Lafayette Christian dismantles St. Thomas Aquinas to reach Division III girls basketball final

WESTWEGO – A year ago, Lafayette Christian won the Division III state championship, defeating St. Thomas Aquinas in the title game.

The two rivals met again Wednesday, this time in the Division III semifinals at the Alario Center.

Though the setting was different, the result was the same while also radically different at the same time.

The top-seeded Lady Knights seized control from the opening tap and never let up in a 72-17 victory.

A year ago, LCA beat STA 48-39 in the championship game.

LCA dominated from the start, opening the game on a 6-0 run before going on a 17-0 run to open a 23-2 lead. The Lady Knights carried a 26-4 lead into the second quarter. Monae Duffy had nine points in the quarter.

The domination continued in the second quarter as LCA opened the quarter on a 16-0 run and outscored the Lady Falcons 20-2 in the quarter to take a commanding 46-6 lead at halftime behind 13 points from Jada Richard.

The third quarter was more of the same as Lafayette Christian had a 12-0 run and carried a 65-12 lead into the final quarter.

Both teams substituted freely in the final quarter.

Richard finished with 22 points, six steals and four assists on 7 of 11 shooting from the floor and 7 of 9 from the free throw line.

Indeara Hebert scored 17 points and had four rebounds, sinking 7 of 13 field goal attempts, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range.

Duffy, the only senior, had 15 points, five rebounds and four steals. Duffy was 6 of 7 from the field.

The Lady Knights shot incredibly well, making 28 of 49 field goal attempts (57.1%) and sank 12 of 15 free throw attempts (80%). LCA shared the ball extremely well, with 21 assists on 28 made shots.

The Lady Falcons (16-11) struggled, making just 6 of 40 field goal attempts (15%) and committed 26 turnovers. Sophia Geisler led STA in scoring with seven points with four rebounds.

The Lady Knights (24-7) advance to the championship game for the sixth straight year, in search of a fifth state title Friday at 4:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 2 Episcopal and No. 3 Newman.

FINAL
LCA 26 20 19 7 — 72
STA 4 2 6 5 — 17

Scoring:
LCA—Jada Richard 22, Indeara Hebert 17, Monae Duffy 15, Taelyn Taylor 6, Eve Alexander 5, Leilania Hudson 4, Jarrisa Davis 2, Nyla Johnson 1

STA—Sophia Geisler 7, Abry Layrisson 4, Catherline Lamonte 2, Katy Potrament 2, Betsy Geisler 2

Rebounds:
LCA 35
STA 21

Turnovers:
LCA 26
STA 13

Girls Basketball Playoff Results

Non-Select

Bi-District

Class 5A

#1 Walker 73, #32 Natchitoches Central 36

#16 Airline 86, #17 H.L. Bourgeois 59

#9 West Monroe 55, #24 Hahnville 46

#8 St. Amant 46, #25 Dutchtown 35

#5 Ruston 54, #28 Woodlawn (BR) 12

#21 West Ouachita 62, #12 Benton 59

#13 West Jefferson 51, #20 Haughton 39

#4 Ponchatoula 102, #29 Sam Houston 39

#3 Lafayette 75, #30 Fontainebleau 20

#14 Denham Springs 48, #19 Chalmette 45

#11 Southwood 62, #22 Mandeville 32

#6 East St. John 65, #27 Live Oak 22

#26 Captain Shreve 65, #7 Barbe 63

#10 Northshore 87, #23 Thibodaux 49

#18 Zachary 69, #15 Southside 40

#2 Parkway 61, #31 Acadiana 15

Regional Round

#1 Walker 61, #16 Airline 40

#9 West Monroe 70, #8 St. Amant 59

#5 Ruston 74, #21 West Ouachita 40

#4 Ponchatoula 66, #13 West Jefferson 41

#3 Lafayette 88, #14 Denham Springs 26

#11 Southwood 63, #6 East St. John 53 (OT)

#10 Northshore 49, #26 Captain Shreve 43

#2 Parkway 72, #18 Zachary 35

Class 4A

Bi-District

#1 Warren Easton 65, #32 Istrouma 24

#16 Rayne 64, #17 Breaux Bridge 40

#9 Northside 73, #24 Assumption 40

#8 Salmen 52, #25 Woodlawn (SH) 34

#5 Huntington 73, #28 South Terrebonne 15

#12 North Vermilion 46, #21 Franklin Parish 24

#13 Opelousas 52, #20 McMain 30

#4 South Lafourche 61, #29 Westgate 39

#3 Karr 63, #30 Leesville 38

#19 Northwood 42, #14 Pearl River 35

#11 LaGrange 65, #22 Lakeshore 39

#6 Ellender 39, #27 Neville 18

#7 Belle Chasse 58, #26 John F. Kennedy 36

#10 Carencro 71, #23 Carver 25

#2 Bastrop 64, #31 Plaquemine 12

Regional Round

#1 Warren Easton 63, #16 Rayne 44

#9 Northside 57, #8 Salmen 45

#5 Huntington 59, #12 North Vermilion 35

#4 South Lafourche 44, #13 Opelousas 41

#3 Karr 61, #19 Northwood 20

#6 Ellender 61, #11 LaGrange 36

#10 Carencro 68, #7 Belle Chasse 60

#2 Bastrop 61, #15 Peabody 38

Class 3A

Bi-District

#1 Brusly 60, #32 Glen Oaks 21

#16 West Feliciana 67, #17 Kenner Discovery 53

#9 Loranger 60, #24 Bossier 42

#8 Iota 67, #25 McDonogh (35) 22

#5 Jennings 59, #28 Union Parish 36

#12 Carroll 62, #21 Marksville 40

#13 Crowley 48, #20 Sterlington 25

#4 Madison Prep 67, #29 Church Point 26

#3 Albany 78, #30 Bogalusa 31

#19 Baker 58, #14 Ville Platte 53

#11 Northwest 49, #22 Abbeville 35

#6 Mansfield 71, #27 Patterson 12

#7 South Beauregard 90, #26 Kaplan 48

#10 Grant 37, #23 Caldwell Parish 32

#15 Donaldsonville 64, #18 New Orleans Science & Math 24

#2 Wossman 79, #31 St. Martinville 19

Regional Round

#1 Brusly 70, #16 West Feliciana 27

#8 Iota 75, #9 Loranger 43

#5 Jennings 62, #12 Carroll 34

#4 Madison Prep 52, #13 Crowley 41

#3 Albany 78, #19 Baker 21

#6 Mansfield 46, #11 Northwest 35

#7 South Beauregard 61, #10 Grant 18

#2 Wossman 75, #15 Donaldsonville 50

Class 2A

Bi-District

#1 Amite 94, #32 Kentwood 19

#16 Jonesboro Hodge 61, #17 Pine 41

#9 West St. Mary 49, #24 Welsh 31

#25 St. Helena 54, #8 Springfield 51

#5 Lake Arthur 52, #28 Madison 29

#12 Bunkie 49, #21 Rapides 33

#13 Winnfield 79, #20 South Plaquemines 43

#4 Avoyelles Public Charter 55, #29 Delhi Charter 22

#3 Rayville 90, #30 Northeast 30

#14 Doyle 54, #19 Avoyelles 53 (OT)

#22 Oakdale 51, #11 Franklin 41

#6 Kinder 95, #27 Many 34

#7 Rosepine 66, #26 Delcambre 25

#10 French Settlement 46, #23 Mangham 28

#18 Port Allen 51, #15 Ferriday 43

#2 Lakeview 71, #31 Pickering 37

Regional Round

#1 Amite 101, #16 Jonesboro Hodge 34

#9 West St. Mary 37, #25 St. Helena 20

#5 Lake Arthur 52, #12 Bunkie 36

#4 Avoyelles Public Charter 54, #13 Winnfield 29

#3 Rayville 83, #14 Doyle 29

#6 Kinder 86, #22 Oakdale 39

#7 Rosepine 65, #10 French Settlement 17

#2 Lakeview 54, #18 Port Allen 30

Class 1A

Bi-District

#16 Plain Dealing 47, #17 Haynesville 36

#9 Homer 55, #24 Block 33

#12 LaSalle 51, #22 Tensas 28

#13 East Beauregard 53, #20 Lincoln Prep 38

#14 Delta Charter 52, #19 Logansport 37

#11 Delhi 83, #22 Centerville 14

#10 Grand Lake 55, #23 Sicily Island 20

#15 Montgomery 38, #18 Elton 28

Regional Round

#1 Northwood Lena 75 #16 Plain Dealing 35

#9 Oberlin 54, #8 Homer 41

#5 Arcadia 60, #12 LaSalle 30

#4 Merryville 63, #13 East Beauregard 41

#3 White Castle 65, #14 Delta Charter 37

#6 East Iberville 49, #11 Delhi 46

#10 Grand Lake 51, #7 Oak Grove 36

#2 North Central 81, #15 Montgomery 51

Class B Bi-District

#16 JS Clark Leadership Academy 46, #17 Bell City 43 (OT)

#9 Anacoco 93, #24 Simsboro 34

#12 Negreet 36, #21 Singer 33

#13 Stanley 42, #20 Monterey 29

#19 Choudrant 53, #14 Weston 44

#11 Lacassine 51, #22 Elizabeth 50

#10 Glenmora 58, #23 Pitkin 56

#15 Castor 51, #18 Doyline 49

Regional

#1 Hathaway 93, #16 JS Clark Leadership Academy 43

#9 Anacoco 52, #8 Quitman 45

#5 Oak Hill 64, #12 Negreet 55

#4 Midland 44, #13 Stanley 27

#3 Florien 79, #19 Choudrant 42

#6 Holden 68, #11 Lacassine 48

#10 Glenmora 60, #7 Zwolle 58

#2 Fairview 93, #15 Castor 53

Class C

Regional

#1 Hicks 72, #16 Simpson 34

#9 Evans 71, #8 Phoenix 49

#5 Hornbeck 44, #12 Starks 29

#4 Plainview 60, #13 Georgetown 22

#3 Summerfield 39, #14 Epps 28

#6 Reeves 70, #11 Calvin 51

#7 Atlanta 60, #10 Ebarb 55

#2 Gibsland-Coleman 56, #15 Pleasant Hill 52

Select

Quarterfinals

Division I

#1 John Curtis Christian 72, #8 Byrd 30

#5 Scotlandville 48, #4 Mount Carmel Academy 29

#3 McKinley 43, #6 Archbishop Chapelle 20

#7 St. Joseph’s Academy 54, #2 Dominican 52 (OT)

Division I Semifinals at Alario Center

#1 John Curtis Christian 49, #5 Scotlandville 42

#3 McKinley 64, #8 St. Joseph’s Academy 58

Division I Final

#1 John Curtis Christian vs. #3 McKinley, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Division II

Regionals

#1 St. Louis Catholic 98, #16 Archbishop Hannan 27

#8 De La Salle 44, #9 St. Scholastica 37

#5 Ursuline Academy 53, #13 Loyola Prep 34

#4 Ben Franklin 70, #13 Academy of Our Lady 25

#3 St. Thomas More 80, #14 Academy of The Sacred Heart (NO) 20

#6 Liberty 78, #11 University High 25

#7 E.D. White Catholic 51, #10 Haynes Academy 32

#2 Vandebilt Catholic 68, #15 Teurlings Catholic 33

Division II Quarterfinals

#1 St. Louis Catholic 83, #8 De La Salle 46

#4 Ben Franklin 52, #5 Ursuline Academy 33

#3 St. Thomas More 43, #6 Liberty 26

#2 Vandebilt Catholic 54, #7 E.D. White Catholic 30

Division II Semifinals

#1 St. Louis Catholic 61, #4 Ben Franklin 35

#3 St. Thomas More 49, #2 Vandebilt Catholic 28

Division II Final

#1 St. Louis Catholic vs. #3 St. Thomas More, 5:15 p.m. Thursday

Division III Regionals

#8 St. Mary’s Academy 34, #9 McGehee 24

#5 St. Thomas Aquinas 57, #12 Pope John Paul II 15

#4 Holy Savior Menard 45, #13 Ascension Episcopal 14

#3 Newman 49, #14 Northlake Christian 20

#6 St. Charles Catholic 44, #11 Catholic (NI) 30

#7 Dunham 45, #10 Houma Christian 44

#2 Episcopal 45, #15 St. Katharine Drexel 18

Division III Quarterfinals

#1 Lafayette Christian 91, #8 St. Mary’s Academy 29

#5 St. Thomas Aquinas 60, #4 Holy Savior Menard 46

#3 Newman 56, #6 St. Charles Catholic 46

#2 Episcopal 49, #7 Dunham 26

Division III Semifinals at Alario Center

#1 Lafayette Christian 72, #5 St. Thomas Aquinas 17

#2 Episcopal 50, #3 Newman 30

Division III Final

#1 Lafayette Christian vs. #2 Episcopal, 4:30 p.m. Friday

Division IV Regionals

#1 Ouachita Christian 68, #16 St. Edmund 27

#9 Sacred Heart 41, #8 Vermilion Catholic 27

#5 Southern Lab 55, #12 Country Day 20

#4 Highland Baptist 65, #13 St. Mary’s 27

#3 St. John 56, #14 Westminster Christian 31

#6 St. Martin’s Episcopal 39, #11 Hanson Memorial 32

#7 Central Catholic 62, #10 Central Private 37

#2 Cedar Creek 83, #15 Hamilton Christian 53

Division IV Quarterfinals

#1 Ouachita Christian 68, #9 Sacred Heart 36

#5 Southern Lab 62, #4 Highland Baptist 40

#6 St. Martin’s Episcopal 41, #3 St. John 36

#2 Cedar Creek 81, #7 Central Catholic 34

Division IV Semifinals

#5 Southern Lab 51, #1 Ouachita Christian 42

#2 Cedar Creek 52, #6 St. Martin’s Episcopal 35

Division IV Final

#2 Cedar Creek vs. #5 Southern Lab, 2:30 p.m. Thursday

Division V Quarterfinals

#1 Family Christian 64, #8 Christ Episcopal 6

#4 St. Joseph’s Plaucheville 58, #5 Country Day University Academy 24

#3 Family Community 67, #6 First Baptist Christian 23

#2 Claiborne Christian 69, #7 Grace Christian 17

Division V Semifinals

#4 St. Joseph’s Plaucheville 54, #1 Family Christian 41

#2 Claiborne Christian 52, #3 Family Community 33

Division V Final

#2 Claiborne Christian vs. #4 St. Joseph’s Plaucheville, 8 p.m. Thursday