COUSHATTA – Red River boys basketball coach Dadrian Harris and the Bulldogs have a lot to live up to when it comes to playoff success at this storied program.

Harris, who took over full-time for legendary coach Keith Johnson in 2022, has continued one Red River playoff trend – winning at least one playoff game.

The No. 13 seed Bulldogs aim to add another season of winning their first-round game Friday when they host No. 20 DeQuincy (12-10) at 6 p.m.

Red River (19-14) has won its first round in each of the last seven seasons, including last year as an underdog No. 24 seed with the Bulldogs knocked off No. 9 Sterlington and nearly upset No. 8 Ville Platte in the second round.

While this Bulldogs’ squad is a little on the young side, Harris said his team plays with unselfishness, which will make them a tough out in the playoffs.

“The hallmark of this Red River team is unselfishness and relentlessness,” Harris said. “They don’t care about who scores the most points or who makes the ESPN highlight – all they care about is winning and improving daily as a team and as individuals.

“These young men are going to fight from start to finish.”

Red River has challenged itself all season – whether its district games against fellow state powers Winnfield or Lakeview or non-district foes like Richwood, Bossier, Natchitoches Central and Captain Shreve among others.

The Bulldogs split the season series with Richwood, beat Northwood and Booker T. Washington and had close losses to Airline, Natchitoches Central and Calvary just as a sample size.

“We had an opportunity to win both games against Winnfield as we went into halftime with at least 12-point leads in each game,” Harris said. “We got relaxed, and they made a run.

“We’ve been in just about every basketball scenario anyone could think of, from being up 20 on Richwood and losing by one point to being down 10 points to BTW with three minutes left and winning by one point. We’ve had (three) overtime games. Our schedule has served its purpose by getting us ready for any team in the playoffs. I believe we are prepared to make a run in the playoffs, and the guys are focused and ready for the journey.”

Up first is a DeQuincy bunch that surged late in the season to improve their playoff picture. DeQuincy won six of their last eight games to finish in a tie for second in District 5-2A.

The winner of this contest gets 5-2A champion Vinton, who as the No. 4 seed earned a first-round bye.

While Red River lacks size, the guard-oriented team relies on speed and aggressiveness to harass its opponents.

“The size of our hearts make up for the physical size,” Harris said. “I believe we’re well-rounded at every position, which makes us a tough matchup for anyone.

“As of late, we’ve just been grinding defensively. Our guys are showing up and stepping up at the right time.”

Harris was an assistant coach on two of Johnson’s eight Top 28 teams (2018 and 2020), but the Bulldogs will be trying to add a tally under Harris’ banner this time.