Four Avoyelles Parish teams still in state basketball playoffs

There are three Avoyelles Parish boys teams in the state high school basketball playoffs. The playoff bracket was released Monday.

The playoff contenders are Avoyelles Public Charter and Bunkie Magnet in Class AA and St. Joseph in Class V.

First Round games will be played Friday.

In the girls playoff tournament, St. Joseph is the only parish team still alive. The Lady Eagles play their 1st Round game in Division V against Family Christian in Baton Rouge. There are only six teams in the Division V tournament. St. Joe is seeded No. 6 and Family Christian is No. 3. Although it is the first game for both teams, it is a quarterfinal match in the tournament.

Avoyelles Public Charter was eliminated by No. 1-ranked Doyle, 77-50, Monday night.

District 4-AA champ Rapides -- who eliminated Bunkie in the 1st Round of the playoffs -- won its 2nd Round game with Independence, 77-57, and takes on Red River of Coushatta on Thursday. Rapides was seeded No. 3 in the tournament and Red River was No. 6 when the playoffs began.

St. Joseph’s Lady Eagles travel to play No. 3 Family Christian in Baton Rouge tonight in the small Division V playoffs. There are only seven teams in the Division V tournament.

In the boys playoff picture, the APCS Vikings are the No. 3 seed in the tournament and will face #30 Livingston Collegiate in the 1st Round game at 6 p.m. Friday in Valhalla in Mansura.

Bunkie, aided by its late-season upset of Charter, made it into the 32-team playoffs as the #28 seed. It will take on #5Lakeview Gators in Campti Friday.

Bunkie was expected to finish just outside the 32-team cutoff point, but its 43-41 victory over the Vikings on Feb. 5 gave it enough “power points” to get into the playoffs.

In another game of interest, Rapides High (#20) will face M.L. King Charter (#13) in Metairie.

St. Joseph will play Family Community Christian in Winnsboro on Feb. 26 in the 12-team Division V. St. Joseph is seeded 12th and FCCS is No. 5.

There are no parish teams in the Class AAA playoffs, but three District 3-AAA rivals are there. Peabody, the #2 seed, will play #31 Iowa. Jena (#20) will play Northwest (#13) and Bolton (#25) will play Carroll (8th).