Just how much progress has Episcopal made since entering the Division III select playoffs on a three-game losing streak?
Consider the ground the 13th-seeded Knights covered last week with consecutive road upsets to return to LHSAA Boys State Basketball tournament.
No. 13 Episcopal followed up a 63-59 victory over No. 4 Calvary Baptist with a 76-61 triumph against No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas last Friday — the same team that defeated the Knights 86-63 on Feb. 15.
“We are playing our best basketball and a lot of it is these guys’ focus and commitment to each other,” Episcopal coach Ben Young said. “We have seven seniors and they’re not wanting the season to end. It took a little longer, but we’re peaking at the right time.”
Episcopal (22-15) faces its biggest test yet in a 2:45 p.m. semifinal Tuesday against two-time defending champion and top-seeded Newman (18-3) at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.
“Maybe the best team in the state, regardless of the classification,” Young said of Newman, the state’s ninth-ranked team according to MaxPreps.com. “You can’t get too caught up in the opponent and continue to do the things you do well.
“In my opinion, you’re not going to win a game by scrapping everything we’ve done all year and try to do something totally different or not be aggressive.”
Newman features a formidable front line in 6-foot-10 junior center Christopher Cenac (13.8 points, 12 rebounds), 6-8 senior forward Todd Jones (13 points, 11 rebounds) and 6-7 junior forward Chris Birden (7.5 points).
Three of the Episcopal’s seven seniors are the team’s offensive leaders with guard Parks McMains, TJ Callahan and 6-5 forward Lance Cook. McMains, who averages 15 a game, is averaging 21 points over his last two games with 13 3-pointers, while Callahan averages 15 and Cook adds 10 points and 8 rebounds.
“The belief and confidence is at an all-time high,” Young said. “The guys have been locked in just like we’ve been the last couple of games. I think we have a solid game plan, and the guys are confident in it.”
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