’ll know in a few days.
    The top 10 includes: 1. Tioga; 2. Alexandria; 3. Washington-Marion, 10-3; 4. Opelousas, 14-5; 5. Peabody; 6. Northside, 14-3; 7. Salmen, 12-4; 8. Huntington, 13-3; 9. Minden, 15-2; 10. O. Perry Walker, 13-5.
    Both 2011-12 runner-up St. Augustine and Holy Cross appear to be a dribble behind the above-named teams. The Purple Knights have lost four key starters and have one holdover in center Craig Victor, whom every opponent is double-teaming. Holy Cross lacks sufficient size in spite of its well-coached talent.
    Local district picks:
    9-4A – 1. O.P. Walker; 2. McDonogh 35; 3. Edna Karr; 4. Helen Cox; 5. Archbishop Shaw; 6. Belle Chasse.
    10-4A – 1. Holy Cross; 2. East Jefferson; 3. St. Augustine; 4. Riverdale; 5. Warren Easton; 6. Ben Franklin.
    CLASS 3A – The top contenders are in the north. Carroll of Monroe is No. 1 and Bossier is No. 2. Both have 15-3 records.
    The remainders are 3. Brusly, 14-5; 4. West Feliciana, 13-4; 5. Richwood, 13-6; 6. Patterson 7-4; 7. Amite, 14-6; 8. Farmerville, 15-4; 9. Lusher, 13-4; 10. North Vermilion, 11-3.
    Local district picks:
    7-3A – 1. Brusly; 2. Port Allen; 3. St. James; 4. E.D. White; 5. Donaldsonville; 6. St. Charles Catholic.
    10-3A – 1. Lusher; 2. De La Salle; 3. Lake Area Tech; 4. Landry; 5. McMain; 6. Miller-McCoy; 7. Reed; 8. McDonogh.
    CLASS 2A – The Top 10 are 1. University High, 18-1; 2. Winnfield, 18-3; 3. Newman,  12-2; 4. John Curtis, 9-2; 5. Riverside, 11-3; 6. French Settlement, 14-3; 7. Ville Platte, 14-5; 8. Sterlington, 15-6; 9. Rosepine, 13-3; 10. Episcopal, 15-6.
    Local district picks:
    8-2A – 1. French Settlement; 2. St. Thomas Aquinas; 3. Northlake  Christian; 4. Springfield; 5. Pope John Paul II; 6. Doyle; 7. Pine; 8. St. Helena Central.
    CLASS 1A – Few schools in this class have risen to the summit. Just six merit consideration as championship contenders at this time: 1. Westminster, 11-1; 2. Christian Life, 13-3; 3. Arcadia, 12-6; 4. Country Day, 8-5; Central Catholic, 9-3; Ascension Episcopal, 13-3.
    Local district picks:
    7-1A – 1. Christian Life; 2. Southern Lab; 3. Varnado; 4. Archbishop Hannan; 5. Kentwood; 6. Mount Hermon.
Off-season for local ladies
    Although as well coached as any teams in the LHSAA, it appears that the local Catholic girls teams are a year away from serious title contention.
    In a district historically dominated by either Archbishop Chapelle, Mount Carmel or Dominican, the team to beat this season is West Jefferson.
    And in another district in which Ursuline Academy or Cabrini stands tall, undefeated Warren Easton towers head and shoulders above its District 10-4A opponents.
    The top 10s as we see it are:
    CLASS 5A: 1. Southwood, 12-0; 2. West Monroe, 21-1; 3. Natchitoches Central, 15-1; 4. Scotlandville, 14-3; 5. Sulphur, 14-3; 6. Mandeville, 16-2; 7. McKinley, 12-3; 8. Ouachita, 12-2; 9. Walker, 15-5; 10. New Iberia, 18-4.
    Local district picks:
    6-5A – 1. Mandeville; 2. Ponchatoula; 3. Covington; 4. Northshore; 5. Fontainebleau; 6. St. Scholastica; 7. Slidell.        CLASS 4A: 1. St. Michael, 19-3; 2. Warren Easton, 16-0; 3. Neville, 11-2; 4. Helen Cox, 16-3; 5. St. Thomas More, 15-3; 6. Bastrop, 10-2; 7. Franklinton, 15-1; 8. Vandebilt Catholic, 16-3; 9. Salmen, 15-2; 10. Belle Chasse, 16-2.
    Local district picks:
    9-4A – 1. Helen Cox; 2. Belle Chasse; 3. O. Perry Walker; 4. McDonogh 35; 5. Edna Karr; 6. Academy of Our Lady.
    10-4A – 1. Warren Easton; 2. Cabrini; 3. Ursuline; 4. Riverdale; 5. East Jefferson; 6. Ben Franklin.
    CLASS 3A: 1. Notre Dame, 13-2; 2. Caldwell, 15-3; 3. E.D. White, 13-3; 4. Abbeville, 15-6; 5. North Vermilion, 15-4; 6. Rayne, 14-5; 7. Loyola, 13-5; 8. Baker, 13-4; 9. Rayville, 12-5; 10. Green Oaks, 12-5.
    Local district picks:
    7-3A – E.D. White; 2. Brusly; 3. Port Allen; 4. Donaldsonville; 5. St. Charles Catholic; 6. St. James.
    10-3A – 1. De La Salle; 2. Landry; 3. St. Mary’s Academy; 4. Xavier Prep; 5. McMain; 6. Lusher.
    CLASS 2A: 1. Pickering, 13-3; 2. North Caddo, 17-2; 3. Winnfield, 13-6; 4. John Curtis, 10-7; 5. Lake Arthur, 15-5; 6. Doyle, 15-3; 7. University High, 16-5; 8. Jonesboro-Hodge, 12-2; 9. East Beauregard, 13-3; 10. Evangel, 13-5.
    Local district picks:
    8-2A – 1. Doyle; 2. St. Thomas Aquinas; 3. French Settlement, 4. Northlake Christian; 5. Pine; 6. Springfield; 7. Pope John Paul II; 8. St. Helena Central.
    9-2A – 1. Thomas Jefferson; 2. Cohen; 3. Sacred Heart Academy; 4. South Plaquemines.
    CLASS 1A: 1. West St. John, 15-1; 2. Tensas, 13-4; 3. North Central, 12-2; 4. Central Catholic, 10-5; 5. Vermilion Catholic, 15-2; 6. Arcadia, 11-5. 7. St. Martin’s, 11-7; 8. Southern Lab, 6-4; 9. Sacred Heart-Ville Platte, 10-7; 10. Merryville, 9-5.
    Local district picks:
    7-1A – 1. Southern Lab; 2. Kentwood; 3. Archbishop Hannan; 4. Mount Hermon; 5. Varnado.
    Ron Brocato can be reached at [email protected].