Bossier High’s streak of trips to four straight trips to state championship basketball games came to a screeching halt at the CenturyLink Center Saturday in a 53-51 triple- overtime semifinal loss to Carroll of Monroe.
Coach Jeremiah Williams’ Bearkats finished their 2012-13 season with a 30-4 record while Carroll (25-6) advanced to the Class 3A title game.
It was another super season for the Bearkats, but the amazing streak is over.
It started with a 36-7 season in 2008-09, followed by 38-2 in 2009-10, 33-2 in 2010-11 and 31-4 in 2011-12. The 2010-11 Bearkats won the second state basketball championship in Bossier High history, while the other three teams were runners-up.
The loss to Carroll snapped a 17-game winning streak for the 2012-13 Bearkats, who got off to a 3-2 start and lost only two of their last 29 games. The only teams that scored 50 points against Bossier High in its last 21 games were Carroll and Captain Shreve, in a 60-51 loss to the Bearkats.
The streak of five consecutive 30-win seasons is still intact. Before this streak, the last time Bossier High had two straight 30-win seasons was in 1961-62 (30-10) and1962-63 (32-7). Both of those teams were coached by John McConathy, who also coached the 1959-60 team that set a Caddo-Bossier record for total wins (which still stands) with a 41-4 record in winning the school’s first state title.
The 1959-60 Bearkats were led by All-Staters Cecil Upshaw and Dennis Kile. They won the Class 3A state championship (then the top class) with a 39-35 win over DeLaSalle (New Orleans) in the little gym at the end of the school building that is now known as the girls’ gym. The E.L. Redine Memorial Gym was built several years later.
The only Bossier Parish school that ever won back-to-back state titles in boys’ basketball was Haughton, with teams coached by Billy Montgomery winning Class A state titles with a 29-9 record in 1967-68 and a 38-2 record in 1968-69. Kenny Covington was the All-State Most Valuable Player on both of those teams, with Benny DePrang also representing Haughton on the 1968-69 All-State team. Montgomery was selected Coach of the Year in 1967-68.
Jerry Byrd is the former sports editor of the Bossier Press-Tribune and an award-winning columnist. You can contact him by E-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
