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JONESVILLE, La. — For the first time in three years, Block High School’s varsity boys’ basketball team will enter the postseason as district champions. But as head coach Ledois Norman put it, every team is now 0-0 and the team that wants it the most will advance.

The LHSAA District 2-1A champion and No. 13 seed Block Bears will play host to the No. 20 seed Pickering High School Red Devils at 7 p.m. Friday in the Bi-District Round of the 2025 LHSAA Select Division IV Playoffs.

Each team took different paths to get to this point. Block enters the playoffs with a 16-8 overall record and went 9-1 in District 2-1A. The Bears were on a nine-game winning streak before losing at home to the Class 5A West Monroe High School Rebels 69-56 in their regular-season finale on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Norman said that game helped his team get ready for what’s to be expected come playoff time.

“It helped us be more physical and in be more in tuned and have more insight to get ready for the playoffs. More endurance to get ready for a big school. Playing a bigger school, whether it’s 5A or 4A, you earn that respect,” Norman said. “We could’ve won that game, but we lost (Kristian) O’Steen in the third quarter. He got hurt. Our motto is, ‘We refuse to lose’.”

As Norman put it on Wednesday morning, O’Steen needed a couple of stitches above his eye and O’Steen’s doctor gave him the clearance to play on Tuesday, so he’ll be ready to play.

Norman also said he felt like the Bears are playing their best basketball at the right time of the season. And that was evident when they dropped their district opener by just two points, 57-55, at Delhi High School back on Tuesday, Jan. 14 before racking up nine consecutive wins en route to the district title.”

I think our performance speaks for itself. They’re really knowing each other and trusting each other on the court at critical times. They’re really in sync.,” Norman said.

Block is led by a pair of seniors in O’Steen and Kye’lon Barber as well as sophomore Marquese Bullitts. Norman described O’Steen as “a very elite player” and Barber as the team’s go-to player when they need a big 3-pointer.

“(O’Steen) is one of our top shooters. He’s a quick player. He’s a very knowledgeable player of the game. He averages about 14, 15 points a game. He’s one of our better rebounders. He averages about seven rebounds a game. He plays the shooting guard and forward. We have him playing multiple positions. He’s very versatile,” Norman said.

As for Bullitts, Norman said, “He’s our ball handler. The kid is quick. He’s a force. He’s averaging about 12 points and eight steals a game. He’s come a long way. We started him as an eighth-grader. He’s matured more and he’s a playmaker.”

Norman said that Barber is the Bears’ main 3-point shooter.

“He’s been with the guys for two years. He’s been our leading scorer the last eight games. He’s been scoring at least 17 points a game in that time. That’s a big difference for us,” Norman added.

Pickering High School enters this game with an overall record of 11-15 and the Red Devils finished District 4-2A play with a 3-5 record. At one time, they were 10-9 before dropping six straight before closing out their regular season in grand style.

The Red Devils avenged a 35-point loss at Vinton High School back on Tuesday, Jan. 28 with a 67-54 win over the Lions in what was also their district finale. Which means the Bears cannot take them lightly.

“They’ve got two good athletes. They’ve got one kid, AJ (Berry). He’s a good caliber player. He can score the ball. He’s very knowledgeable of the game. No. 2, he’s very good. We’ve got to keep them from scoring,” Norman said.

He then noted, “It doesn’t matter what the records are. They’re playing some good basketball. It doesn’t matter who has a better record. It matter who is more hungry for the win.”

Norman said he expect to see a great atmosphere inside the Block High School gym when the two teams tip off Friday night.

“We have a lot of fans who will be there and some alumni coming in from out of town. Pickering will bring a good amount of fans with them. We expect a good ball game,” Norman said.