Girls Basketball Playoffs: Curtis, MCA advance to title game rematch; Ursuline, Country Day seek finals berths

A pair of rivals with one seeking a grand slam while the other with a grand slam will meet for the Division I girls state basketball championship for a second straight year.

Top seed and three-time defending state champion John Curtis Christian earned its spot in the title game with an easy 59-32 win Tuesday evening over District 9-5A rival and No. 4 Dominican in River Ridge.

The outcome was never in doubt.

The Lady Patriots took a 16-8 lead after one quarter and expanded the lead to 32-16 by halftime. It was 50-21 going to the final quarter.

Tulane signee Jerkaila Jordan had 16 points while eighth-grader Terren Coffil had 10 points. Emily Adams topped Dominican (23-10) with seven points.

John Curtis (26-4) will face another familiar opponent in the state championship game when the Lady Patriots host district rival Mount Carmel Academy Saturday at 7 p.m. at its lower school gym. The Lady Patriots will be seeking a seventh state championship in program history.

No. 2 Mount Carmel, previous winners of four state championships, fought off No. 3 McKinley 37-31 at home Tuesday evening.

The Cubs started well, leading 10-3 after one quarter before the Lady Panthers cut the deficit to 17-15 by halftime. Mount Carmel led 26-21 going to the final quarter and held off a late challenge by McKinley for the win after the Panthers pulled within a point in the final minute.

Taylor Wilkins led the Cubs (24-7) with 14 points while Rutgers signee Erica Lafayette topped the Lady Panthers (19-11) with 19 points.

John Curtis whipped Mount Carmel 55-24 in the 2019 Division I championship game in Alexandria before a sparse crowd. The Patriots won both district contests this season, winning 38-33 at Mount Carmel on Jan. 16 before dismissing the Cubs 54-30 at home on Feb. 3. Curtis has won four straight over Mount Carmel. The Cubs last defeated the Lady Patriots 45-44 at Curtis last season.

Two more area teams are in action in the select semifinals this evening.

In Division II, No. 4 seed Ursuline Academy (19-12) battles defending state champion and No. 1 Lee Magnet (26-4) at 6:30 p.m. in Baton Rouge. The Lions are coming off of a big 44-40 win over Division I power John Curtis Christian to conclude its regular season.

This is the rubber match for the two rivals.

The two teams had the exact same seeds a year ago in the semifinals when Lee downed Ursuline 79-61 on the way to winning the state title while in 2018, Ursuline drubbed Lee 70-43 in the Division II state championship game. Ursuline also won the Class 4A state championship in 2016.

In Division IV, Country Day (16-4) plays at Natchitoches against No. 2 St. Mary’s (24-4) at 6:30 p.m. The Cajuns advanced with a quarterfinal win over District 9-1A rival St. Martin’s Episcopal and are led by Grambling signee Kaci Chairs.

The winner will meet the top seed Ouachita Christian for the state title. The Eagles advanced with a 50-44 semifinal win over No. 4 Cedar Creek.

LHSAA Girls Prep Basketball Semifinal Results from Tuesday, Mar. 3
Division IV: (1) Ouachita Christian 50, (4) Cedar Creek 44
Division V: (1) University Academy 69 (4) Claiborne Christian 38
Division I: (1) John Curtis Christian 59, (4) Dominican 32
Division I: (2) Mount Carmel Academy 37, (3) McKinley 31
Division III: (2) Lafayette Christian 64, (3) Episcopal 23

LHSAA Girls Prep Basketball Semifinal Schedule for Wednesday, Mar. 4
Division II: (4) Ursuline Academy at (1) Lee Magnet, 6:30 p.m.
Division II: (3) University Lab at (2) St. Louis Catholic, 6:30 p.m.
Division IV: (3) Country Day at (2) St. Mary’s, 6:30 p.m.