The Bossier Bearkats face the Breaux Bridge Tigers for the Class 4A boys basketball state championship Friday night at McNeese State’s Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.
Tip off is scheduled for 8 o’clock.
The top-seeded Bearkats (32-3) bring a 20-game winning streak into the game. Breaux Bridge, the No. 3 seed, is 32-5.
Bossier is looking for its fourth state title overall and third since 2011. Breaux Bridge lost to Warren Easton 44-43 in the second round last year. The Tigers are playing in their first Class 4A title game.
Bossier has cruised through the playoffs, winning its four games by an average of 39.25 points. The Bearkats have defeated No. 32 New Orleans Military & Maritime Academy 90-29, No. 16 Morgan City 69-43, No. 9 Franklin Parish 72-30 and No. 5 Carencro 67-39.
Breaux Bridge has had only one close game in the playoffs. The Tigers edged No. 6 Westgate 67-63 in the quarterfinals. Breaux Bridge defeated No. 30 Lutcher 64-41 in the first round, No. 14 Assumption 62-44 in the second and No. 2 Leesville 56-33 in the semifinals.
The semifinal game was close at the half with Breaux Bridge on top 18-16, but the Tigers dominated the second.
“They’re athletic,” Bossier second-year head coach Nick Bohanan said. “They play a couple of bigs. (Breaux Bridge head coach Chad Pourciau II) plays about six or seven. So we’re going to do what we’ve been doing.”
What the Bearkats have been doing is dominate with their pressure defense, making steals and forcing turnovers and turning those into easy baskets.
Seth Alexander, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, led Breaux Bridge in scoring (14 ppg) and assists (five) during the regular season.
Deandre Hypolite, a 6-3 senior forward, averaged 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Trevonte Sylvester, a 6-6 junior, averaged 10 points and six rebounds.
Hypolite had 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists against Leesville. Alexander had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Breaux Bridge won District 5-4A with an 8-2 mark, losing to Opelousas 37-33 and Beau Chene 63-38. The Tigers also beat those teams.
Breaux Bridge’s other losses were to Acadiana 50-47, Westgate 61-52 and Port Allen 52-51. Port Allen is in the Class 2A championship game.
Bossier hasn’t lost since falling to Madison Prep 69-59 in the Madison Prep tournament on Dec. 29. The Bearkats’ other losses were to Scotlandville 68-66 and Peabody 72-67.
Scotlandville, Peabody and Madison Prep all made it to Lake Charles for the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Boys’ Basketball state tournament.
Friday’s game will be the last for eight Bossier seniors — guard Jacoby Decker, forward Xavien Beasley, forward Brenden Mosely, forward Janyron Rogers, guard Kaalas Roots, center Deandre Thomas, guard Tyron McCoy and guard Michael Green.
Decker, who played a big role in the Bearkats’ 2016 run to the state title as a freshman, led the team in scoring in the regular season at 17.9 points per game.
Roots averaged 12.1 points, Beasley 11.8 and junior guard Cody Deen 10.1. Beasley led the team in rebounding at 6.9.
