Ohio high school boys basketball playoffs: Top seeds, best potential matchups, star players, predicted district winners in Division 3
By Ryan Isley | Photo by Jeff Harwell
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.
Division 1 was up first, then came Division 2, and now here's No. 3.
DIVISION 3
Region 9 - Canton
District – Salem
Top Seeds: New Middletown Springfield (1), Youngstown Liberty (4), Cardinal Mooney (5), Newton Falls (7)
Best potential matchup: Liberty vs. Cardinal Mooney in the district semifinals. The two Youngstown schools could meet for a chance to play heavily favored Springfield in the district final.
Star Power: James Davis (Liberty); Adam Wharry, Beau Brungard (Springfield)
Predicted winner: New Middletown Springfield
Region 9 - Canton
District – Warren
Top Seeds: Campbell Memorial (2), Jefferson Area (3), Leavittsburg Labrae (6), Ravenna Southeast (9)
Best potential matchup: Campbell Memorial vs. Middlefield Cardinal in the district semifinals. Should the two teams meet, it would be a matchup between two high-scoring duos as Kevin Moore and Xavion Leonard combine to average 35 points per game for Memorial, and Jake Bean and Troy Domen combine for over 30 points per game for Cardinal.
Star Power: Kevin Moore, Xavion Leonard (Campbell Memorial); Jake Bean, Troy Domen (Middlefield Cardinal)
Predicted winner: Campbell Memorial
Region 9 - Canton
District – Maple Heights
Top Seeds: Lutheran East (2), Columbia Station Columbia (4), Smithville (6), Canton Central Catholic (8)
Best potential matchup: Lutheran East vs. Columbia in the district final. While Columbia has lost just once in the last five weeks, Lutheran East has lost to some of the best teams in the state and is battle tested.
Star Power: Cody Head, Jesse McCulloch, Jamail Spivey Jr. (Lutheran East); Cody Davis, Reece Miller (Columbia); Jayden Roberts (Wellington)
Predicted winner: Lutheran East
Region 9 - Canton
District – Wooster
Top Seeds: Creston Norwayne (1), Fairview (3), Oberlin (5), Elyria Catholic (7)
Best potential matchup: Norwayne vs. Fairview in the district final. The top two seeds in the bracket, Norwayne has not lost since the first week of January, and Fairview had five straight wins entering the draw.
Star Power: Isaiah Porter, Justin Rupp, Ethan Hann (Norwayne); Jack Kenneally (Elyria Catholic)
Predicted winner: Creston Norwayne
Region 10 – Bowling Green
District – Toledo
Top Seeds: Pemberville Eastwood (1), Archbold (3), Oregon Cardinal Stritch (3), Toledo Ottawa Hills (5)
Best potential matchup: Eastwood vs. Archbold in the district final. The top two seeds in the bracket have played like it down the stretch, having each lost only once in the past five weeks.
Star Power: Christian Majors (Maumee Valley Country Day); Christian Burton (Cardinal Stritch)
Predicted winner: Pemberville Eastwood
Region 10 – Bowling Green
District – Lima
Top Seeds: Ottawa-Glandorf (1), Haviland Wayne Trace (2), Bluffton (3), Findlay Liberty-Benton (4)
Best potential matchup: Ottawa-Glandorf vs. Wayne Trace in the district final. While Ottawa-Glandorf has just two losses on the season, Wayne Trace has lost only once, back in the middle of December.
Star Power: Colin White (Ottawa-Glandorf); Kyle Stoller (Wayne Trace); Kyler Kinn (Bluffton)
Predicted winner: Haviland Wayne Trace
Region 10 – Bowling Green
District – Norwalk
Top Seeds: North Robinson Colonel Crawford (1), Collins Western Reserve (2), Willard (3), Bloomdale Elmwood (4)
Best potential matchup: Colonel Crawford vs. Western Reserve in the district final. Two of the top three teams in the state Division II AP poll, both teams entered the draw undefeated.
Star Power: Carter Valentine (Colonel Crawford); Jude Muenz (Western Reserve)
Predicted winner: North Robinson Colonel Crawford
Region 10 – Bowling Green
District – Columbus 1
Top Seeds: Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (3), Richwood North Union (4), Centerburg (5), Gahanna Columbus Academy (6)
Best potential matchup: Harvest Prep vs. Centerburg in the district final. Harvest Prep’s only loss since Jan. 2 was a two-point setback against Ottawa-Glandorf, while Centerburg has just one loss on the season.
Star Power: Nyelle Shaheed (Harvest Prep); Owen Davis, Zach Vernon (North Union)
Predicted winner: Canal Winchester Harvest Prep
Region 11 – Athens
District – East
Top Seeds: Sugarcreek Garaway (1), Zoarsville Tuscarawas Valley (2), Cadiz Harrison Central (3), West Lafayette Ridgewood (4)
Best potential matchup: Garaway vs. Tuscawaras Valley in the district final. While Garaway has won both meetings between the two this season, one of those games was only 47-43.
Star Power: Alexander Roden, Drew Mullet (Garaway); Logan Stotzer (Tuscarawas Valley); Jonathan Vermillion (Harrison Central)
Predicted winner: Sugarcreek Garaway
Region 11 – Athens
District – Southeast 1
Top Seeds: Minford (1), Zane Trace (4), Chesapeake (5), Wheelersburg (8)
Best potential matchup: Zane Trace vs. Chesapeake in the district semifinal. The two teams would be meeting for a chance to take on top seed and favorite Minford in the district final.
Predicted winner: Minford
Region 11 – Athens
District – Southeast 2
Top Seeds: Proctorville Fairland (2), Winchester Eastern (3), Southpoint (6), Albany Alexander (7)
Best potential matchup: Fairland vs. Albany in the district semifinal. The game would feature two of the better scorers in the state, with Aiden Porter of Fairfield against Kyler D’Augustino of Alexander.
Star Power: Aiden Porter, JD Thacker (Fairland), Kyler D’Augustino (Alexander), Drew Carter, Keagan Swope (Nelsonville-York)
Predicted winner: Proctorville Fairland
Region 11 – Athens
District – Columbus 2
Top Seeds: Columbus Africentric (1), Columbus Bishop Ready (2), Worthington Christian (8), Marion Elgin (9)
Best potential matchup: Africentric vs. Bishop Ready in the district final. The top two seeds in the bracket should be on a collision course to face each other for a spot in the regionals.
Star Power: Dailyn Swain (Africentric); Sam Johnson (Worthington Christian); Kaleb Schaeffer (Bishop Ready)
Predicted winner: Columbus Africentric
Region 12 – Kettering
District – Southwest 1
Top Seeds: Versailles (1), Georgetown (4), Gamble Montessori (5), Cincinnati Country Day (7)
Best potential matchup: Versailles vs. Georgetown in the district final. Versailles was undefeated until a loss to New Bremen at the end of January, and Georgetown has not lost since a setback on Jan. 4.
Star Power: Wes Enis, Jacob Roeth (Miami East); Andre Simmons (Purcell Marian); Connor Stonebraker, Jayden Litten, Ben Ruhenkamp (Versailles)
Predicted winner: Versailles
Region 12 – Kettering
District – Southwest 3
Top Seeds: Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (2), Camden Preble Shawnee (2), Dayton Meadowdale (3), Cincinnati Madeira (8)
Best potential matchup: Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy vs. Camden Preble Shawnee. Both teams drew No. 2 seeds and ended up in the same bracket. Cincinnati Hills hasn’t lost in 2022, and Preble Shawnee has just one loss since Jan. 4.
Star Power: Lee Benson (Meadowdale); Aiden Spriggs (North Lewisburg Triad); Conner Cravaack (Madeira)
Predicted winner: Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
Region 12 – Kettering
District – Southwest 4
Top Seeds: Cincinnati Summit Country Day (3), Springfield Shawnee (5), Cincinnati Mariemont (6), Springfield Greenon (7)
Best potential matchup: Summit Country Day vs. Mariemont in the district semifinals. To advance to the district final, the top seed in the bracket would have to deal with one of the best scorers in the division in Mariemont’s Timmy Stewart, who averages over 22 points per game.
Star Power: Timmy Stewart (Mariemont)
Predicted winner: Cincinnati Summit Country Day
Region 12 – Kettering
District – Southwest 2
Top Seeds: Cincinnati Taft (1), Miamisburg Dayton Christian (4), Indian Lake (6), West Liberty-Salem (9)
Best potential matchup: Indian Lake vs. Dayton Christian in the district semifinals. The two teams met earlier this season in a game won 82-76 by Dayton Christian. The two could meet again in what seemingly would be for a chance to play Taft in the district final.
Star Power: Mekhi Elmore, Rayvon Griffith (Taft); Devin Dreier, Brady Woodall (Dayton Christian).
Predicted winner: Cincinnati Taft
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