JOURNAL STAFF

Huntington’s and Parkway’s girls basketball teams are in a familiar position for this time of year, a part of the LHSAA state playoff final four now known as Marsh Madness in Hammond at Southeastern Louisiana’s University Center.

Huntington is the top-ranked team in the Select Division I bracket and will play No. 5 Woodlawn-Baton Rouge (24-9) at 1 p.m. today. The Lady Raiders take a 29-5 record into the semifinal matchup, the fifth straight season with 20 wins or more, all under head coach Brian Shyne.

“The mentality is simple. The challenge is not done yet. We have two more games left, so we approach it one game at a time, because each is a high-caliber opponent,” said Shyne. “We’re being very, very detailed in everything we do.”

Today’s opponent has some commonality with Huntington, he said.

“They are very aggressive. They rebound well. They are a team that really scraps, plays with a  lot of energy. They do have a couple of guards who can play,” he said. “We need to stay focused, make sure we’re playing the way defensively we’ve played all year, and make the right decisions on offense, sharing the ball, moving the ball and playing at our fast pace.”

The Lady Raiders are not backing down from their No. 1 seeding. They plan to live up to it, and while Shyne respects his team’s opponent, he is confident in his squad.

“They’re not as skilled as we are. They play intense, and they do have a couple of guards who can play, but I think we’re on another level to edge them out,” said Shyne.

The Lady Raiders are making their fourth appearance in the Marsh Madness tournament in the last five years and sixth in the school’s history. They have a 2-3 record in semifinal games and 2-5 overall mark losing to Southwood in the 1995 Class 5A state final and to LaGrange in the 2021 Class 4A final.

Huntington is led in scoring by junior Carley Hamilton’s 18.1 points per game, followed by sophomore Kyndal Graham at 16.7. Juniors Jaila Marshall (9.9 per game) and Jamari Bell (8.7) are both just under 10 a game and senior Zanayah Lefear scores at a 5.8 points per game clip. Hamilton (4.7), Marshall (4.4) and Bell (4.1) lead the team in rebounds per game.

Parkway (28-6) is the defending Non-Select Division I champion and making its third consecutive trip to Hammond and Marsh Madness, the fourth overall. The Panthers play top-ranked Walker (35-1) today at 6:15 p.m. They have won two of the three semifinal games and one of two finals.

Chloe Larry scored a season-high 33 points in a 58-49 quarterfinal win over St. Amant. It was her third 30-point game of the year. She takes a 19.9 points per game average into today’s game. Junior Dakota Howard averages 15.1 per game and Zara Baker 8.3.

Overall Parkway scores at a 59.4 per game clip and allows just 36.2.

How Huntington has fared in the final four:

1979: lost to Hammond (featuring Kim Mulkey), 60-49 (4A)
1995: d. Mt. Carmel, 64-63; lost to Southwood, 44-37 (5A)
2020 (2): lost to 6-Warren Easton, 66-63 (4A)
2021 (2): d. 3-Neville, 45-37; lost to 1-LaGrange, 49-42
2022 (5): lost to 1-Warren Easton, 59-55 (4A)

How Parkway has fared in the final four:

2008 (4): lost to 1-Ellender, 71-44 (4A)
2022 (2): d. 3-Lafayette, 55-54; lost to 4-Ponchatoula, 80-79, 2OTs(5A)
2023 (2): d. 3-Barbe, 61-28; d. 5-Ponchatoula, 80-57 (5A)