The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
High school boys basketball tournament capsules
No. 8 Shelby vs. No. 1 Vermilion
What: Division II Mansfield District sectional final When: 6 p.m., March 2 Where: Willard High School, 123 LH Whisler Drive, Willard For the record: Vermilion hung close with No. 11 Bellevue before pulling away in the fourth quarter to advance to a sectional final. The Sailors avoided last season’s one-and-done situation, which takes some of the pressure off heading into the game against eighth-seeded Shelby. Four players scored in double digits and Vermilion (19-4) had 12 offensive rebounds to Bellevue’s five, but the Sailors have been plagued by mediocre free-throw shooting all season and had 12 turnovers in the opening round of the tournament, something that needs to be cleaned up heading into the later rounds. With the pressure of winning the first game off its back, however, Vermilion will likely settle in and have a better game against Shelby. McNees’ pick: Vermilion
No. 8 Rocky River at No. 1 Holy Name
What: Division II North Ridgeville District sectional final When: 7 p.m., March 2 Where: Holy Name High School, 6000 Queens Highway, Parma Heights For the record: Rocky River gave up 105 points in the first meeting with Great Lakes Conference foe Holy Name on Jan. 9, but stayed competitive in an eightpoint loss the second time around. The Pirates have put together four straight wins, including a 59-35 win over Lutheran West in a sectional semifinal Feb. 27. Can their defense keep Holy Name from dropping another 100 points? Probably. But Holy Name senior Dwayne Cohill has been virtually unstoppable. The 6-foot-2 Dayton commit averaged 21.9 points per game during the regular season and will likely be too much for the Rocky River defense to control. McNees’ pick: Holy Name
No. 5 Buckeye at No. 4 Keystone
What: Division II North Ridgeville District sectional final
When: 7 p.m., March 2 Where: Keystone High School, 580 Opportunity Way, LaGrange
For the record: The PAC Stars Division foes split the regular-season series with Keystone winning the most recent showdown, 40-38, on Feb. 2. The Wildcats have been playing their best basketball in February and seemed to have figured out a defense that works after struggling in that regard early this season. In fact, they were able to hold Division IV Lorain County CoPlayer of the Year Maxwell Joppeck to one of his lowest scoring outputs of the season on Feb. 16 in a game with conference championship implications. On the flip side, Keystone put up 77 points in the regularseason finale, the most of the season, and will need the same offensive effort against Buckeye to keep its tournament run going. McNees’ pick: Keystone
No. 7 Padua at No. 2 Bay
What: Division II North Ridgeville District sectional final When: 7 p.m., March 2 Where: Bay High School, 29230 Wolf Road, Bay Village
For the record: Bay has had a week off, but don’t expect it to come out cold. The Rockets beat Parma on Feb. 23 to split the Great Lakes Conference championship with top-seeded Holy Name and earned a bye to a sectional final. All signs point to a district final rematch between the GLC co-champions, but Padua has played a tough regular-season schedule that includes Benedictine, Gilmour, Lake Catholic and Holy Name. The Bruins will have their hands full with Bay’s 6-foot-6 Fairmont State commit, R.J. Sunahara, who averaged 22.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.9 blocks per game, while junior Erik Painter poses a threat at guard. If Bay’s shooting starts cold, the game could be close, but expect the Rockets to advance to the district semifinal. McNees’ pick: Bay
No. 5 Columbia at No. 4 Kirtland
What: Division III Garfield Heights District sectional final When: 7 p.m., March 2 Where: Kirtland High School, 9150 Chillicothe Road, Kirtland
For the record: Both teams have had a week off, thanks to byes in the first round of the postseason. Columbia has been led by senior Josh Borling all season. The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 17.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game this season, but the Raiders faltered in the regular-season finale, losing 51-48 to Oberlin. Kirtland’s Seann McGill (10.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.3 bpg) and Brandon Samsa will cause problems for Columbia and the Raiders will have to get off to a hot start to pull off a win in the sectional final. McNees’ pick: Kirtland
No. 6 Fairview at No. 3 Clearview
What: Division II North Ridgeville District sectional final When: 7 p.m., March 2 Where: Clearview High School, 4700 Broadway, Lorain
For the record: These teams met two weeks ago when Fairview caught a slumping Clearview at the right time. The Warriors won, 73-59, and snapped the Clippers’ 14-game Patriot Athletic Conference winning streak and most recently dominated Brookside in a sectional semifinal for their 19th win of the season — tying the record set in 1956-57 for most wins in a season. For Fairview, sophomore Luke Howes averaged 15.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.2 steals per game while Clearview junior Javon Todd (16.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 2.2 spg) has paced the Clippers’ offense all year. Fairview is getting hot at the right time and could easily steal a win here, but Clearview’s strength of schedule gives it a slight edge. McNees’ pick: Clearview
No. 6 Wickliffe at No. 3 Elyria Catholic
What: Division III Garfield Heights District sectional final When: 7 p.m, March 2 Where: Elyria Catholic High School, 725 Gulf Road, Elyria
For the record: Elyria Catholic has been preparing for the playoffs all season. The Panthers played one of the toughest schedules in the area, facing teams like Garfield Heights, Cornerstone Christian, Cleveland Central Catholic and Lorain. An early exit at the hands of Warrensville Heights in last season’s sectional final has weighed heavy on the minds of all who were a part of the 2016-17 squad, including DIII Lorain County Co-Player of the Year, Dorian Crutcher. The senior is one of the top offensive players around and has Jarred Logan and Branson Taylor among other talented underclassmen surrounding him. Even with last season’s upset in mind, the Panthers should come away with a win in this one. McNees’ pick: Elyria Catholic
No. 9 Loudonville at No. 1 Wellington
What: Division III Wooster District sectional final
When: 7 p.m., March 2 Where: Wellington High School, 629 N Main Street, Wellington
For the record: Wellington lost steam in the final week of the season after leading the PAC Stars Division most of the season. The Dukes lost to Keystone and Buckeye in their last two games but still finished 18-4 in a season that saw the emergence of big man Maxwell Joppeck. The 6-foot-5 forward was named D-III Lorain County Co-Player of the Year and averaged 23.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. Joppeck is a dual-threat player who can run the point if needed, but in the Dukes’ most recent losses, was held to 10 and 11 points, respectively. He will have to stay relevant if Wellington is going to make any kind of tournament run. McNees’ pick: Wellington
No. 8 Open Door at No. 1 Rittman
What: Division IV Norton District sectional final When: 7 p.m., March 2 Where: Rittman High School, 50 Saurer Street, Rittman
For the record: Open Door sneaked by ninth-seeded Heritage Christian in a sectional semifinal but faces a much tougher test in Rittman. The Indians went 18-4 this season and have three players averaging double figures, including senior Kaleb Bauman (17.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game). Patriots standout Trey Brooks finished with 28 points in the opening round despite early foul trouble and fellow junior Jared Bublinec chipped in 20. It will take similar performances if Open Door has a shot at an upset. McNees’ pick: Rittman
No. 6 Oberlin at No. 3 Whitney M Young
What: Division IV Norton District sectional final When: 7 p.m., March 2 Where: Whitney M Young School, 17900 Harvard Ave., Cleveland
For the record: Oberlin cruised past Lake Ridge, 75-26, in a sectional semifinal. Freshman Trajen Chambers led the way with 21 points and senior Devan Yarber added 15. The Phoenix have struggled this season after losing their entire starting lineup from last year’s district runnerup team, but a drop to D-IV thanks to Competitive Balance could help in the postseason. Oberlin can’t let the game get away early if it has a hope at pulling off an upset.
McNees’ pick: Whitney M Young McNees’ record: 10-0