By LAMAR GAFFORD

Bridging the gap between high school and college basketball can be a challenging one, but taking part in an all-star game with the state’s top players can make it easier.

The stars once again aligned inside Louisiana Christian University’s H.O. West Fieldhouse Saturday for the LHSCA/LHSBCA All-Star Game.

“It was an honor to play in it,” Oak Hill forward Alexis Dyer said. “Last year when Coach [Kaci] West was talking about it, she was like, ‘You have to be on this team one day.’ So, that was one of my personal goals.”

Dyer was part of a victorious West team that started a backcourt of the state’s two top guards and Division I signees in Lafayette Christian’s Jada Richard (LSU) and Parkway’s Chloe Larry (Tennessee Tech). With the star power clearly on their side the Western All-Stars won 90-59.

Even though Dyer was held scoreless, the Oak Hill star got the opportunity to play with her future LSU Alexandria teammates Reese Stephens and Kelly Norris, both of whom won state titles like Dyer.

“I only got to see them on the court before this game, but I got to know them a little bit and their personalities,” Dyer said. “That was really fun. Being able to play with them, you can see how we all play very similar. We have a lot in common, so that’s going to be exciting as well.”

It was also one final time to play with her head coach, Kaci West, who helped her become a 3,000-point scorer and a champion. West was coaching in her first All-Star game as an assistant to LaGrange’s LaKeem Holmes.

“That’s what made this game really special for me,” Dyer said. “For my last official high school game, to have my coach there with me. That was a really special moment overall.”

Playing behind Richard and Larry was Northwood guard Rhianna Battles, who closed her career as the fourth Rapides girls basketball player to play in four straight championship games. Battles scored six points for the West.

In the boys game, the West came out victorious with a 90-84 win over the East as Peabody coach Charles Smith (East coordinator) and retiring Northwood coach Alan Tinsley (West assistant) were on opposite sidelines for one final time in their head-to-head rivalry.

There was also a lot of Rapides Parish representation playing in the game as Pineville center Javonte Thomas played for the West and Peabody big men Jordan Mathews and Justin Burns suited for the East.

Mathews scored six points and Burns added five points with both players doing their scoring in the first half. Thomas got on the stat sheet with a few rebounds and was honored to play with the state’s best.

“This was a very fun experience,” Thomas said. “I was feeling kind of good today, so I said that I might as well try to dunk and if I miss it, then hey. But I tried to get up there.”

Also suiting for the East was St. Mary’s sharpshooter and Menard transfer Ayden Warren, who scored five points.

“It was great being around a bunch of competition like this,” Warren said. “It’s going to prepare me well for college as these guys all have offers somewhere.”

Warren, who transferred to the Tigers before his junior year, closed out his high school career helping lead them to the Division IV select quarterfinals the last two years and earning District 3-1A MVP honors as a senior.

Warren will have a big decision to make soon as he plans to commit and sign to a college in April.

Currently, East Texas Baptist and NSU appear to be in the lead for Warren’s services. Junior college Angelina College and the NAIA’s Southwestern Assemblies of God also have shown interest in Warren.

“I just want to go somewhere where I’m wanted and can play and develop the most,” Warren said. “These are all good options and I feel like I can’t go wrong anywhere I go.”

SOFTBALL

Monday, March 18

Avoyelles 17, Peabody 0
Midland at Glenmora, ccl.
Northwood-Lena 15, Rapides 0
Fairview 12, Oak Hill 0
Pickering 6, Plainview 4

Tuesday, March 19

West Ouachita at Alexandria
Pineville at Ouachita Parish
Grant at Tioga
Neville at Peabody
Glenmora at Pickering
Oakdale at Menard
Northwood-Lena at Dodson
Pitkin at Oak Hill
Rapides at Grace Christian

BASEBALL

Monday, March 18

Peabody at Southern Lab, ccl.
Glenmora 15, Plainview 1
Menard 2, Iota 1
Berchmans Academy 21, Alexandria Country Day 6

Tuesday, March 19

Vermilion Catholic at Alexandria
Block at Peabody
Tioga at Franklin Parish
Buckeye at Jena
Avoyelles at Menard
Oakdale at Glenmora
St. Mary’s vs. Northwood-Lena, DH
Pitkin at Oak Hill
Rapides at Avoyelles Charter
Alexandria Country Day at Harrisonburg
Plainview at Florien

BATON ROUGE — March 14, 1981, Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas, NCAA Midwest Regionals first and second round.

An afternoon session featuring LSU (starting its trek to the Final Four) vs. Lamar, followed by defending national champion Louisville vs. Arkansas.

As a 24-year-old Shreveport Times sportswriter, it was my first live taste of March Madness.

It was love at first buzzer beater.

The top-seeded Tigers hammered Lamar by 22 points. They figured to play defending national champ Louisville the next week in the Sweet 16 after the Cards disposed of Arkansas until. . .

Louisville’s Derek Smith hits a jumper with 5 seconds left for a one-point lead. Arkansas coach Eddie Sutton immediately calls a timeout and tells his team to inbound the ball to senior guard U.S. Reed.

Hogs have one last chance for a miracle win. Guard Darrell Walker inbounds the ball to Reed at Louisville’s foul line in a gap in the Cards’ soft full-court zone press.

He zigs and zags and finally pulls up at a spot where I’m on press row at a perfect angle behind him as he launches a 49-foot shot.

The majestic arc and the dead-center aim caused me to say out loud to no one in particular, “That’s going in, that’s going in, that’s GOING. . .INNNNNN!’

A swish so perfect for a 74-73 win as the buzzer sounds that Arkansas center Scott Hastings, standing under the basket, collapses in disbelief.

Reed immediately turns to the courtside media, begins slapping hands with us and says, “Can you believe that (expletive deleted) went in? Can you believe it?”

The next year in 1982, I was at courtside in the Superdome for the NCAA championship game. A North Carolina freshman named Michael Jordan calmly drained a 16-foot jumper with 17 seconds left to give the Tar Heels a 63-62 win over Georgetown for the national title.

Three years later in Rupp Arena in the 1985 finals, I sat just behind the Villanova bench when the Wildcats hit 22 of 29 field goals including 9 of 10 in the second half for a stunning 66-64 win over heavily favored Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown.

In 1986 when No. 11 seed LSU made a magical run to the Final Four in Dallas, I tore my right Achilles playing pickup basketball at downtown Dallas health club six hours before the Tigers met Louisville in a semifinal.

Got back to my hotel room, put on three pairs of tube socks, filled up a trash can from under the desk with ice and water and stuck my foot in it until it was numb.

Covered LSU’s loss and stayed through Monday to write the championship game. Flew home on Tuesday. Surgery on Friday.

That’s HOW MUCH I love March Madness.

The 1990s produced a string of magical NCAA tourney and Final Four assignments for me.

There were Arkansas Final Four runs in 1994 (won the title over Duke on former Ruston High star Scotty Thurman’s rainbow 3-pointer) and 1995 (lost to UCLA and the O’Bannon brothers in the title game) on a day when actor Jack Nicholson rubbed elbows with me in the media refreshment area.

A pleasant stunner was Mississippi State catching fire and advancing to the 1996 Final Four, keyed by high-flying, deep-shooting Nashville native Don’tae Jones.

Jones produced one of my favorite Final Four quotes ever when I asked him after State lost to Syracuse in the semifinals if he was returning to MSU for another season or leaving early to enter the NBA Draft.

“I don’t like carryin’ all those books and stuff,” the truthful ’Tae said about attending classes, “so I’m probably goin’ to the NBA.”

As the years have passed, the beauty of the NCAA tournament isn’t the Final Four The brand-name teams usually advance to the last weekend of play.

March Madness doesn’t get any crazier than the first weekend of games because of the out-of-nowhere Cinderellas providing bracket-busting upsets.

This brings me to two of the best stories in the 2024 NCAA tourney field – McNeese State and Grambling – the only Louisiana men’s teams still dancing.

Southland Conference regular season and tournament champ McNeese (30-3), the No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region, plays No. 5 Gonzaga on Thursday at 6:25 p.m. CT in Salt Lake City,

Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champ Grambling (20-14), a No. 16 seed, faces No. 16 seed Montana State in a First Four game Wednesday at 5:40 p.m. in Dayton, Ohio.

Will Wade and Donte Jackson were hired just months apart as head coaches by Louisiana-based programs. Wade became LSU’s coach in March 2017 and Jackson took over Grambling three months later in June.

Wade took his first LSU team to the NIT in 2018 and by year two the Tigers won the 2019 SEC regular season championship and advanced to the Sweet 16.

But by then, Wade’s off-the-court trouble of alleged NCAA recruiting violations started. Popular among the LSU fan base, he hung on for four more seasons and finished with 105 wins and three NCAA tourney appearances. He was fired in March 2022 when the school finally received the NCAA’s list of charged violations a day after the Tigers lost in the SEC tourney championship game.

Jackson’s first season at Grambling in 2018 produced the Tigers’ first SWAC regular season championship since 1989. However, due to low APR scores, Grambling was ineligible for the conference tourney and postseason play.

After barely breaking over .500 in the next three seasons and a 12-20 nosedive in 2022, GSU and Jackson seemed primed for the school’s first NCAA tourney bid a year ago. The Tigers were the 2023 SWAC regular season co-champs and won 22 games including wins over Colorado and Grambling.

But in the SWAC tourney finals with the winner receiving an automatic bid (and the loser usually getting nothing), Grambling lost 61-58 to No. 8 seed Texas Southern (a team GSU had already beaten twice by double digits).

Ironically, it was a TSU team coached by former LSU star Johnny Jones, who was fired in 2017 after five seasons as LSU’s head coach and replaced by. . .Will Wade.

On Sunday, the 41-year-old Wade in his first year as McNeese’s head coach and the 45-year-old Jackson in his seventh year guiding Grambling, culminated seasons of redemption when their teams officially received NCAA tourney invites.

“They needed me and I needed them and that’s why it’s worked,” Wade said of his hiring and successful McNeese maiden voyage. “I guess I got better perspective when I got knocked off the ladder (when he was fired by LSU).”

Jackson’s journey has been about staying the course, being consistent and never losing faith.

“This is three regular season titles and one tournament title in seven years. . .I think we’re a basketball school,” Jackson said after Grambling beat Texas Southern last Saturday in the SWAC tourney finals.

Go get ’em Cowboys and Tigers.

And don’t think you don’t belong. No matter the size of your school, you earned it.

Revel in the moment.

And then shock the world, just as No. 14 seed Northwestern State did in its 2006 stunner, roaring back from a 17-point deficit with 8½ minutes left for a 64-63 first-round win (on Jermaine Wallace’s buzzer-beating 3) over third-seeded Big Ten tourney champ Iowa, AP’s No. 15-ranked team.

All it takes is a full 40 minutes of supreme effort and one last kill shot to chop down Paul Bunyan.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

March 17

Gary Lee Jr., 32, Alexandria — murder 2nd degree, $1,000,000 bail.

This date: 15 total arrests, five of which had at least one contempt count.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

March 17

Deveron Balthazar, 36, Alexandria — possession, probation violation, parole violation, $2,500 bail;

Christopher Molette, 33, Pineville — possession with intent, possession, CDS in presence or person under 17, paraphernalia, $3,500 bail.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

March 14

Aaron Johnson, 33, Alexandria — firearm in presence of drugs, possession with intent 2 counts, felony flight, paraphernalia, unauthorized entry inhabited dwelling, $210,000 bail.

March 16

Tevin Coleman, 33, Alexandria — illegal possession of stolen firearm, aggravated assault with firearm 3 counts, resisting, criminal trespass, $1,000 bail. 

By JIM BUTLER

The inaugural Hall of Fame induction evening by the Bolton High School Alumni Association left the sell-out audience looking forward to the next.

Eight of the thousands of graduates over the school’s almost 100 years were the initial inductees, chosen by a committee chaired by Gail Clayton from among those nominated.

Welcomed by association board president Jennifer Wright, the several hundred in attendance at the Holiday Inn

Downtown buzzed with the vibrancy of a Bears reunion spanning about 70 years.

The inductees are for the most part from the Vance Avenue school’s middle years:

James A. “Jay” Bolen, class of 1957; Edwin J. “Ed” Caplan, 1949; Catherine D. “Kitty” Kimball, 1963; Nancy L. Monroe, teacher, 1977-2018; Warren R. Morris, 1992; Thomas O. “Tommy” Ryder, 1962; the late John W. “Jock” Scott II, 1965; and Charles S. “Charlie” Weems III, 1961. 

Introduced by 1998 graduates Drs. Jim Hebert and Jaya McSharma, the inductees had a common theme among their varied remarks – the foundation that their Bolton years gave them for their subsequent pursuits and success.

According to the evening’s program, nominations for the next induction open today and will close on October 1.

Information and forms are at BoltonAlumni.org/WinFame.

By JIM BUTLER

The re-constituted Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority moves to its next chapter this week.

Its first monthly meeting agenda since February’s upheaval includes election of a president and what to do next, if anything, regarding an attorney general’s opinion on a matter that sparked disagreement with city officials a year ago.

The Authority has committee meetings beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Hotel Bentley, followed by the March regular monthly meeting.

Not on the posted agenda but central to the February flap, is the  board’s decision to remove “acting” from the new executive director’s title rather than adhering to a 90-day search plan, a decision that clearly miffed some though she has worked at GAEDA for years.

Discussion of that may be included in meeting minutes once they are formalized and posted though such detail is more commonly omitted. Minutes postings generally are not made for at least 30 days by most agencies.

The executive committee discussed the succession plan (adopted several years ago) at an 8 a.m. February 16 session and evidently heard also from the executive director-designate. “Acting” had been used on a committee agenda three days earlier.

At 9 a.m. on the 16^th, the operating and human resources committee held an executive session, then voted to recommend board approval of a compensation and contract package for the executive director.

The post became open in January when longtime chief Clifford Moller was unable to return following medical issues.

On February 20 the board passed the employment resolution, the same day its chairman was removed by City Council action.

Two days later another member was replaced. Members serve at the pleasure of council members who have one appointment each, a change made a year ago.

That was about the same time GAEDA moved to enter an intergovernmental agreement with the England Authority to assist with location of the Ucore rare earth plant at the Airpark.

The city’s Economic Development office objected vociferously, believing GAEDA could not spend for enterprises outside the city, in this case $360,000 grant to offset half of lease payments by Ucore for two years.

The Attorney General’s Office agreed in a March 6 opinion, noting that while there are common and overlapping purposes between the two it doesn’t think GAEDA has the authority.

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE – When it came to March Madness post-season basketball tournament bids being announced Sunday, it was a matter of “where” for the LSU women and “if” for the LSU men.

Women’s third-year head coach Kim Mulkey’s No. 8 ranked Tigers, sporting a 28-5 overall record (13-3 SEC), received a No. 3 seed in the Albany 2 Regional. They’ll host first and second-round games in the PMAC, starting with a first-round Friday 3 p.m. matchup vs. No. 14 seed Rice (19-14).

Men’s second-year head coach Matt McMahon’s team, which rallied in the last 3½ weeks of the regular season to finish 17-15 and 9-9 in the SEC, was selected to the 32-team National Invitation Tournament field. They’ll host North Texas (18-14) on Tuesday night at 6.

The NCAA women’s tourney selection committee did defending national champion LSU no favors with its seeding and regional assignment.

Not only did the Tigers not receive a No. 2 seed as expected, but they were placed in the same regional as six other Associated Press top 25 teams – No. 1 Albany 2 regional seed Iowa, (which lost to LSU in last season’s national championship game, No. 2 seed UCLA (25-6), No. 4 seed Kansas State, No. 5 seed Colorado (which beat LSU in the season-opener in November in Las Vegas) No. 6 seed Louisville, No. 7 seed Creighton and No. 10 seed UNLV.

“I don’t care about the seeding,” Mulkey said Sunday night. “You just want to get a first and second-round game at home.”

In Mulkey’s 24 seasons as a head coach (21 at Baylor, 3 at LSU), this will be her 22nd NCAA tournament appearance. She ranks first all-time in Final Four winning percentage (88.9, 8-1), fourth in NCAA tourney winning percentage (77.9, 60-17) and fourth in tourney wins (60).

The biggest question for Mulkey’s depth-starved team after its SEC tourney finals loss eight days ago to No. 1 South Carolina was its health.

SEC Player of the Year Angel Reese hobbled through the finals on a sprained ankle. Starting point guard Last-Tear Poa missed the championship game after sustaining a concussion in the Tigers’ semi-final win over Ole Miss. Starting shooting guard Mikaylah Williams, the Bossier City native and Parkway High grad, missed three games with a sore foot, then played sluggishly in the finals when her services were finally needed.

When LSU returned to practice on Thursday, Reese and Williams, the SEC Freshman of the Year, were ready to roll.

“Angel’s ankle is getting to 100 percent,” Mulkey said. “Mikaylah is great, she’s been practicing full speed.”

Poa, though, apparently has yet to clear concussion protocol.

“She’s better every day,” Mulkey said of Poa. “She told me she got on the treadmill today. We’re going to try and do some individual workouts. That’s a great sign.”

Mulkey is hoping the grit her ailing team showed in the SEC tourney carries over this week.

“It’s that time of year when you want to be playing your best basketball,” Mulkey said. “I really thought in the SEC Tournament we showed toughness and talent and a will to win.”

Rice earned its fourth NCAA tourney appearance in program history after winning the tournaent championship of the American Athletic Conference in their debut season.

The Owls entered the AAC tournament as a No. 10 seed and won four games in four days over No. 7 seed UAB (71-56), No. 2 seed North Texas (61-59), No. 3 seed Temple (60-57) and No. 9 seed East Carolina (61-41).

If the Tigers beat Rice, they’ll play Sunday or Monday against the winner of the other Baton Rouge first-round game between No. 6 seed Louisville vs. No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee State.

Tickets go on sale today at 9 a.m. on LSUtix.net. Season ticket holders are reminded that, since this is officially an NCAA event, they may not have the same seats they sat in throughout the regular season. All tickets will be sent via mobile delivery.

The Tigers men’s NIT matchup vs. North Texas will be a rematch of a game won 66-62 by LSU in November in the Charleston Classic.

“We are excited about the opportunity to continue our season in the NIT this week,” McMahon said. “Our players and coaches look forward to playing in front of our fans in the PMAC on Tuesday. We have great respect for North Texas.

Even though McMahon’s team won its last 5 of 7 regular season games starting with consecutive one-point wins at then-No. 11 South Carolina (64-63) and home vs. then-No. 17 Kentucky (75-74), LSU was thought to be barely on the NIT bubble heading into SEC Tournament.

Beginning this season, the NIT selection committee awards two automatic bids and a home game to the next two highest-ranked teams in the NET ratings from each of the Power 6 conferences after the NCAA tourney fills its field.

When LSU collapsed in the second half of last Thursday’s SEC tourney second-round 70-60 loss to Mississippi State, the Tigers’ post-season invite hopes were placed on life support.

Yet they were resuscitated quickly, thanks to a series of events involving fellow SEC members Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M, all ranked ahead of LSU in the NET and still battling for an NCAA bid.

After losing to A&M in Thursday’s SEC tourney second round, Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said his team wouldn’t accept a bid from the NIT.

Then, Mississippi State and A&M advanced to Saturday’s semifinals with Friday quarterfinals upsets of league champion Tennessee and No. 2 seed Kentucky respectively.

According to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, those wins vaulted the Bulldogs and Aggies solidly into the 68-team NCAA tourney field.

And just like that, the chances of the Tigers extending their season improved experientially. They were confirmed when eight SEC teams (including Mississippi State and Texas A&M) received NCAA tourney bids on Sunday.

“We invite all of our LSU fans, students, former players, and community to join us on Tuesday night in creating a home-court advantage in Baton Rouge,” McMahon said.

Tickets for the game will all be general admission at $20 a ticket for adults and $10 a ticket for youth and are available beginning Monday at 9 a.m. in person at the LSU Athletics Ticket Office and online at LSUTix.net.

The first 1,500 LSU students will be admitted free to the game. There will be no reserved parking for the game. Parking will be available in the various lots around the Maravich Center.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

OLATHE, Kansas – The end to the LSUA men’s basketball season was not fitting.

The Generals swept to the Red River Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships, and rode a seven-game win streak into their first-round NAIA Tournament contest against a Bethel (Indiana) team that had lost four of its last five.

But Bethel played to form, and LSUA did not. The Pilots ended LSUA’s season with an 85-67 triumph Friday evening.

The sixth-seeded Generals, finishing 24-7, were averaging 85 points per game, just like their 11^th-seeded opponent. But Bethel (20-11) pushed away by outscoring LSUA by 13 after halftime.

LSUA shot poorly, 32 percent overall and just 22 percent (6-27) on 3-pointers. The Generals faded in the second half when they connected on just 26 percent overall. Foul trouble also was a problem.

RRAC MVP Kashie Natt had his typical productive outing with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals while hitting half of his 14 shots. JD Allen added 15 points and 9 rebounds while Isaiah Howard scored 11 and Jason Perry II posted 8.

But Natt, Howard and Perry all finished with four fouls and had their minutes limited by foul trouble.

Bethel opened a 13-point lead near the middle of the second half, but LSUA ran off eight unanswered points, the first six from Natt, to close within 58-53 with 9:51 to go. Bethel recovered and outscored the losers 12-5 in the next four minutes to regain control.

Bethel (20-11) was eliminated in the regional final.

By BRET H. MCCORMICK

Buckeye senior pitcher and Southeastern Louisiana softball signee Olivia Henry is putting together a strong season as she looks to guide the Lady Panthers to a third straight state championship. 

Henry tossed her third no-hitter of the season, striking out 13 batters and walking just one, in a 7-0 victory over Marksville last Wednesday as Buckeye clinched an undefeated District 2-3A championship. 

Following a 4-0 loss to Calvary Baptist on Saturday, in which she gave up just four hits and struck out 10, Henry has a 10-4 record with one save and an ERA of 1.10 with 124 strikeouts in 82 ⅔ innings pitched. 

Henry is also having a standout season at the plate with a .500 batting average, seven doubles, two triples and 16 RBIs. Fellow senior pitcher and right fielder Adysen Mitchell, who has a nine-game hitting streak, is batting .431 with 11 doubles, two triples, one home run and a team-high 26 RBIs. Freshman shortstop Rosalee Richey leads the Lady Panthers with three homers. 

Buckeye (13-6) has seven games remaining in the regular season, including a game at Menard on March 25 and a showdown at home against Tioga on April 1, as the Lady Panthers look to hold onto the top power rating and seed in the Division II Select playoffs. 

PINEVILLE’S OATES DISPLAYS POWER:  The Pineville baseball program is in the midst of a major rebuild after advancing to the state semifinals last year, but one player who hasn’t slowed down is junior catcher Wes Oates. 

After batting .275 with three home runs and 23 RBIs last season, the left-handed hitting catcher has seen his production increase greatly this season. 

Although the Rebels have lost 14 of their first 15 games, Oates has increased his batting average by almost 100 points to .367 while hitting five home runs and driving in 18 runs. Oates has two multi-homer games, against Kinder on Feb. 19 and against Winnfield last Wednesday. 

With Pineville trailing 9-7 and the bases loaded with two outs in the sixth inning, Winnfield intentionally walked Oates to bring home a run and put the tying run at third base after Oates hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a three-run homer in the third. The Rebels were unable to bring in the tying run and left the runners stranded in a 9-8 loss. 

Oates finished the game 2-for-2 with two homers, six RBIs and two walks. Nine of Oates’ 18 hits on the season have gone for extra bases. 

ASH’S LINDSEY OUTRACES BUNKIE’S JOHNSON: Alexandria Senior High running back JT Lindsey and Bunkie receiver/cornerback Kyle Johnson, the top two football prospects in Central Louisiana’s Class of 2025 and perhaps the two fastest players in the area, faced off against each other at ASH’s Trojan Relays on Thursday. 

Lindsey pulled away down the backstretch to finish first in the 200 meters in 22.44 seconds, while Johnson, who led coming out of the turn, finished second in 22.70 seconds. 

Lindsey ran a leg on all three of ASH’s sprint relays, while Johnson finished third in the 100 meters and anchored Bunkie’s 400- and 800-meter relay teams, so the 200 meters was the only race the two sprinters squared off head to head. 

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Lindsey is rated as a four-star football prospect by the recruiting website On3.com, which ranks him as the No. 5 player in Louisiana, No. 11 running back nationally and No. 143 overall prospect in the country. 

Lindsey currently claims 14 scholarship offers, including Power-4 programs Cal, Houston, Mississippi State, Pitt and Vanderbilt. He recently visited LSU for its Junior Day and has official visits planned for Pitt and Houston in June. 

The 5-11, 160-pound Johnson is rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com and also claims 14 scholarship offers, including Power-4 programs Baylor, Houston, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. Johnson also recently visited LSU for its Junior Day. 

ASH SWEEPS TROJAN RELAYS: ASH claimed both team titles at the Trojan Relays with the Lady Trojans scoring 234 points, more than three times as many as runner-up Menard (69 points). The Trojans were in a much closer battle, compiling 188.5 points to defeat runner-up Tioga by 16.5 points.  

The meet saw nine victories classified as “elite performances” by the U.S. MileSplit standard. 

Menard junior A’Shyria Burns turned in four first-place finishes and three elite performances. Burns won the girls 100 (12.20), 100 hurdles (14.58), triple jump (38-0) and long jump (17-5.5). Her teammate, junior Cami Harrison, won the pole vault by clearing a height of 10-6. 

Bunkie junior Kaylen Rabalais won the girls javelin with a throw of 133-10, and ASH’s 400-meter relay team finished first in 47.80. 

ASH’s boys 400 and 800 relay teams turned in elite performances with times of 42.12 and 1:28.95, while ASH junior Marquis Butler won the triple jump with a leap of 45-2. 

ASH senior Hunter Rivet broke his own school record in the discus with a throw of 169-8, while Bunkie senior Huxley Pias set a personal record with a javelin throw of 181-4.

The top four finishers in the boys 100 meters were separated by just three-hundredths of a second. ASH senior Jaylin Johnson (11.33) edged out his younger brother, junior Jordyn Johnson (11.34), and Grant junior TJ Young (11.36) in a photo finish in the first heat, while Bunkie’s Johnson (11.35) won the third heat but finished third overall. 

By JOHN MARCASE

Mike Byrnes wasn’t looking for a job. He had a pretty good one as director of Sports Medicine at Mid-State Orthopedics in Alexandria. 

But Louisiana College needed a baseball coach. More importantly, its baseball program needed direction. The years following Billy Allgood’s retirement were difficult, and then-LC athletics director Shelia Johnson turned to Byrnes, an LC alum and former player under Allgood.

“I told Shelia Johnson I’d give her two years to help straighten out the program,” said Byrnes. “God works in strange ways.”

As is always the case, God’s plans are better than our plans. 

Saturday, Byrnes won his 500th game as head baseball coach at Louisiana College, now known as Louisiana Christian University, with a 19-1 win over Texas College as the Wildcats improved to 20-5 overall and 17-3 in Red River Athletic Conference play. 

His 500 collegiate baseball victories are the most among active coaches in Louisiana.

In May, he will start his 25th year at the school.

“It’s been a privilege working with so many great young men,” said Byrnes. “That’s been a highlight – all the young men who have played here. And all my assistant coaches have been ex-players.”

One of his former assistants was his son, Matt Joe Byrnes, whom he coached from 2002-2006. Matt Joe was a three-time all-conference play who left LC with three school records — most stolen bases in a season and career and most times hit by a pitch. He is a member of the LCU sports hall of fame and is now director of secondary education for Rapides Parish Schools.  

“That has been one of the highlights in my coaching career, getting to coach him,” said Byrnes. 

Byrnes was a successful high school coach, winning state championships in baseball (2) and powerlifting at Tioga, and district titles as the Indians’ football coach before he left coaching for what he thought was for good. 

During his 24 years with the Wildcats, he has led efforts to revamp Billy Allgood Field into one of the better facilities in NAIA. He has seen the Wildcats go from the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association to NCAA Division III status and finally back to the NAIA.

The move to the NAIA has allowed Byrnes to build an even stronger program by offering athletic scholarships. The Wildcats have averaged 31 wins over the past four complete seasons, including 36 a season ago.

“You win championships with pitching,” said Byrnes. “Now, we are able to recruit a wider array of pitchers than ever before. This is as nice a group of pitchers as we’ve ever had.”

More than 40 of his former players at LCU have gone into coaching, including first-year Northwestern State baseball coach Chris Bertrand, whose Demons will host LCU March 26.

Before that, Byrnes’ next milestone awaits.

“I’m ready to go and get 501,” he said.  

The Wildcats have a pair of JV games Monday and Tuesday before returning to conference play Friday at Our Lady of the Lake. LCU is one game out of first place behind LSU Shreveport, and will host the third-ranked Pilots April 5-6.

“I’m gonna try to continue to ride this good horse as long as the good Lord is willing,” said Byrnes. 

TODAY’S GAMES

Peabody at Avoyelles
Midland at Glenmora
Pickering at Plainview
Rapides at Northwood-Lena
Oak Hill at Fairview
Georgetown at Grace Christian

Softball standings

Today’s games

Peabody at Southern Lab
Glenmora at Plainview
Iota at Menard
Alexandria Country Day at Berchmans Academy

Standings

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

March 14

Ellen Pfeffer, 33, Douglasville, PA — aggravated assault, $500 bail;

Erica Terrell, 25, Boyce — aggravated assault 6 counts, aggravated criminal damage, reckless operation — $2,100 bail;

William Tyson Jr., 46, Woodworth — aggravated battery of ER, EMS or healthcare professional, assault, resisting, domestic abuse battery, cruelty to the infirm, $16,500 bail;

This date: 18 total arrests, including 11 with one or more contempt charges.

March 15

Fredrick Bray, 44, Pineville — 1st degree rape, aggravated resisting arrest with force or violence, $26,500 bail;

Truvonne Dwellingham, 31, Alexandria — flight, suspension/revocation, expired plate/registration, contempt, $3,700;

Bradley Stewart, 32, Pineville — aggravated battery 2nd degree, no bail set. 

This date: 14 total arrests, including 8 with one or more contempt charges.

March 16

Alvin Chenevert, 30, Alexandria — aggravated domestic abuse battery with child present, no bail set;

Jason Daigrepont, 58, Pollock — criminal trespass, theft, contempt 3counts, $5,000 bail. 

This date: 17 total arrests, including 6 with one or more contempt charges. 

March 14

Craig Brown, 27, Alexandria — possession with intent, no driver’s license, improper lane use, $500,100 bail.

March 15

Shini Jones, 33, Alexandria — possession, suspension/revocation, multi-beam lighting improper, $1,200 bail;

Dwight Pole, 67, Boyce — possession, paraphernalia, obstruction tampering with evidence, intentional littering, $3,500 bail;

Jerry Sheppard, 33, Colfax — possession, unauthorized entry inhabited dwelling, contempt, $6,000 bail;

Sedrick Wells, 29, Alexandria — possession, illegal possession stolen things, contempt 2 counts, $6,500 bail.

March 16

Trinity Jefferson, 50, Alexandria — possession, parole violations, fugitive, $2,500 bail; 

Latasha Williams, 48, Alexandria — possession, $2,500. 

By JIM BUTLER

The new fee schedule at Pineville’s new animal control facility is in effect.

The City Council adopted the revised rates presence in October with a March 1 implementation date.

The shelter moved into its new quarters on the Monroe highway at the Buhlow Lake “y” in January. Many know the site as the long-time location of the Dr. Johnny Jones veterinary clinic.

The fee for adopting dogs or cats previously spayed/neutered is $10.

Otherwise fees are:

Female dogs $116; male dogs $108;

Female cats. $103; male cats $93.

According to the schedule, microchips are implanted with adoption at no charge to the new owner.

As a service to other dog and cat owners the fee is $15.

Owner recovery fees for animals picked up in the street by an animal control officer are:

1st time – $10, plus $6 each day housed; 2nd time – $25, plus $6 daily fee; 3rd time – forget it, animal confiscated and effort begins to find it a new home.

The facility, at capacity as the seasons change, held an adoption day Saturday and will schedule another soon.

More information: 318-449-5674.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

March 13

Reagan Boone, 64, Pineville — firearm possession by convicted felon, $50,000 bail.