Ohio high school boys basketball playoffs: A quick analysis of all 16 regions

By Sam Houseworth | Photo by Ben Jackson

Brush, Buchtel, Bishop Ready, New Bremen. 

Each division had earth-shattering upsets that resulted in shockwaves that affected how teams planned for the upcoming rounds.

But these games are played on the court, not on paper. With four wins to go to get a state championship, all 64 teams know it will not be easy from this point forward.

Without further ado, here's an analysis of 16 regionals in all four divisions before the state championships next week in Dayton!

Ohio high school boys basketball brackets, 2022 state playoff matchups

Division 4

Regional Semifinals: Tuesday

Regional Final: Friday

Canton Regional (Richmond Heights vs. Margaretta, Mathews vs. St. Thomas Aquinas)

After winning all their sectional and district contests by 20-plus, Richmond Heights heads to Canton as the clear favorite to make it to state. The Spartans’ four-loss record is terribly misleading, as three of those losses came against teams ranked in the top 11 of the final SBLive Ohio Top 25. Their schedule was by far the toughest in D-IV. Look out for Margaretta in the regional semifinal though, the Bay Division champions of the SBC are riding a 15-game win streak and are a dark horse to win this regional.

Athens Regional (Newark Catholic vs. Berlin Hiland, Valley vs. Latham Western)

This southeast Ohio regional is the most balanced and unpredictable in D-IV. The Valley Indians hit a midseason slide in January after starting 9-0. Since their 3-3 stretch, the Indians have gone 8-1 and appear to be slight favorites in Athens. Hiland comes in with prestige and tradition on its side, aiming for a 12th state appearance and third in the last four seasons.

Kettering Regional (Springfield Catholic Central vs. Botkins, East Knox vs. Tri-Village)

This regional is a two-team race with the regional final all but decided. Botkins is going to be the popular pick as the defending D-IV state champion, going 24-2 this season with a perfect 12-0 record in the SCAL. In the second half of Tuesday’s doubleheader, Tri-Village was truly dominant in WOAC play, going a perfect 13-0 in conference. Tri-Village appears to have a slight edge over the defending champions, but whichever teams comes out of Kettering will have a real chance to win it all in Dayton.

Bowling Green Regional (Ottoville vs. Calvert, Antwerp vs. Marion Local)

Ottoville squeaked by 11-seeded Continental in the first round of sectionals two weeks ago. Since then, the Big Green has pulled upset after upset, knocking off the 4-seed, 1-seed, and 2-seed to make it to regionals. Here, they will be the underdogs once again with Antwerp, who spent some time in the SBLive Top 25 favored to win the regional.

Division 3

Regional Semifinals: Wednesday

Regional Finals: Saturday

Athens Regional (Garaway vs. Wheelersburg, Fairland vs. Africentric)

Africentric was blessed to draw the eastbound Columbus district as opposed to Harvest Prep, which will be heading west this week. The Nubians will get the tougher regional test Wednesday when they square up with Ohio Valley Conference champion Fairland. The winner of this contest should coast through to Dayton and a trip to the state semifinals.

Bowling Green Regional (Eastwood vs. Ottawa-Glandorf, Colonel Crawford vs. Harvest Prep)

Fans are hoping for a rematch of O-G and Harvest Prep on Saturday, and it looks likely that they'll get it. Last month, the two teams met in Ottawa, where Colin White hit a last second layup for O-G to win 63-61. It was the best game in northwest Ohio this past season. O-G is the favorite to win a potential rematch. Regardless, whoever comes out of Bowling Green will be looked upon as a contender to win it all in Dayton.

Canton Regional (Cardinal Mooney vs. Campbell, Lutheran East vs. Norwayne)

Football powerhouse Cardinal Mooney pulled two upsets in the districts to get to regionals, including a win over heavy favorite New Middletown Springfield. However, it would take a miracle for the Cardinals to overcome the other three teams in this regional. Lutheran East and Norwayne will be paired up in a coin toss while Campbell, the Northern 10 champion, will be a heavy favorite in the semifinals. Lutheran East is the best team in this regional, but a tough semifinal makes this quadrant a true tossup.

Kettering Regional (Georgetown vs. Meadowdale, Mariemont vs. Taft)

Taft is a team that has never been afraid to go out of conference and play some of the top programs in Ohio. The result is a Senators team that is floating around .500 out of conference, but those losses come against the likes of Gahanna Lincoln, Pick Central and Buchtel. With that prep, Taft is the favorite to make its first state appearance since 2011. A regional final against Georgetown has all the ingredients for must-see basketball.

Division 1

Regional Semifinals: Wednesday

Regional Finals: Saturday

Columbus Regional (Pickerington Central vs. Upper Arlington, Gahanna Lincoln vs. Westerville South)

This is the toughest regional in the state, and it’s not even close. Three of the D-I’s top 5 remaining teams are in this regional. The fourth team is Upper Arlington, which won the OCC Central and started the season with a 10-0 hot streak. Gahanna Lincoln enters as a slight favorite with their two losses coming by a combined six points in early January. One of them was to Pick Central, which beat the Lions 58-53.

Copley Regional (Hoban vs. Green, St. Edward vs. Mentor)

Watching Brush and Dover get knocked out way too early results in a northeast Ohio regional final that looks more fitting for football than basketball. And just like football, St. Edward will enter as the heavy favorite to make its 12th state appearance in school history. Federal League champion Green is a dark horse in this regional, despite years of accomplishments.

Cincinnati Regional (Fairfield vs. Wayne, Kettering Fairmont vs. Centerville)

Everybody and their cousin are picking Centerville to not only win the regional, but repeat as state champion. And honestly, why wouldn’t they at this point? Centerville controls the longest win streak in the state after a season of mowing over GWOC competition, top-tier in-state competition as well as out-of-state opponents. It’s not impossible that an elite team like Fairfield could upset them, but Centerville has reached a level beyond elite at this point.

Toledo Regional (Cleveland Heights vs. St. Ignatius, Lima Senior vs. Sylvania Northview)

The most balanced regional in D-I will take place in Toledo. In the early game, Cleveland Heights and St. Ignatius have been challenged with brutal schedules that readied them for the grind that is the Ohio high school playoffs. As for Lima Senior and Northview, they coasted through easier conferences while earning wins against good competition. All three games should be competitive, but Northview is the slight favorite with Lima Senior a close second.

Division 2

Regional Semifinals: Thursday

Regional Finals: Saturday

Vandalia Regional (Linden McKinley vs. Kettering Alter, Roger Bacon vs. Woodward)

In D-II, three giants remain. Two of them are in the Dayton-area regional. Kettering Alter has spent all season in the SBLive Top 25 while Woodward owned the CMAC Red Division, cementing a place in the rankings at the end of the season. If all goes right, which is asking a lot, the regional final should come down to the Knights and the Bulldogs. Alter would hold a slight edge in this projected contest.

Canton Regional (Chaney vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary, Louisville vs. Glenville)

If there's a lock in all the regionals, it's in Canton. St. Vincent-St. Mary has been the D-II favorite from coast-to-coast, even after its 0-2 start to the season. The Fighting Irish are not only the odds-on favorite to win the regional, but also the odds-on favorite to win another state championship. If anybody is going to challenge them, it will be Chaney, but don’t bet on it.

Athens Regional (Meadowbrook vs. Heath, McClain vs. Waverly)

Waverly was considered for inclusion in the rankings throughout much of the season. However, the Tigers never broke through into the top 25. That said, they match up favorably with the other three teams in the Athens regional. Heath, which built a strong resume off the backs of star-studded central Ohio teams, has the best chance of knocking them off.

Bowling Green Regional (Gilmour Academy vs. Toledo Central Catholic, St. Marys vs. Huron)

Get four plastic cups. Hide a piece of meat under each one. Put your dog in front of them and let him pick the winner of this regional. All four of these teams are well deserving of their title of district champions. However, each of these four teams has weaknesses that can be exploited by savvy opponents. It’s truly anybody’s guess who will come out of Bowling Green. Our guess? TCC has the thinnest of edges, followed by Huron.