Ohio high school boys basketball playoffs: Top seeds, best potential matchups, star players, predicted district winners in Division 1
By Ryan Isley | Photo by Ben Jackson
The tournament draw was released Sunday for the Ohio high school boys basketball playoffs, and though the regular season isn't over yet, we'll break down the divisions region by region, district by district over the next few days.
The biggest division of the bunch is up first.
DIVISION 1
Region 1 - Toledo
District - Copley
Top Seeds: Brecksville-Broadview Heights (2), Cleveland Heights (4), Shaker Heights (5), Cleveland Rhodes (13)
Best potential matchup: Brecksville-Broadview Heights vs. Cleveland Heights in the district final. While Brecksville remains unbeaten, the only two losses Cleveland Heights has had since the beginning of 2022 were to St. Ignatius and St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Star Power: Daniel Young, Kellon Smith (Shaker Heights); Jamal Sumlin (Rhodes)
Predicted winner: Brecksville-Broadview Heights
Region 1 - Toledo
District - Elyria
Top Seeds: St. Ignatius (3), Brunswick (6), Olmsted Falls (7), Copley (9)
Best potential matchup: Brunswick vs. Olmsted Falls in the district semifinals. While St. Ignatius has the easier path to the district final, these two could meet for the chance to play the Wildcats for a trip to the regionals.
Star Power: Jonathan Effertz, CJ Yarian (St. Ignatius); Caleb Laurich (Copley); Solomon Callaghan (Wadsworth); Ray Ellington (Westlake)
Predicted winner: St. Ignatius
Region 1 - Toledo
District - Millbury
Top Seeds: Lima Senior (1), Perrysburg (3), Findlay (5), Sylvania Southview (7)
Best potential matchup: Lima vs. Perrysburg in the district final. The two teams each entered the draw with just two losses, and only one each since the beginning of January.
Star Power: Khalil Luster (Lima); Max Roth (Findlay)
Predicted winner: Perrysburg
Region 1 - Toledo
District - Toledo
Top Seeds: Sylvania Northview (2), Toledo Whitmer (4), Toledo St. John’s Jesuit (6), Ashland (8)
Best potential matchup: Toledo Whitmer vs. Toledo St. John’s Jesuit in the district semifinals. The two played earlier this season in a game won 63-52 by Whitmer and face each other again to end the regular season.
Star Power: Luke Denbow (Ashland), Sean Craig (Sylvania Northview); CJ Hornbeak (Toledo St. John’s)
Predicted winner: Sylvania Northview
Region 2 - Cleveland
District - Twinsburg
Top Seeds: Solon (3), North Canton Hoover (5), Dover (6), Massillon Jackson (8)
Best potential matchup: Hoover vs. Jackson in the district final. Jackson would probably have to get past Solon first, but Hoover and Jackson have played twice this season with both games going to overtime.
Star Power: Tanner Ware, Elijah Barker (Hoover); Sam Marbury (Solon), Kevin James (Jackson); Allen Underwood (Austintown Fitch)
Predicted winner: North Canton Hoover
Region 2 - Cleveland
District - Alliance
Top Seeds: Green (2), Walsh Jesuit (4), Uniontown Lake (7), Canton McKinley (11)
Best potential matchup: Green vs. Walsh Jesuit in the district final. Both teams have just two losses on the season and have taken those losses against high-caliber competition.
Star Power: Charlie Fox, Andrew Taggert (Painesville Riverside); Zach Oddo (Green); Brady Gowen (GlenOak); Rico Pickett (Walsh Jesuit)
Predicted winner: Green
Region 2 - Cleveland
District - Lakewood
Top Seeds: Lakewood St. Edward (1), Medina (8), Amherst Steele (11), Grafton Midview (14)
Best potential matchup: Amherst Steele vs. Medina in the district semifinals. It looks like everyone scattered from this district, not wanting to face St. Edward. These two teams have a chance to get to the district final and see if they can put a scare into the Eagles.
Star Power: Tony Fox (Barberton); Tavian Tatum, Sonny Johnson Jr (Garfield Heights); Michael Bova (St. Edward)
Predicted winner: Lakewood St. Edward
Region 2 - Cleveland
District - Euclid
Top Seeds: Lyndhurst Brush (1), Mentor (9), Mayfield (10), Alliance (13)
Best potential matchup: Brush vs. Mayfield in the district final. The possible matchup would pit two of the area’s top scorers against each other in Elmore James of Brush and Hayden Nahra of Mayfield.
Star Power: Elmore James IV, Marlon Barnes Jr. (Brush); Hayden Nahra (Mayfield); JP Dragas (Madison); Ian Ioppolo (Mentor); Clayton Cunningham (Euclid)
Predicted winner: Lyndhurst Brush
Javan Simmons photo by Jeff Harwell
Region 3 - Columbus
District - Columbus 3
Top Seeds: Pickerington Central (1), Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (8), Powell Olentangy Liberty (10), Delaware Hayes (18)
Best potential matchup: Olentangy Orange vs. Olentangy Liberty in the district semifinals. While it seems nobody is on the level of Pickerington Central in this district, these two teams played a close game earlier in the season and meet again in the season finale before beginning tournament play.
Star Power: Devin Royal, Joshua Harlan, Sonny Styles (Pickerington Central); Cooper Davis (Olentangy Liberty); Seck Zongo, KJ Satterfield (Whitehall-Yearling)
Predicted winner: Pickerington Central
Region 3 - Columbus
District – Columbus 2
Top Seeds: Pickerington North (4), Newark (5), Upper Arlington (7), Reynoldsburg (13)
Best potential matchup: Pickerington North vs. Newark in the district final. The top two seeds in the district played a low-scoring game Feb. 1, won 42-35 by Pickerington North.
Star Power: Ethan Smith (Lewis Center Olentangy); Dior Connors, Jerry Saunders (Pickerington North); Nick Heath (Upper Arlington)
Predicted winner: Pickerington North
Region 3 - Columbus
District – Columbus 1
Top Seeds: Gahanna Lincoln (1), Hilliard Bradley (9), Columbus St. Charles (15), Columbus Northland (16)
Best potential matchup: Hilliard Bradley vs. Columbus St. Charles in the district semifinals. Gahanna Lincoln looks to have one of the easiest paths in the division to the regionals, and these two teams could meet to try to play spoiler against Lincoln.
Star Power: Sean Jones, Javan Simmons (Gahanna Lincoln); Ryan Paris, Jayden Nervis (Hilliard Bradley); Derrick James (Canal Winchester)
Predicted winner: Gahanna Lincoln
Region 3 - Columbus
District – Columbus 4
Top Seeds: Westerville South (3), Dublin Jerome (6), Hilliard Davidson (11), Westerville North (12)
Best potential matchup: Westerville South vs. Dublin Jerome in the district final. The two met in the middle of January with South taking home a 54-49 win. It is the last loss for Jerome.
Star Power: Drey Carter (Westerville South); Ryan Nutter (Dublin Jerome); Donovan Hunter (Westerville Central)
Predicted winner: Westerville South
Region 4 - Cincinnati
District – Southwest 3
Top Seeds: Walnut Hills (3), Fairfield (4), Archbishop Moeller (5), Princeton (7)
Best potential matchup: Walnut Hills vs. Archbishop Moeller in the district final. The two teams faced off in the first week of the season, a 60-51 Moeller win. It is the only blemish on the record of Walnut Hills this season.
Star Power: Owen Murray (Walnut Hills); Evan Mahaffey (Moeller); Logan Woods (Fairfield); Bowen Hardman (Princeton)
Predicted winner: Walnut Hills
Region 4 - Cincinnati
District – Southwest 2
Top Seeds: Cincinnati Elder (1), Huber Heights Wayne (3), Clayton Northmont (5), Franklin (6)
Best potential matchup: Elder vs. Wayne in the district final. Both teams are coming on strong as the tournament nears, and they faced each other earlier in the season, a game won by Elder 53-48.
Star Power: Lawrent Rice (Huber Heights Wayne); Sean Keller, Andrew Harp (Elder); Noah Rich (Franklin)
Predicted winner: Cincinnati Elder
Region 4 - Cincinnati
District – Southwest 1
Top Seeds: Cincinnati Sycamore (2), Kettering Fairmont (2), Beavercreek (4), Cincinnati St. Xavier (8)
Best potential matchup: Sycamore vs. Fairmont in the district final. Both teams drew No. 2 seeds. Fairmont has not lost since early December, while Sycamore has just two losses in 2022.
Star Power: Dasan Doucet (Fairmont), Ben Southerland, Charlie Hall, Raleigh Burgess (Sycamore); Adam Duvall, Gabe Phillips (Beavercreek)
Predicted winner: Kettering Fairmont
Region 4 - Cincinnati
District – Southwest 4
Top Seeds: Centerville (1), Lakota East (6), Sidney (8), Western Hills (10)
Best potential matchup: Lakota East vs. Lakota West in the district semifinals. The Greater Cincinnati Conference foes have met twice this season, with East being victorious both times but one of those game was just a six-point margin.
Star Power: Gabe Cupps, Tom House, Rich Rolf (Centerville); Kobe Peck (Lakota East); Nathan Dudukovich (Lakota West)
Predicted winner: Centerville
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