High school boys basketball tournament capsules

(12) RAVENNA AT (1) BENEDICTINE

What: Division II sectional semifinal Where: Benedictine When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Records: Benedictine 17‑5, Ravenna 0‑22 On deck: The winner ad‑ vances to a sectional final to play Orange on March 3. For the record: The Ben‑ gals are primed for a run to Columbus this year, and the Ravens haven’t won a game this season. Win No. 1 isn’t coming for Ravenna on Feb. 28. Barnes’ pick: Benedictine

(10) CHAGRIN FALLS AT (8) CRESTWOOD

What: Division II sectional semifinal Where: Crestwood When: 7 p.m., Feb. 27

Records: Chagrin Falls 10‑12, Crestwood 16‑6

On deck: The winner ad‑ vances to a sectional final to play Cleveland Central Catholic on March 3.

For the record: Chagrin Falls is led by 3‑point marksman Trevon Grimes and Dave Bar‑ gar goes deep on his bench. Crestwood finished the season tied for the Portage Trail Conference’s County Division title and the Red Devils are led by high‑scoring guard Jordan Fabry. The Red Devils are peaking at the right time — they enter the postseason on a 10‑game winning streak.

Barnes’ pick: Crestwood

(6) WEST GEAUGA AT (5) HARVEY

What: Division II sectional semifinal Where: Harvey When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28

Records: West Geauga 7‑15, Harvey 7‑15

On deck: The winner ad‑ vances to a sectional final to play Hawken on March 3.

For the record: Each team enters the postseason having lost four of their last five games to conclude their CVC Chagrin schedule. They finished with identical re‑ cords as well. Harvey’s young talent is undeniable, with Bishop Thomas, Tyrelle Early and Devon Holbert leading a freshman class that has po‑ tential to make the Red Raid‑ ers a top team in the CVC. The Wolverines also have a strong trio in Jax Shenkel, Micah Young and Caleb Ramey whose experience should help them overcome a trip into Painesville.

Barnes’ pick: West Geauga

(11) COLLINWOOD AT (7) NDCL

What: Division II sectional semifinal Where: NDCL When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Records: NDCL 8‑14, Col‑ linwood 7‑15 On deck: The winner advances to a sectional final to play Edgewood on March 3.

For the record: Notre Dame‑Cathedral Latin endured a long season as Kevin Sablar and Ryan McMahon, the team’s best players, each missed a chunk of the schedule, and the Lions weren’t im‑ mune to the winter flu bug which infiltrated most area schools. Add in seasoning by their NCL Blue schedule, plus tough non‑league dates with South, Cornerstone Christian and Madison, that makes this a healthy Lions team ready for the playoffs.

Barnes’ pick: NDCL

(10) GENEVA AT (9) PERRY

What: Division II sectional semifinal

Where: Perry When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Records: Geneva 6‑16, Perry 3‑19

On deck: The winner advances to a sectional final to play Jefferson on March 3.

For the record: The Pirates and Eagles scuffled at the bottom of the CVC. Perry went through a rebuilding year after losing most of its contributors from last year’s district champion. Geneva possesses strong guard play in the form of Brandon Smith and Nick Stoltz, alongside Max Sanzo’s interior presence, which gives the Eagles a good shot at winning a playoff game on the road.

Barnes’ pick: Geneva

(8) KIRTLAND AT (4) BEACHWOOD

What: Division III sectional semifinal

Where: Beachwood When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Records: Kirtland 11‑11, Beachwood 15‑7

On deck: The winner advances to a sectional final to play the winner of Lutheran West‑MLK on March 3.

For the record: Who knows how many expected Beachwood to host a playoff game after the Bison lost just about everything, coach included, from last year’s group, which lost to VASJ in the district final on a Jerry Higgins buzzer‑beater. Jon Mannarino’s work this year on the sidelines deserves serious commendation, as does that of Jayson Wo‑ odrich, Josh Sizemore, Ben Sternberg, Cam Thomas and Michael Gordon for picking up the slack on the floor. The Bison won’t have a cupcake sectional semifinal, though, as Kirtland’s trio of Palmer Capretta, Jeremy Davis and Brandon Samsa will make the Hornets’ trip to Beach‑ wood a competitive one.

Barnes’ pick: Beachwood

(10) HORIZON SCIENCE AT (6) WICKLIFFE

What: Division III sectional semifinal Where: Wickliffe When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Records: Wickliffe 15‑7 On deck: The winner ad‑ vances to a sectional final to play Gilmour on March 3. For the record: Justin Fortkamp and Jaysen Lewis lead the Blue Devils into the playoffs as one of the more formidable inside‑outside tandems in the area. Horizon Science wasn’t competitive in the Lake Effect Confer‑ ence, and Wickliffe should be able to advance to a showdown against Gilmour. Barnes’ pick: Wickliffe

(8) BERKSHIRE AT (7) ROOTSTOWN

What: Division III sectional semifinal Where: Rootstown When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Records: Berkshire 11‑11, Rootstown 10‑12 On deck: The winner ad‑ vances to a sectional final to play Pymatuning Valley on March 3.

For the record: Quietly, Berkshire is one of the hot‑ test teams in the area en‑ tering postseason play. The Badgers pulled their record to .500 after a 2‑9 start as Keith Clapacs has the defending district cham‑ pion poised to make noise in this bracket again. Emil Hess, one of the area’s most productive big men, high‑ scoring swingman Ryan Johnson and sparkplug Nick Guarnera lead a Berkshire team nobody will want to see in the Warren Harding District — undefeated state No. 1 LaBrae included.

Barnes’ pick: Berkshire

(11) CARDINAL AT (1) LABRAE

What: Division IV sectional semifinal

Where: LaBrae When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Records: Cardinal 6‑15, LaBrae 21‑0

On deck: The winner ad‑ vances to a sectional final to play Mineral Ridge on March 3.

For the record: Cardinal coach Jon Cummins is optimistic the Huskies can give the state No. 1‑ranked Vikings a game as an upt‑ empo style suits his team well. Cardinal has a talented core in Luke Timas, Robbie Mulh and Hayden Cummins but it’d take a monumental effort to hand LaBrae its first loss of the season.

Barnes’ pick: LaBrae

(12) FAIRPORT AT (1) BRISTOL

What: Division IV sectional semifinal

Where: Bristol When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Records: Fairport 2‑20, Bristol 21‑1

For the record: Matt Car‑ dina’s Skippers face a steep, uphill climb against Bristol, which lost one game and finished the year ranked No. 5 in the state poll.

On deck: The winner advances to a sectional final to play Bloomfield on March 3.

Barnes’ pick: Bristol

(10) LORDSTOWN AT (5) RICHMOND HEIGHTS

What: Division IV sectional semifinal Where: Richmond Heights When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Record: Richmond Heights 11‑10

On deck: The winner advances to a sectional final to play the winner of Warren JFK‑Newbury on March 4.

For the record: 6‑foot‑9 center E.J. Onu and dy‑ namic guard Curtis Houston make the Spartans a team to keep an eye on in the bottom half of a bracket that includes defending D‑IV state champion Cor‑ nerstone Christian.

Barnes’ pick: Richmond Heights

(11) NEWBURY AT (3) WARREN JFK

What: Division IV sectional semifinal Where: Warren JFK When: 7 p.m., Feb. 28 Records: Warren JFK 15‑7 On deck: The winner advances to a sectional final to play the winner of Lordstown‑Richmond Heights on March 3.

For the record: Warren JFK made an interesting decision to slot itself in No. 1 seed Bristol’s side of the bracket rather than go up to No. 2 Cornerstone Chris‑ tian’s side. The Eagles are led by Justin Bofenkamp and Antonio McQueen, and they likely have too much for Newbury to handle.

Barnes’ pick: Warren JFK