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After watching seventeen games at seven venues
over the past two weeks, the Swami just realized that we are not even
halfway done with the tournament. When you have seen the Marquette
brothers more than you have seen your wife during a two-week period, you
definitely have some issues. The Swami's numbers for sectional and
district play were solid but not spectacular with a 112-38 (75%)
win/loss record. The Swami was able to pick seven NW Ohio district
champs.
This was a tough week for the teams ranked at the
top of the Associated Press' final poll as North Canton Hoover (D1),
LaGrange Keystone (D2), Cincinnati North College Hill (D3), and
Arlington (D4). It was also a tough week for both Brooklyn and
Oberlin. Brooklyn, the top seed at the Elyria district, and unseeded
Oberlin met in a sectional final. Oberlin won handily, but was forced
to forfeit three days later for using an ineligible player. Brooklyn
got back into the tournament but lost to Wellington, another unseeded
team, in a district semi-final. Lorain Catholic, the Class AA state
runner-up in 1976 and a state participant in 1985, played the final game
in school history on March 12, a 45-38 loss to Kidron Central Christian
in a district semi-final at Strongsville. LC's 108 points in the 1976
state semi-final game against Wellsville were the most points ever
scored in a state tournament game. Lorain Catholic will close at the
end of the school year because of dwindling enrollment.
With LeBron gone and the supposed heir to the
throne (O.J. Mayo) eliminated, the 2004 state tournament should be a bit
calmer. Rather than any further editorializing, let's go to the
predictions. It's Swami time.
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DIVISION III
Eleven of the twenty teams ranked by the Associated
Press will be playing in the regional. Five teams (Chesapeake,
Liberty-Benton, Versailles, Bedford Chanel, and defending D3 state champ
Reading) were regional qualifiers in 2003.
REGIONAL
 Canton
Fieldhouse: #4
Loudonville,
#6 Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas, and #11
Bedford Chanel are joined by
Leavittsburg LaBrae at Canton for what should be an excellent
regional. St. Thomas Aquinas eliminated #19 Youngstown Mooney while
Loudonville knocked off #8 Akron Manchester in district finals. Chanel
is led by Austin Weatherington and Jarell Brown, and was a state
qualifier in 2003. St. Thomas Aquinas has one of the state's top
sophomores in Ricky Jackson while another sophomore, Danny Hartman,
leads LaBrae. Take Louisville Aquinas over Leavittsburg LaBrae and
Loudonville over Chanel in the semi-finals. Take a big and balanced
Loudonville squad over Louisville Aquinas in the final.
Bowling Green State
University: #6
Cuyahoga Valley
Christian Academy, #7
Liberty-Benton, and #15
St.
Henry are joined by 2002 D3 state champ
Clear Fork at BG. St. Henry defeated #12 Archbold at the district.
St. Henry is a three-time state champ while L-B won the 1995 D4 state
championship. Clear Fork has an outstanding post player in Connor
Gregg. Freshman Nathan Hyde leads L-B in scoring while Jon Bierman is
CVCA's top player. Nate Stahl and Kurt Huelsman are the big guns for
St. Henry. The Redskins start four players at least 6'4", while Clear
Fork's three tournament wins have come against teams with a total of
seven regular season losses. Take L-B over CVCA and St. Henry over
Clear Fork in the semi-finals. St. Henry will take the regional
championship with a win over Liberty-Benton.
Ohio University: #3
Johnstown-Monroe, #9 Bellaire, #13 Ironton,
and #14
Chesapeake comprise a great regional at the Convo. Chesapeake
eliminated #16 Piketon in a district final. 6'9", 330 lb. Aaron Agnew,
an Iowa State recruit, and Nathan Davis lead Bellaire. Johnstown-Monroe
from Licking County is one of two undefeated teams remaining in the
tournament. Josh Smith is the Johnnies' top player. Veteran coach Norm
Persin leads Chesapeake. In the semi-finals, take Bellaire over Ironton
and Johnstown-Monroe over Chesapeake. Bellaire defeats Johnstown-Monroe
in the championship game to advance to the state tournament.
Wright State University:
#2
Versailles is the only ranked team at the Nutter Center. Defending
D3 state champ Reading has eliminated #1 Cincinnati North College Hill
and #10 Middletown Fenwick from the tournament. Versailles defeated #16
Jamestown Greeneview, and
Ripley eliminated #20 Clinton-Massie in district finals. Kyle Gehle
and Joe Shardo lead undefeated Versailles. Reading returns two starters
from last year's team in Nick Berter and John Gertz.
Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington from Brown County has somehow fallen off
the Swami's radar screen. Take Reading over Ripley and Versailles over
Bloom-Carroll in semi-final games. Versailles avenges their
2003 regional loss to Reading in the championship game.
STATE
D3 kicks off the eighty-second boys basketball
tournament with a final four consisting of Loudonville, St. Henry,
Bellaire, and Versailles. St. Henry was the Class A champ in 1979, the
D3 champ in 1990, and the D4 champ in 1991 to go along with the 2000 D4
runner-up spot. Loudonville last made it to the state tournament in
1941. Versailles and St. Henry held down the top two spots in this
year's Midwest Athletic Conference standings. Take Loudonville over St.
Henry and Versailles over Bellaire in the semi-finals. Versailles wins
the state championship with a win over Loudonville in the finals.
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DIVISION
II
Six of the sixteen teams ranked by the Associated
Press have advanced to the regional level. Five teams (defending state
champ Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 2003 state qualifier Columbus
Beechcroft, Ottawa-Glandorf, Willard, and Dayton Chaminade-Julienne)
were also regional qualifiers in 2003.
REGIONAL
Canton Civic Center:
#13
Canal Fulton Northwest is the only ranked team at Canton while
Warrensville Heights is one of only two teams still in the tournament
with a losing record. Korey Spates is an outstanding guard for
Warrensville while Rob Skuski leads West Geauga. Bradley Fletcher is
Liberty's top player. Matt Lewis, Chuck Sarnsa, and Vince
Baiera lead a balanced Northwest squad. Take
West Geauga over Liberty and Northwest over Warrensville Heights in
the semi-final games. Northwest advances to the state tournament with a
win over West G in the championship game
Wright State University:
#9 Dayton
Chaminade-Julienne
and #15 Cincinnati
Taft are ranked teams at the Nutter Center. Dayton Dunbar's Daequan
Cook might be the state's top sophomore while Derrick Brown is
Chaminade's top player. Deandre Byrd leads Cincinnati Taft, and Seth
Hill is Columbus
Watterson's leading scorer. Take
Chaminade over Dunbar and Watterson over Cincinnati Taft in the
semi-final games. The Swami had Chaminade going to the state in '03,
but Kettering Alter upset the Eagles. This year, Chaminade-Julienne
makes the trip to the state with a win over Watterson in the regional
final.
University of Toledo:
#2 Akron St.Vincent-St.
Mary and #3
Ottawa-Glandorf are ranked teams at Toledo.
Walsh Jesuit
eliminated #1 LaGrange Keystone, O-G stopped #10 Fostoria,
Willard survived #8 Port Clinton, and SVSM knocked off #6 Akron
Buchtel in district play. AVSM returned only one starter from last
year's D2 state champs in Corey Jones, but gained an outstanding
transfer in Lawrence Wilson. Twins Tim and Eric Pollitz lead O-G.
Willard survived the graduation of the legendary Nick Dials. The
Flashes have an outstanding sophomore guard in Jimmy Langhurst. This is
O-G's fourth consecutive trip to the regional and SVSM's seventh. Walsh
finds out that O-G is no Keystone in one semi-final while SVSM
eliminates Willard in the other. SVSM has beaten O-G in the last two
regional finals. Ottawa-Glandorf advances to Columbus with a win over
Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in the 2004 final.
Ohio University: #7
Dover is the only ranked team at Athens.
Columbus Beechcroft eliminated #5 Newark Licking Valley and #14
Bexley at the district. Dover stopped #11 McConnelsville Morgan in a
district final while
Greenfield McClain ousted #4 Circleville Logan Elm in sectional
play. Raylon Almon is Beechcroft's leading scorer while freshman Dante
Jackson is McClain's top player. Veterans Gene Ford and Bob Van Kaenel
coach Cambridge and Dover respectively. Take Beechcroft over
Cambridge
and Dover over McClain in semi-final games. In the finals, Columbus
Beechcroft brings home a third consecutive regional crown with a win
over Dover.
STATE
Canal Fulton Northwest, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne,
Ottawa-Glandorf, and Columbus Beechcroft make up this year's final four
in D2. This will be Chaminade's sixth trip to the state tournament with
Class AA (then the big school classification) championships in 1966 and
1970. Beechcroft and Ottawa-Glandorf will both be making their fourth
appearances. Take Chaminade over Northwest and Ottawa-Glandorf over
Beechcroft in the semi-final games. In the finals, Ottawa-Glandorf
takes home its first state championship with a win over Dayton Chaminade-Julienne.
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DIVISION
IV
Just four of the seventeen teams ranked by the
Associated Press have reached the regional tournament. Five teams
(defending state champ Marion Local, Sebring McKinley, Holgate, Van
Buren, and Reedsville Eastern) repeated as district champions.
REGIONAL
Miami University: No
ranked teams at Oxford.
Yellow Springs ousted # 6 South Charleston Southeastern and
Dayton
Jefferson defeated #16 Ansonia at the district. Dustin Rudegeair and
Jordan Skinner are the big guns for Yellow Springs while Andy Francis is
Fairlawn's top player. Marquis Brooks and Milton Mobley lead
Jefferson. Marion
Local returned no starters from last year's state championship team
and is led by Cory Luebke and Russell Moeller. The Flyers finished tied
for eighth in the Midwest Athletic Conference. Take Marion Local over
Yellow Springs and Dayton Jefferson over Fairlawn in the semi-finals.
Marion Local advances to the state tournament with a win over Jefferson
in the regional championship game.
Canton Fieldhouse: #3
Sebring McKinley is the only ranked team at Canton.
Windham
defeated #12 Mogadore, Sebring McKinley stopped #7 Canton Heritage
Christian, and Zanesville
Bishop
Rosecrans eliminated # 9 Berlin Hiland in the district tournament.
David Scarpitti leads Sebring McKinley while Paul Zacour is Kidron's top
player. Much was expected of Windham this year, but the Bombers lost
their best player, Greg McDivett, to injury. Take Sebring McKinley over
Windham and Zanesville Rosecrans over
Kidron Central Christian in the semi-finals. Bishop Rosecrans
advances with a win over Sebring McKinley in the championship game.
Columbus Fairgrounds:
#5
Mansfield St. Peter's is the only ranked team at the Barn. St.
Peter's defeated #4 Buckeye Central and #10 Danbury at the district
tournament. St. Peter's has an outstanding player in Evansville signee
Marcus Butler. South Webster has an outstanding sophomore in Nick
Aldridge. Nathan Grubb leads
Reedsville
Eastern while Lance Sullivan is
Columbus
Africentric's top player. Africentric is a member of the Columbus
City League and finished the regular season with a 7-13 record. This is
the Nubians' first year in the OHSAA tournament. Take South Webster
over Reedsville Eastern and St. Peter's over Columbus Africentric in the
semi-finals. Mansfield St. Peter's takes the regional championship with
a win over the South Webster Jeeps.
Bowling Green State
University: #15
Van Buren and #17
Fort Jennings are ranked teams at Anderson Arena. Fort Jennings
eliminated #1 and previously undefeated Arlington and Holgate ousted #13
Pettisville in district final games. Ryan Schroeder is Fort Jennings'
top player while Marty Baird is the leading scorer for Van Buren.
Holgate has only given up 32.7 points
per game in their three tournament games.
Calvert was last year's top-ranked D4 team but lost in the
district opener. Aaron Maas is the Senecas' top player. Take Holgate
over Calvert and Fort Jennings over Van Buren in the semi-final games.
Fort Jennings wins a trip to Columbus by defeating Holgate in the
regional final.
STATE
The final four consists of Marion Local, Zanesville
Bishop Rosecrans, Mansfield St. Peter's, and Fort Jennings. All four
schools have previous state tournament experience with Marion Local
(Class A in 1975 and D4 in 2003), Mansfield St. Peter's (Class A in 1968
and 1978), and Fort Jennings (D4 in 2000) all owning state
championships. Take Marion Local over Zanesville Rosecrans and
Mansfield St. Peter's over Fort Jennings in the semi-finals. Mansfield
St. Peter's is the D4 state champion with a win over Marion Local in the
finals.
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DIVISION
I
Six of the twelve teams ranked by the Associated
Press have advanced to regional play. Four teams (defending D1 state
champ Cincinnati Moeller, Hamilton, Columbus Brookhaven, and Toledo St.
John's) are making return trips to the regional. Top ranked North
Canton Hoover lost to Austintown Fitch in a district semi-final.
REGIONAL
University of Toledo:
No ranked teams at Savage Hall.
Olmsted Falls defeated #6 Lakewood St. Edward in a district final.
Steve Gansey and Dan Binggeli lead Olmsted Falls while Jonathon Avery
and Wright State signee Yima Chia-Kur are
Mansfield
Senior's top players. Dayton signee Brian Roberts, B.J. Raymond, and
Zach Hillesland all started on
Toledo St. John's 2003 state qualifier while Joe Roberts is the big
gun for Cleveland Rhodes. St. John's has already played ten "home"
games at UT this season. Rhodes' win over Cleveland St. Ignatius in a
district semi-final ended a string of six consecutive district titles
for the Wildcats. Take Olmsted Falls over Mansfield Senior and St.
John's over Rhodes in semi-final games. Toledo St. John's earns a
return trip to the state tournament with a win over Olmsted Falls in the
final.
Columbus Fairgrounds:
#2
Cincinnati Moeller and #5
Columbus Brookhaven
are ranked teams at Columbus.
Dublin Coffman
eliminated #11 Dublin Scioto in a district semi-final. Moeller returns
Xavier signee Josh Duncan, North Carolina State signee Andrew Brackman,
and Akron signee Bubba Walther from their state championship team. The
Crusaders have lost to Oak Hill Academy and Cincinnati LaSalle. Jamelle
Cornley and Denzel Lyles return from Brookhaven's 2003 state runner-up.
A third starter, Wright State signee Everett Spencer, was slated to
return but transferred just before the start of the season. Cordaryl
Ballard is
Columbus Mifflin's top player. Take Brookhaven over Coffman and
Moeller over Mifflin in the semi-finals. Brookhaven has more experience
playing at the Barn, but look for Moeller to sneak past the 'Haven in
the regional final.
University of Akron:
#9
Canton McKinley
is the only ranked team at the JAR.
Medina defeated #10
Wadsworth in a district final. Cleveland Collinwood has been a surprise
team in the Cleveland area while a young Bedford squad knocked off 2003
state qualifier Cleveland Heights in a district final. Stan Hall, Sean
Weatherspoon, and Raymar Morgan lead McKinley. Donta Anthony is
Medina's leading scorer while Raynold Mitchell leads Cleveland
Collinwood. Underclassmen Jason Thompson and Derek Reed are Bedford's
top players. Take McKinley over Medina and
Bedford over Collinwood in semi-final games. Canton McKinley
advances to another state tournament with a win over Bedford in the
finals.
University of Dayton:
#3
Cincinnati LaSalle, #7
Springfield
South, and #8 Hamilton
are joined by surprising Cincinnati
Sycamore at Dayton. Justin Orr is LaSalle's top player while Isiah
Carson is the big gun for Springfield South. Adam Myers-White is the
top scorer for a balanced Hamilton team. LaSalle spent much of the
season as AP's top-ranked D1 team before a late season loss to Moeller.
LaSalle has a win over Hamilton while Hamilton defeated Springfield
South during the regular season. Take Hamilton over Sycamore and
LaSalle over Springfield South in semi-final games. The Hamilton Big
Blue advance to the state tournament with a win over Cincinnati LaSalle
in the championship game.
STATE
DI again closes out the state tournament with a
final four consisting of Toledo St. John's, Cincinnati Moeller, Canton
McKinley, and Hamilton. St. John's and Moeller are both making their
second consecutive trip to the state tournament. For McKinley, this is
their twenty-sixth trip to the state tournament. The Bulldogs were the
1984 Class AAA state champs. Hamilton has not been to the state
tournament since 1954 when the Big Blue won their third state
championship. Both Hamilton Garfield and Hamilton Taft made trips to
the state in the sixties before the two schools were combined. Take
Cincinnati Moeller over Toledo St. John's and Canton McKinley over
Hamilton in the semi-finals. Cincinnati Moeller defends their state
crown with a win over Canton McKinley in the championship game.
That is Trail Trash for another year. The opinions
expressed in Trail Trash are those of the Swami. If you have any
comments, questions, or suggestions for Trail Trash, contact
Davey1. The Swami can also be contacted through
swamisig@aol.com. See you in Columbus.
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Publisher: Davey1.com
Brackets: Davey1.com
Predictions: The Swami
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