The Clarion Herald’s Elite Girls’ Basketball Team

By Ron Brocato
Clarion Herald

How time flies.

It has been five years since a school representing the Archdiocese of New Orleans has captured a division championship in the sport of girls’ basketball.

Since that magical year of 2018 when Ursuline Academy routed four playoff opponents to claim the select Division II prize, preceded by St. Katharine Drexel Prep’s thrilling 43-42 victory over rival St. Mary’s Academy for the Division III title, no Catholic school from the New Orleans area has prevailed in the state tournament.

Mount Carmel’s runner-up finishes in 2019, 2020 and 2021 are the highest any school has advanced in the annual basketball tournament in recent years.

And 2023 will mark the fifth year of the drought following the elimination of the 13 girls’ basketball teams in the archdiocese from the current playoffs.

But, there were individual stars whose lights shined brightly selected to the 2022-23 Clarion Herald’s 25th annual Elite Girls’ Basketball team.

The Most Outstanding Player of the group was De La Salle center Danai Lewis.

The 6-foot-1- junior’s dossier is impressive. In leading the Cavaliers to a 23-win season that included a district championship and the No. 6 seed in Division II, Lewis averaged 23.2 points per game.

That statistic included four games in which she scored 30 points or more. In a Dec. 19 game against Carver, Lewis poured in a season high 45 points, hitting an impressive 23 of 30 free throws.

In the paint she was just as dominant, having averaged 14 rebounds per game. And when Lewis wasn’t filling the baskets or sweeping the boards, she found time to hand out four assists per game.

Lewis is one of five players who are repeat honorees, joining Archbishop Chapelle’s Baylie Carroll, St. Charles Catholic’s Mya Brown, Dominican’s Sophia Martin and Mount Carmel’s Jessica Runnels for that distinction.

Two set personal records during the season: both Carroll, now part of the Elite team for a fourth year, and Brown scored their 2,000th career point.

Three sophomores displayed their ability and contributions to their teams’ efforts: Lauren Fowler of Mount Carmel, Emilee Duet of St. Scholastica and Archbishop Chapelle’s Kaylee Dublin.

Rounding out the team were two more talented underclassmen: junior Bailey Johnson of Dominican and St. Mary’s Academy freshman Don’Shai Lewis.

Congratulations go out to coaches Mike Mosley of De La Salle and Academy of the Sacred Heart’s Courtney Ward and Benjamin Fields for leading their teams to district championships.

Mosley’s Cavaliers swept all four of their District 9-II opponents and advanced to the division quarterfinal round, where they were eliminated by No. 3 seed St. Louis of Lake Charles.

Sacred Heart has always been a force in volleyball, but this year the Cardinals’ hardwood athletes won their district (9-III) title under the leadership of Ward and Fields.

True, seven of the eight district opponents had losing records (62-107 combined), but the Cards showed great improvement to gain a No. 10 playoff seed in accumulating a 15-7 record.

Clarion Herald Elite Girls' Basketball Team





Lauren Fowler     5-10
Mount Carmel   Soph.


 

Mya Brown 5-10
St. Charles Catholic Sr.


 

Baylie Carroll       5-5
Archbishop Chapelle   Sr.



 

Sophie Martin 5-10
Dominican  Sr.



 

Emilee Duet       5-5
St. Scholastica   Soph.



 

Don’Shai Lewis       5-7
St. Mary’s Academy         Fr.



 

Kaylee Dublin       6-0
Archbishop Chapelle Soph.



 

Danai Lewis 6-1
De La Salle Jr.



 

Jessica Runnels 5-8
Mount Carmel  Sr.



 

Bailey Johnson 5-7
Dominican Jr.