Matt Vines

COUSHATTA – The road to the Top 28 comes through Coushatta as No. 2 Red River (25-5) prepares to take on No. 10 Westlake (16-8) in the Division III Non-Select quarterfinals Friday.

The 6 p.m. game features two teams on a mission to advance to the Top 28, but if Westlake were going to pull off another road upset, it’ll have to do something that no team has done yet this season.

Win on Red River’s home floor in the Dawg Pound.

The Bulldogs are 12-0 this season at home, including a 74-53 win against No. 15 Rayville in the second round.

A strong second quarter allowed Red River to build a 15-point halftime lead as they pulled away from the visiting Hornets.

“We adjusted our defense, and once the adrenaline wore off, we regained our composure and found our rhythm,” said Red River coach Dadrian Harris. “Our solid defense transformed into effective offense.

“We forced Rayville shooters to take shots they weren’t comfortable with and rely on their half-court offense to beat us. The 10-day break (between the regular season and second-round playoff game) had its pros and cons, I don’t believe we played our absolute best.”

Red River used its depth of talented scorers to share the wealth as Warren Bowman led four double-digit scorers with 16 points. Malique Smith chipped in 14, Jayden Wells added 13 with Jomello McDonald scoring 12. Demarche Newton just missed double figures with nine points.

That type of offensive diversity will cause problems as defenses can’t key in on one or two top scoring options.

Westlake didn’t panic in their second-round game despite trailing No. 7 Loreauville for much of the way.
A late surge lifted the Rams to a 58-48 win, lengthening Westlake’s longest winning streak of the season to five games. Westlake handled business in the first round with a 69-41 win against No. 23 Crowley.

“I had the opportunity to travel and watch Westlake play at Loreauville,” Harris said. “They managed to secure that win in the fourth quarter.

“They are equally as athletic and resilient as that Rayville team we played, but I think we match up pretty well against them. Our strengths can be advantageous against their weaknesses.”

A win sends Red River to the Top 28 for the second straight season for the first time since then-Coushatta High played for three state titles from 1998-2000 (winning in 1999).

This winner will await the victor of No. 3 Marksville and No. 11 Avoyelles. Marksville is the reigning state champion that defeated Red River in the last five minutes of the 2024 state title game.