The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Euclid district will be one of best in Ohio
Half-jokingly, the Division I boys basketball Euclid District was known as the “Mentor Invitational” in seasons past. Coach Bob Krizancic’s Cardinals dominated the district to net six consecutive regional berths from 2008 to 2013.
Five years later, there may be no clear favorite at Euclid. Such an idea denotes the district’s depth behind its No. 1 seed — the Solon Comets, undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state.
“I think it’s as good a district as there is in the state,” Krizancic said. “It is really, really good.”
Brush earned the No. 2 seed behind the Comets. Led by junior D.J. Dial and sophomore John Hugley, the young Arcs showed their growth in signature wins against Garfield Heights and Cornerstone Christian. Brush clinched at least a share of its second consecutive Western Reserve Conference title on Feb. 12.
Coach Chet Mason is familiar with rigorous district brackets. During his playing days at Cleveland South, Mason’s Flyers competed against Bedford, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Garfield Heights, Warrensville Heights and Maple Heights at the district level.
The Arcs’ bracket at Euclid isn’t quite on that level, but Mason still expects an immense challenge.
“This district this year is tough,” Mason said. “There’s teams there that could’ve been different seeds. Solon pushed past everybody for that 1 but after that, everybody could’ve had a claim for a different seed.”
Mentor was voted into the No. 3 seed. After a 5-4 start, the Cardinals won seven of eight games to pick up momentum headed toward the playoffs. Victories against Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Shaker Heights and Brunswick helped the Cardinals’ cause as voting began.
Krizancic expects Mentor to be well-prepared for the district. After recent matchups with VASJ, Cornerstone Christian and Euclid, the Cardinals close
their season against Medina, Elyria and defending D-I state champion Massillon Jackson.
“We’re seeing every type of ball that I think we’re going to see there,” Krizancic said. “When we went to the regionals six straight years, we’ve lost either the last game or next-to-last and it refocused us.”
Benedictine, the district’s newest member after a move to D-I from D-II, is the No. 4 seed. The Bengals are rounding into form as the postseason nears, with wins over St. Ignatius and Lake Catholic in recent weeks. Leading scorer Davin Zeigler returns Feb. 16 when Benedictine hosts Akron Hoban to decide the North Coast League’s Blue division title.
This year’s district reminds coach Rob Stircula of the D-II Stow District in 2016, his first year back with the Bengals. Benedictine was joined there by Cleveland Central Catholic, East Tech and a 19-win Woodridge team. Stircula recalls each team in the district entered the playoffs with at least 13 wins.
“This one is even far harder than that,” Stircula said. “Outside of Solon, anybody else in that district, 2 through 6, could be placed any way.”
Cleveland Heights is the bracket’s No. 5 seed. The Tigers ended Lorain’s fiveyear reign atop the Lake Erie League with their conference championship this season. Guard Yahel Hill and forward Tyreke Smith, an Ohio State football commit, constitute one of the state’s best inside-out tandems.
At No. 6, Mayfield has enjoyed a renaissance year under new coach Bob Pacsi. Their turnaround peaked with a 48-46 win against Brush on Feb. 9.
No. 7 South will be a tough out as well. The Rebels, led by Norm Hughes, Damion Williams and Xavier Hopps, have shown they can compete with anyone.
The road to Cleveland State likely lies through Solon. At 19-0, the Greater Cleveland Conference champion Comets conclude their season with games against Brunswick, St. Edward and Strongsville.
West Liberty commit Sincere Carry is one of the region’s top players, regardless of division. He’s flanked by Michael Bekelja and Trent Williams, also capable of explosive scoring.
“I do believe this is the best district in Northeast Ohio, hands-down,” Mason said. “I don’t think it’s even close.”