In a battle of District 1-5A teams, Airline (11-1) will take on Captain Shreve (15-2) in the girls championship game of the ‘Doc’ Edwards Invitational Saturday at 6 p.m. at Airline.
The tournament, sponsored by Willis Knighton Health System, concludes Saturday with seven games at Airline starting at 10:30 a.m.
Huntington (11-3) faces Ruston (7-4) in the boys championship game at 7:30.
Airline defeated Cedar Creek 61-50 the girls semifinals behind 31 points from junior Addison McDowell. She made five 3-pointers and was 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
Ke’Zyriah Sykes also had a big game with 17 points. Karliyah Woodard added six.
Earlier Friday, Airline defeated Jonesboro-Hodge 54-21 in the quarterfinals.
McDowell had 15 points. Nia Williams and Sykes scored 11 each.
In the other girls semifinal, Benton dropped a hard-fought 58-55 decision to Captain Shreve. The Lady Tigers (13-6) play Cedar Creek (12-3) in the third-place game at 3.
Benton defeated Ebarb 58-50 in the quarterfinals. Bella Wiese and Taylor Brown led the Lady Tigers with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Jannah Carter and Sugar Sanchez scored nine each. Sanchez also had 10 rebounds.
In the other girls quarterfinal games, Captain Shreve defeated defending champion Arcadia 53-45 and Cedar Creek topped 2023 runner-up Hornbeck 54-38.
In the boys semifinals, defending champion Huntington defeated Airline 68-29 and Ruston held off Bossier 62-55.
Airline (4-9) and Bossier will (5-7) face off in the third-place game at 4:30.
Airline defeated Hornbeck 53-44 and Bossier downed Tupelo, Miss., 58-50 in the quarterfinals. In the other boys quarterfinal games, Huntington rolled past Northwood 68-29 and Ruston defeated Benton 53-20.
Haughton defeated Ringgold 58-53 in the White bracket consolation semifinals. The Bucs (9-7) face Minden (11-1) in the finals at 1:30. The Crimson Tide defeated Eunice 61-50.
In its semifinal game, Bossier trailed Ruston 35-26 at the half. The Bearkats cut the deficit to 48-44 after three quarters. Ahmad Hudson, Ruston’s 6-foot-6 sophomore, scored 10 of the his team’s 14 points in the fourth quarter and the Bearcats held on for the victory.
Hudson, one of the state’s top college football prospects as a tight end, finished with 33 points. Keshun Malcolm added 10.
Lajerrion Benjamin and Kerel Dean led Bossier with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Tonio Ambler-Barr chipped in 10.
The Bearkats hurt themselves at the free throw line, making only 11-of-23. Ruston was 17-of-25.
Ruston, which reached the non-select Division I semifinals last season, has won seven straight since losing its first four. The Bearcats weren’t at full strength in some of the early games because the football team reached the state championship game.
Jason Morgan led Ruston against Benton with 14 points. Hudson added 10.
The Bossier Lady Kats reached the girls consolation semifinals with a 61-50 victory over Ebarb. Orianna Edwards and Zamarion Carter led Bossier with 26 and 21 points, respectively. Shakyra Hawkins led North Webster with 20.
The Lady Kats fell to Summerfield 49-27 in the semifinals. Edwards scored 12.
Summerfield plays Homer in the consolation finals at noon.
Here is today’s schedule.
AT AIRLINE
Homer vs. Mansfield (boys Navy bracket consolation finals), 10:30 a.m.
Homer vs. Summerfield (girls consolation finals), noon
Minden vs. Haughton (boys White bracket consolation finals), 1:30 p.m.
Benton vs. Cedar Creek (girls third-place game), 3
Bossier vs. Airline (boys third-place game), 4:30
Airline vs. Captain Shreve (girls championship game), 6
Ruston vs. Huntington (boys championship game), 7:30