Four of LA’s strongest teams represent Central Louisiana on Saturday
by Marshall Loeffler
(photos courtesy of FastBreak ENT)
ALEXANDRIA – The Charles Smith Classic will take place tomorrow at Peabody Magnet High School, featuring eight of the state’s best teams competing in The Emerald Palace, the top-notch gym that Coach Smith has built into one of the state’s best hoops venues. Four of those teams, from right here in CENLA, have also been building, and have racked up plenty of wins and high rankings in the non-district season. The third game of the day features Marksville High School, with both current players and coaches having state championship resumes.
The Marksville Tigers have been in the state championship game for two years straight, and added “Team Benjamin” for this season, with Head Coach O’kie and combo guard Armonii joining the purple and gold. MHS is 18-3, with the #2 ranking in Division III Non-Select. The Tigers are certainly on a mission to get back to the finals.
“The season has been good so far as we grow into one unit. Madison Prep also has a championship history”, said Coach Benjamin. “Coach Jeff is close to my family and many of our players from the AAU circuit. I have great respect for his program, and it should be a great matchup.”
Madison Prep is #1 in DIII Non-Select, with a 20-4 regular season record thus far.
While Armonii Benjamin, a top 5 rated guard in LA, has been the leading scorer often, all of Marksville’s starters can provide offense. Devin “Bam” Lavalais has been running this offense for several years now, and Dayne Small, Jaden Price, and Devoughn Hayes can score and defend in multiple ways. They are great on the fast break, and play tough defense all four quarters, much like one of O’kie Benjamin’s mentors, Charles Smith.
“Coach Smith is a legend! He has set a standard for what success should look like. He has been a huge part of why basketball has grown in our state. It’s an honor to be able to participate in an event to honor his greatness”, said Benjamin.
Marksville and Madison Prep are set for 6:00 PM, after the ASH game.
