Matt Vines

TALLULAH – Another road game against a top-five seed?

Not a problem for Red River.

The No. 13 Bulldogs secured their spot in the Top 28 with a 61-59 win against No. 5 Madison on Friday in a quarterfinal matchup.

While Red River (22-14) is the only double-digit seed in Division III Non-Select to make the semifinals, this bracket has been one of upsets. Red River will get No. 8 seed Donaldsonville, who knocked off top-seeded French Settlement in the quarters.

The game in McNeese’s Burton Coliseum will be Tuesday at 6:15 p.m.

Red River faced small deficits throughout the fourth quarter at Madison (23-8), but the Bulldogs surged to take the lead with two minutes remaining and held on.

Warren Bowman converted a contested layup before Jayden Wells followed with a 3-pointer on the next possession to take a 1-point lead.

Wells protected that one point lead by forcing a five-second violation on Madison’s point guard with 30 seconds remaining. Jomello McDonald makes 1-of-2 free throws, and Red River defends for the final three seconds to close the victory against Madison.

“Tonight was all about heart and who wanted it more,” said Red River coach Dadrian Harris. “We traded punches throughout the game, but we kept our composure and got the last punch.”

Red River, who had beaten Madison in December by two points, looked like they were going to run away early as a Chris Gay “monster put-back dunk” sparked an early run that built an 11-point Bulldog lead.

But Madison wasn’t going away easily, retaking the lead in the second quarter and led by two points at the half.

The back-and-forth affair continued throughout the second half before Red River’s decisive run late in the fourth quarter.

Harris has lauded his team’s unselfishness throughout the playoffs, and each player understanding his role has been a cornerstone of the success.

“The unselfish play has allowed everyone to fulfill their roles wholeheartedly,” Harris said. “It also makes it hard for other teams to scout us because the points are spread out evenly.

“My guys feed the ball to the hot hand without hesitation. It can be a starter or someone off the bench – ultimately these guys just want to win.”

The top-five seeds in Division III have been eliminated, with Red River taking care of No. 4 Vinton and No. 5 Madison in the past two rounds.

Marksville, seeded No. 6, beat Winnfield and will play No. 7 Richwood in the other semifinal. No. 2 Rayville was bounced in the second round by No. 18 Vidalia, who fell to Richwood in the quarters.

Red River split a season series with Richwood.

It’s the Bulldogs ninth Top 28 trip since 1999 but first since 2020.

The former Coushatta High has three state titles (last in 1999), but the school under the Red River moniker hasn’t hung a state championship yet.

It’s no stranger to the state semifinals, making its eighth trip as Red River and first with Harris as a head coach. Harris went on Keith Johnson’s staff for visits in 2018 and 2020 and has been to the Top 28 once as a player and a total of four times as an assistant.

“There has been a lot of work behind the scenes that has gotten us where we are now,” Harris said. “The players and coaches work extremely hard every day to be better in every aspect of the game we love so much.

“So yes, to build this program back up has been a journey that I would not have wanted to travel with any other group of young men. I don’t thin many realize how hard it is to get (to the Top 28), and it’s an amazing feeling. But the job isn’t finished. We’re not satisfied with just going. I want to put my team in the best position to win the championship.”