Will McChesky soars past three Jesuit defenders toward the goal during second half play in their District 9-5A game won by the Crusaders, 52-48, on Feb. 10. The victory moved the Crusaders into a tie for third place in the district standings.
By Ron Brocato
With the Division I basketball playoffs in their sights, the Brother Martin Crusaders are looking to make District 9-5A rival St. Augustine another casualty as they put the wraps on the district campaign.
Coach Wesley Laurendine’s squad, fresh from a 52-48 victory over Jesuit on Feb. 10, hosts the No. 3-seeded Purple Knights on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. to end the short district schedule in which the Crusaders sit in the No. 10 playoff spot at the moment.
When the LHSAA announces the playoff pairings on Feb. 23, seven of the district’s eight members should have qualified for the post-season with six serving as host teams in the first round. Currently in the No. 23 position, Holy Cross (15-12 record) would be a visiting team, while at No. 27, Warren Easton (13-15) would fail to make the 24-team playoff field.
The Crusaders (19-10) are seeded No. 10 with two games left in the season, and if they remain among the top 12 seeds, they would host a first round game. The top eight teams receive first round byes. At the moment, Brother Martin is not in that number.
The district’s highest ranking teams include No. 1 John Curtis (23-2), No. 3 St. Augustine (25-3), No. 5 Jesuit (18-8), No. 9 Rummel (17-11), No. 10 Brother Martin, and No. 11 Edna Karr (23-10). All would serve as hosts if they remain in the bracket’s upper echelon for another week.
Other teams among the first round bye qualifiers are No. 2 Alexandria Senior (25-3), No. 4 St. Thomas More (21-8), No. 6 Teurlings Catholic (19-5), No. 7 Tioga (26-6), and No. 8 Huntington (17-8).
St. Augustine, whose district record is 4-1 with a lone loss to Curtis, is the defending Division I state champion, having beaten St. Thomas More, 45-35, for that title in 2025.
Regardless of the outcome against the Purple Knights, Laurendine said he sees little movement from the Crusaders’ No. 10 seeding with just one non-district game against L.B. Landry on Ash Wednesday remaining in the season. A Division II team, Landry needs a victory to make the Division II playoff field. Currently, the Buccaneers are the No.24 and final seed in that division.
The Crusaders’ victory over Jesuit in the “Bird Cage” was more than just a district victory. Laurendine spent an apprenticeship as a Jesuit assistant before being awarded his first head coaching position at Archbishop Shaw five years ago. His ability to build winners began at the Marrero school, where he coached the varsity team to berths in the state Division II tournament for five consecutive years, culminating his stay there with the state runner-up trophy in 2025 before coming to Brother Martin.
Although the Crusaders have lacked the comparable size to their district peers, Laurendine’s attacking offense and the speed of his team enabled the Crusaders to more than hold their own against taller opponents. As a result, they enter the final league game with a 3-3 district record, tied for third place with Jesuit and Rummel.
But district records are of no consequence as playoff berths and positions are determined by power ratings. And although the outcome against the Purple Knights may not move the needle one way or another, Laurendine expects his players to keep pushing the envelope of pressure on all of their coming opponents.
Coach Wesley Laurendine rushes into the Brother Martin student section to cheer his team’s 52-48 victory at Jesuit. A near capacity crowd filled the “Bird Cage” to be part of the District 9-5A showpiece game on Feb. 10.
