LHSAA, newspapers settle dispute

There was so much melodrama spewing from the LHSAA vs. Louisiana newspapers fiasco, it belonged on the Lifetime network.

Photographers for The Times, the Baton Rouge Advocate, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Hammond Daily Star were asked to sign a consent form before shooting at the Ladies Top 28 Tournament.

The consent said they could shoot game action as long as photo posted on their Web sites were not made available for sale to the public. The LHSAA has a contract with Baton Rouge-based Musemeche Photography which sales photos over the Internet.

The photographers refused to sign (and rightly so) and were forbidden to enter the arena.

"Are you here to cover the tournament or exploit the kids?" was the reply I got from LHSAA commissioner Tommy Henry.

I waited for him to offer a "that's off-the-record," comment, but none came. For starters, the reason newspapers produce photo galleries is to provide greater content for readers. More photos gives an event more depth. And in reality, The Times sells very few photos to fans off the Web site.

Also, where was the LHSAA shoving consent forms to The Times photographers when we covered the Division I and Division III soccer finals at Independence Stadium. Musemeche was there shooting photos and none of the photographers had to sign anything.

The LHSAA picked a heck of a time to draw the line in the sand. It was wrong to draw it in the first place.

But, to hear Monroe News-Star managing editor Ken Stickney, it's like LHSAA was trying to cover up Watergate.

"The LHSAA tried to trample on the First Amendment rights of Louisiana newspapers by dictating how and what they could publish, as well as where they could publish it," he told the Associated Press.

That's stretching things a bit too far, don't you think? The LHSAA was allowing photographers to shoot to their heart's content. They just had to put the photos in the newspaper.

For a former journalist like Henry exalts that he is, he should have known that you never ask a journalist to sign anything when it comes to doing their job.

Playoff venues need thinking

I see where the Doyline-Zwolle boys basketball playoff game to be played on Friday is already sold out which brings to question why in the world games like these aren't played in a real college facilities. A place where more than a couple hundred or so people can see the game. This is a game that would fill the Gold Dome at Centenary.

I can see where a first or maybe even second round game would be played at the host school. But beyond that, there should be games played at Northwestern State, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette, LSU, ect. It should be a neutral site that can attract a good crowd and have more than one or two games. I have heard it said many times but nothing seems to ever be done about it.

Random boys hoops thoughts

What has gotten into the Airline Vikings?

This is a team that had to win its final regular season game just to get to a game to decide the final playoff spot. The Vikings had to win that game to get in and they won.

Then, they went on the road and won at Destrehan. Tonight, they come home and win against Thibodaux.

So now you have a 19-19 team in the quarterfinals, go figure.

When the brackets were announced Minden coach Alan Shaw said he thought his team had a tough one. He was right. Minden was bounced at home tonight by Ouachita.

On the flip side, Bossier coach Chris White liked his team's bracket. After a win at home, the Bearkats won a close one at Carroll and now they are a quarterfinalist with Washington-Marion, and not top-ranked Helen Cox, coming to town on Friday.

The bracket had Helen Cox and Washington-Marion - a game that would normally rate as a semifinal or final - playing in the second round.

Huntington, BTW and all Evangel lost on the road tonight.

And Fair Park keeps on rolling back toward the Top 28.

It should be an interesting Friday with Top 28 berths at stake.

Still alive

The Southwood Lady Cowboys got a scare tonight - trailing at halftime.

But Southwood did what Southwood does when it comes to girls basketball. They took the lead in the third quarter and pulled away from Mount Carmel in the fourth.

The only surprise here was the Lady Cowboys trailing at halftime.

Now they're just a win away from a 10th state title.

Southwood is to girls basketball what Evangel is to football - a dynasty.

If there is a difference, then it is this - Evangel has been built mostly by its players while Southwood has been built mostly by its coach.

Outside of Alana Beard and Morenike Atunrase, Southwood doesn't have a lot of "name'' players. Evangel has several name players whether it was any of the Bootys, Brock Berlin, Byron Dawson, Jonathan Wade, Chase Pittman and on and on.

Regardless, both are dynasties. And Southwood is only one win away from joining Evangel as double digit state champions.

Hoops time

If you're a basketball junkie, then this is your time of year.

And because the of the Sun Belt Conference tournament in Lafayette, you'll get an extra weekend of the boys state basketball tournament.

The girls take center stage at Hammond this week. While Iota gets the national love, the biggest shocker would be Southwood being denied another state title in 5A. With West Monroe knocked out early in the playoffs and three home games, the bracket opened up for the Lady Cowboys.

The boys will play their second-round games on Tuesday and quarterfinals on Friday. There are only a couple of teams playing in town on Tuesday - Fair Park and Airline. So far, Airline has been one of the bigger surprises in the tournament. Airline had to win a playoff to get into the field of 32, then the Vikings had to win at Destrehan to get this far.

The following weekend, the boys semifinals will be played in Lafayette. They'll take a break and come back the next weekend for the championships.

It ought to be some good basketball between now and then.

Courageous performance

Maci Andrus has more courage and fortitude than men twice her age.

Who's Maci Andrus? She is the Lafayette sophomore who missed on her penalty kick in the Division I girls soccer championship game at Independence Stadium.

Her miss gave Dominican the Division I state title.

After each side was tied at 4 apiece through the first five players, the game shifted to sudden death.

Dominican's Emma Caverly scored on her pk to make it a 6-5 lead and set up Andrus' kick. Her shot sailed over the crossbar and Dominican had its first state title since 2003.

With Lafayette players sobbing around her, Andrus fielded questions from a sports reporter. Your heart had to go out to her. But she answered questions calmly before joining the rest of her teammates for the trophy presentation. She sat a few feet behind them, grasping what had just happened.

So the next time, you see a professional athlete mouth off at the media and yell that he doesn't have to answer questions about a poor performance, remember Maci Andrus. She's more professional than any of them could hope to be.

District 1 teams do well

Northwest Louisiana boys basketball teams had a good first round of the 2007 playoffs. Especially those coming from District 1. All told, District 1 teams were a combined 14-3 in the first round. Many were not all by surprise, but to do that well is pretty good.

In Class 5A all four teams from District 1 were winners. Even Airline went on the road and won to keep coach Miles Holladay from coaching his last game. Way to go Vikes.

In Class 4A, both Minden and Bossier won with Northwood losing on the road to a very good Washington-Marion team that was the District 4 champ.

In 3A, Fair Park and BTW won easily as expected and Mansfield fell on the road at St. Louis.

2A had Springhill and North Caddo winning with Lakeside coming up short to Vidalia. Now North Caddo gets its shot at Vidalia.

1A was a perfect 4-0. Plain Dealing, Arcadia and Evangel had impressive wins and Logansport escaped in overtime.

The second round is always much tougher, so it will interesting to see who moves on from there!

Two down, two to go

The soccer season comes to a close with the final two state title games at Independence Stadium today.

It's not looking good so far for the teams - Dominican vs. Lafayette in the Division I girls final and Jesuit vs. St. Paul in the Division I boys final. The wind is fierce and the rain is cold. I'm definitely glad I'll be in the press box for this one.

Friday's action had two fantastic soccer games, probably the two best I've seen this year.

Newman beat Sacred Heart in the Division III girls final (1-0) while St. Louis beat Teurlings Catholic by the same score in the Division III boys final. It's impossible not to feel sympathetic to Sacred Heart and Teurlings Catholic.

The finals were rematches of last year's final games with the same result. Teurlings Catholic were absolutely devastated following the loss. They had a difficult time leaving the field and struggled to pick up their runner-up trophy. Many just lay on the field with their jerseys pulled up over their heads.

Local teams should heed the advice of Byrd girls coach Lisa Levermann and get out to the stadium to see the games. If they want to see what it will take to win a state championship, there's no better opportunity than now.

Ladies' Top 28 lookahead

Earlier this week, I analyzed the quarterfinals of the girls basketball state playoffs. In a bit I will analyze area teams' chances at next week's Ladies' Top 28. But once again let me analyze how I did last week.

In Class 5A, I said Southwood would win and they did. I thought Ruston would beat Mt. Carmel but I was wrong.

In Class 4A, I thought Parkway would play a good game against Glen Oaks but lose. I was right about that.

In Class 3A, I did not expect Mansfield to win on the road against fourth-ranked Marksville. I was extremely wrong about that and I'm glad. Mansfield routed Marksville and coach Kendra Cunningham, a former prep star at Pelican and college standout at Louisiana Tech, has done an outstanding job. Mansfield was woefully underranked all season in the polls.

In Class 2A, I predicted Homer would lose to Iota and the Lady Pels lost big to a team that was ranked No. 18 in the nation in USA Today's most recent rankings. There is no shame in that and it doesn't spoil a great season for Homer. I predicted Many would reach the Top 28 for the third straight year and the Lady Tigers did.

In Class 1A, I went against logic and on a whim picked Evangel to win on the road against Arcadia. I won't go on whims anymore as Arcadia used a big second-half to win easily.

Now on to the semifinals.

In Class 5A, I fully expect Southwood to beat Mt. Carmel and then win its 10th state title. I do think Southwood will be tested with a close game, though.

In Class 3A, Mansfield faces second-ranked Franklin. I picked against Mansfield last time and was wrong. I'm going to have to pick against them this time, too. Hopefully, the Lady Wolves will prove me wrong again.

In Class 2A, I expect Many to get to the finals but I don't see the Lady Tigers beating undefeated Iota again in the title game.

In Class A, Arcadia has a winnable semifinal game against Southern Lab but will likely be able to overcome top-ranked Southern Lab in the finals.

In Class B, Sabine Parish's Zwolle has as good a chance as any of the four semifinalists to win the title, but second-ranked Hornbeck is the favorite. If you want to reach a great story about Sabine Parish basketball in the New York Times, click on this link http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/sports/othersports/22zwolle.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

In Class C, four of the five ranked teams reached the semifinals, including area teams Calvin and Pleasant Hill. Calvin, which has lost only once this season, will likely win it all.

Good luck to all area teams.

Bracket buster

The LHSAA boys basketball bracket is out and it's always interesting to see who the winners and losers are.

Winner: Fair Park. Not only are the Indians the highest-ranked team on their side of the bracket, but no one ranked higher is on Fair Park's side. The three other teams in the top four are all bunched together with the winner advancing to Lafayete.

Loser: There are many. Springhill could draw the No. 2 team in Class 2A in the second round. Minden would have to go through powerful Peabody to get to the semifinals in Class 4A. But the biggest loser may be Washington-Marion.

Washington-Marion is ranked No. 4 in the Class 4A poll but could draw the No. 1 team, Helen Cox, IN THE SECOND ROUND.

Now that's a flawed playoff system.

Lady Cowboys are a dynamite team

The Southwood girls basketball team are one heck of a basketball team. The job Steve McDowell has done with the program is beyond astounding. The players come and go, but the Lady Cowboys will be there contending for a state championship annually.

After watching them dismantle Lafayette on Monday, they should be right there again contending for another one.

The Lady Cowboys move the ball better than most boys teams do. Lafayette was like a dog chasing its tail as it tried to catch up with Southwood and its ball movement.

Plus, Southwood is so balanced. If it's not someone burying a 3-pointer, then the offense's quickness creates mismatches underneath. I was amazed at how many times Southwood caught Lafayette out of position.

See you in Hammond, Lady Cowboys.

Track fans remember this name -- Montrea Hughes

You may not have heard his name before, but you'll probably be hearing Montrea Hughes' name a lot during the upcoming outdoor high school track and field season.

Hughes, a Byrd junior, finished second in the Division I 55-meter dash at the state indoor meet Saturday night, just .03 of a second behind the winner.

The track season gets in full swing at the beginning of March.

Kudos to Northwood boys basketball

Two years ago, the Northwood boys basketball team won exactly one game.
Now they're going to the playoffs for the first time since 1998 after finishing third in District 1-4A.

Northwood has never been one of the schools that come up in discussions of traditional boys basketball powers. In fact, the four seasons prior to this the Falcons won a total of three district games, and two of those came last year. Northwood won nine total last year, one more than in the last three seasons combined.

Northwood kind of flew under the radar in District 1-4A this year with Bossier's quest to win another district title, and Minden's stopping the Bearkats from doing so.

Regarldess how the Falcons do in the playoffs, it's been a season to remember.

Good start for girls teams ... tough games ahead

It was a good start for local and area high school girls basketball teams Thursday night.
Area teams in Class 5A-1A went 18-4 in the first round of the state playoffs.
Now the road to the Ladies' (should be Girls) Top 28 gets a little rougher.

In Class 5A, Southwood will be a big favorite to advance to the quarterfinals against District 2 runner-up Lafayette High.
Airline faces Ellender, the No. 2-ranked team behind Southwood. But the Lady Vikes are playing at home and I wouldn't bet against them. You know Ellender is well aware of District 1-5A's reputation and has to have a little trepidation about coming up here.
Ruston defeated No. 5 John Ehret (so much for the rankings) and has a home game against South Lafourche.
Look for Southwood and Ruston to advance. Again, I wouldn't bet against Airline but it will probably be close.

In Class 4A, Parkway survived an upset bid in the first round and now faces a tougher team in Carroll, the District 2 champ and ranked seventh in the state. The game is at Parkway, though.
Bossier also has a much tougher game. The Lady Kats must travel to eighth-ranked Peabody, the District 3 champ.
These games are tough to call. I wouldn't be surprised if Bossier and Parkway both win. But the local teams are going to have to bring their 'A' games.

In Class 3A, Mansfield has a great opportunity to advance against unranked Winnfield. Benton has a very tough game against sixth-ranked Wossman in Monroe. I look for Mansfield to advance. Benton could, too, but it will take a great effort.

In Class 2A, Homer and Loyola face uphill battles. Homer faces second-ranked Ouachita Christian, but the game is at Homer. Loyola travels to Many to face the two-time defending state champs. Many has Tarkeisha Wysiner, but the Lady Tigers have shown some vulnerability. Loyola will need to play better than it did against Lake Providence in the first round to win.

Congratulations to Evangel for knocking off Mangham, last year's state runner-up, in the first round. Mangham was ranked No. 3 in the final state girls poll. Now the Lady Eagles get No. 4 Vermilion Catholic, and the game's at Evangel.
As of this writing, Plain Dealing's second-round opponent has yet to be decided. But no matter who it is -- Oak Grove or Acadiana Prep -- it will be a very winnable game.
At least one area team will make it to the quarterfinals as Arcadia host Cedar Creek.

South La. soccer fans not happy

There has been a lot of grumbling on high school soccer message boards and forums from south Louisiana soccer fans. It floored me that there were even message boards devoted to Louisiana high school soccer teams, but to each his own I guess.

Fans and parents are miffed that they have to drive the 5 1/2 to 6 hours north for the Division I and Division III soccer finals, especially if teams from the same district/city make it here.

They may have a legitimate gripe, but the city of Shreveport and Shreveport Regional Sports Authority put in the successful bids to entice the LHSAA to come north, so they'll have to deal with it.

While the climate may be 10 degrees cooler come next weekend, Independence Stadium does have one factor - its artificial grass surface. The surface has taken a pounding in recent weeks between the Independence Bowl and the multitude of soccer games played out there.

While rain and sleet made other field unplayable, coaches rushed to book their district games at the stadium.

One question does arise: why aren't the Division II finals played here as well? Those games will be played at the site of one of the competing teams.

That also leads to another question: why not move the games to a more central site, like Lafayette? One reason - the almighty dollar. Who's the LHSAA to turn away a top bid at the expense of kids?

Best girls player in Shreveport-Bossier

With the girls playoffs kicking off tonight, there has been much talk or questions as to who is this year's MVP in Shreveport-Bossier.

This is something that is a regular season thing since not all the kids get to play in the post season. The post season just helps to separate those that get to play in it, if there is a tie breaker to be broken between said players.

Most of the top players that come to mind play on playoff teams and that is why they are top players. They elevate their teams to a little higher playing field than others.
Here are some names that come to mind. Let me know how you would vote these players and if somebody should be added.
Ahsley Jackson, Loyola
Chloe Woodington, Parkway
Brittney Dukes, Parkway
Da'Sheka Johnson, Bossier
Shaquilla Smith, Bossier
Rashima Jenkins, Airline
Rebecca Tilley, Calvary
Brittiany Houston, Southwood
Ethel Jones, Huntington
Donecia Cook, Evangel
Erin Holley, Byrd

Evangel and the LHSAA

There are more than a few people who like to throw stones at Evangel.

This time, Evangel threw one at itself.

When the school realized an error had occurred allowing some possibly ineligible middle school basketball players to play in some blowout games, the school turned in a self report to the LHSAA.

Evangel wasn't turned in. The Eagles turned themselves in.

And it wasn't a painless thing to do either. Evangel could be looking at five losses and dropping to fourth in the standings and a possible poor draw in the playoffs.

I can't speak for other situations. And some of the things in the past (see Scrib Pipkins' transfer) do look suspicious. But in this instance, Evangel did the right thing.

A look at how girls teams could fare in the playoffs

The road to the badly named Ladies (should be Girls) Top 28 is easier for some area teams than others.

Class 5A
Southwood -- The defending state champs, who could host three playoff games, would face no ranked teams until the quarterfinals, when they could play No. 6 Dutchtown.
Airline -- The Lady Vikes travel to unranked East St. John in the first round and then may have to face No. 2 Ellender in the second. The second-round game would likely be at Airline, though.

Class 4A
Parkway -- The District 1-4A champ Lady Panthers have a very tough draw. If they advance to the second round, they will face District 2-4A champ Caroll, unless Minden pulls off the upset. If Parkway reaches the quarterfinals, No. 4 ranked Glen Oaks could be waiting. The good news is all these games could be played at Parkway.
Bossier -- The Lady Bearkats also have a tough draw. If they defeat unranked Sam Houston, they will likely have to play at eighth-ranked Peabody in the second round. The survivor would then likely have to play top-ranked St. Michael in the quarterfinals, barring an upset, of course.

Class 3A
Mansfield -- The District 1-3A champ Lady Wolverines would not play a ranked team until the quarterfinals. But then they will likely have to get past fourth-ranked Marksville to reach the state tournament. The good news is there’s a possibility the Marksville game could be played in Mansfield. Mansfield, though, will definitely be a team to watch.
Benton -- The Lady Tigers are in a tough quarterfinal bracket that includes sixth-ranked Wossman and top-ranked Capitol. If Benton gets past the first round, it will likely have to travel to Monroe to face Wossman.
Booker T. Washington -- The Lady Lions have an extremely tough draw. They must travel to Lake Charles to face third-ranked St. Louis in the first round. And if they can pull off the upset, they will likely have top-ranked Capitol in the second.

Class 2A
Homer -- The luck of the draw certainly didn’t fall in the fourth-ranked Lady Pelicans’ favor. Three of teams ranked in the top four in the final poll are in Homer’s quarterfinal bracket.
If Homer reaches the second round, it will likely host second-ranked Ouachita Christian in the second round. Next up would likely be top-ranked and undefeated Iota in the quarterfinals.
Loyola -- If the Flyers are to make it to the state tournament, they will likely have to defeat two-time defending state champ Many in the second round.
Lakeside -- With No. 2-ranked Ouachita Christian in the first round, the Lady Warriors are a long shot.
Lakeview -- The Lady Gators face unranked Madison, the District 4 champ, in the first round. If they win, sixth-ranked South Beauregard could be next.

Class 1A
Plain Dealing -- The Lady Lions would not have to play a ranked team to reach the semifinals.
Ringgold -- The Lady Redskins are in Plain Dealing’s quarterfinal bracket and could very well play the Lady Lions for a trip to the Top 28.
Evangel -- The Lady Eagles got a tough draw in No. 3 Mangham. If they can pull of the upset, No. 4 Vermilion Catholic will likely be next.
Arcadia -- The Lady Hornets are in Evangel’s quarterfinal bracket along with area teams Cedar Creek and St. Mary’s. If Arcadia reaches the second round, there will be an all-area second-round matchup because the Lady Hornets will play the Cedar Creek-St. Mary’s winner.

New man at Evangel

I guess you can't really blame Ronnie Alexander for leaving the head coaching position with Evangel football. As he goes into the construction business, he has put himself in a position to finally secure himself for his later years.

For Evangel it marks a third coach in three years with John Bachman Sr. taking over.

It's probably not that big of a deal to the players since the systems will stay pretty much the same. But you do have to wonder if the instability will have an effect. This is a program that was pretty stable through the Dennis Dunn years.

Bachman inherits a talented team. Moving up to Class 2A will be a challenge with John Curtis and an improving Calvary team moving up with them.

Here's betting Evangel won't have a new coach next year.

And then there was one...

Loyola represents the last hope of an area high school soccer team in bringing home a state title. The Flyers were the favorites in their first two games, but it gets harder beginning Tuesday. They play Ben Franklin in the Division II quarterfinals Tuesday afternoon.

Franklin won it all in 2004. Loyola is the only area boys team to win one, back in 1996.

The good news for Loyola is that the game will be played at Independence Stadium, and Ben Franklin's got a 5 1/2-hour drive up from New Orleans.

Loyola probably had the easiest path to this point of any area team, though there are better teams out there. I thought Caddo Magnet and Parkway could have had good runs and had a shot at playing in the semifinals.

The Flyers cannot afford to play from behind against Ben Franklin. If Loyola falls behind by a goal, this game is likely over. I don't think Loyola has the offensive firepower to get past a disciplined defense like Ben Franklin. The Flyers must score first to prove to themselves that they can play with the powers from south La.

Bright future

There were three state champions from the area in the state wrestling meeting this weekend in Kenner.

Two were expected. Parkway's Joey Dillon and Kamron Johnston had won state titles in each of the two previous years. There was no great surprise when they won their respective state titles again on Saturday.

No, the bigger surprise was Benton sophomore Delanie Hall winning the state title at 189 in Division III.

Hall's winning wasn't a shock because he was the No. 2 seed. But as a sophomore, he appears to be set to follow Dillon and Johnston as three-time state champions.

Girls basketball playoff possibilities

Here's a look at the girls basketball playoff possibilities going into the final regular-season date Friday.

District 1-5A -- Southwood, West Monroe and Airline have clinched playoff spots. Ruston and Natchitoches Central are in a battle for the fourth automatic spot. Ruston can get the final spot by beating Airline. If Ruston loses, Natchitoches Central and Ruston will finish tied for fourth and have to play for the spot early next week. The loser could still be in line for a wild-card spot.

District 1-4A -- Parkway and Bossier have clinched the two automatic spots. Parkway can win the district championship outright with a victory over Haughton. If Parkway loses, Parkway and Bossier will be co-champs and will likely play for the top seed early next week. Minden has clinched third place and is about 99.9 percent assured of receiving one of 10 wild-card spots.

District 1-3A -- District champ Mansfield and Benton have clinched playoff spots. Fair Park and Mansfield are tied for the third spot. Fair Park, though, ends the season against Mansfield, while BTW plays at North DeSoto. If Fair Park loses, it would have a shot at one of two wild cards.

District 1-2A -- Homer and Loyola have clinched playoff spots. Lakeside and Springhill are in a battle for one of 10 wild-card berths.

District 1-1A -- Plain Dealing, Evangel and Arcadia have sewed up the three automatic spots with Haynesville and Calvary wild-card hopefuls.

Byrd girls soccer gets good support from fans

The Byrd girls lost to Dutchtown 3-1 in the second round of the soccer playoffs Wednesday afternoon, but it certainly wasn't from a lack of support.

It was good to see the dozens of students, some even carrying posters with words of encouragement, in the stands at Independence Stadium.

Student support can make a big difference in any sport. At some of the basketball games I've convered this season, it seems there has been a lack of student support. The Southwood girls got a lot of it against West Monroe last week and it definitely helped.

Soccer needs a change of season

After covering high school soccer for the last couple of years, I'm still perplexed why it's regarded as a winter sport by the LHSAA.

Anybody who was out at Independence Stadium on Friday night knows what I'm talking about. It was bitterly cold for Caddo Magnet's game. Temperatures were in the low-30s by the time the game was finishing.

Why can't soccer be played in the spring so the kids aren't freezing during a game? Are there really that many baseball and softball players that participate in soccer they can't move it to the spring?

It's dangerous to be playing in near-freezing temperatures wearing only shorts and a jersey. How about it LHSAA? Make it a little warmer for the players.

Hey batter, batter

Hard as it is to believe, we're just days away from the start of prep softball season and a couple of weeks away from prep baseball beginning.

We at The Times are looking for schedules. If you have a schedule for a prep baseball or softball team, then e-mail it to us at shreveportsports@gannett.com.


Captain Shreve won the state 4A baseball title last year and it will be interesting to see the Gators' effort to repeat.

On the softball side, we'll look to see if we have any teams break through this year.

Should be fun.

If the basketball playoffs were to begin now ...

Here is a quick look at how the playoff picture would shape up if the playoffs began now.

District 1-5A boys -- Automatic qualifiers: Huntington, West Monroe, Ruston, Southwood. Hoping for wild-card: Airline

District 1-4A boys -- Automatic qualifiers: Minden and Bossier. In contention for automatic third-place bid or wild-card: Parkway, Captain Shreve, Northwood

District 1-3A boys -- Automatic qualifers: Fair Park and BTW. In contention for automatic third-place bid or wild-card: Mansfield and Green Oaks.

District 1-2A boys -- Automatic qualifiers: Sprnhill and Lakeside. Wild-card contenders: North Caddo, Loyola, Homer

District 1-1A boys -- Automatic qualifiers: Evangel, Plain Dealing, Arcadia: Wild-card hopeful: Logansport.

District 1-5A girls -- Automatic qualifiers: Southwood, West Monroe, Airline and Ruston. Wild-card hopeful: Natchitoches Central.

District 1-4A girls -- Automatic qualifiers: Parkway and Bossier. Wild-card: Minden.

District 1-3A girls --Automatic qualifiers: Mansfield, Benton and BTW. Wild-card hopeful: Fair Park.

District 1-2A girls -- Automatic qualifiers: Homer and Loyola. Wild-card: Lakeside

District 1-1A girls -- Automatic qualifiers: Evangel and Plain Dealing. Wild-card: Arcadia.

Changes at the top

Look for a new No. 1 in the boys basketball Class 3A poll this week.

Fair Park has been No. 1 since the poll was released last month. But the Indians lost to BTW, the No. 4-ranked team, on Friday night.

The Indians and Lions have split two games in district this season.

Fair Park is certainly one of the top teams in not only the area but in 3A as well. But apparently, BTW isn't going away quietly into the night.