Cornerstone, Kirtland set for district semis

Michaela Cloonan, right, and Cornerstone embark on a Division IV district semifinal tonight against Southington. John Kampf previews that and the Kirtland-Lutheran West tilt in D-III.

(2) KIRTLAND VS. (3) LUTHERAN WEST

What: Division III district semifinal When: 7:45 p.m., Feb. 28 Where: North Ridgeville High School, 34600 Bainbridge Road, North Ridgeville On deck: Winner plays the winner of (1) Elyria Catholic and (4) Wellington in a district championship game at 1 p.m. March 3.

Kirtland’s path: The Hornets defeated Beachwood, 55-37

Lutheran West’s path: The Longhorns defeated Columbia, 63-27

For the record: This is a rematch of last year’s district semifinal won by Lutheran West. 40-38 . ... The Hornets have a definitive go-to player in Sydney Snyder, a 5-8 Baldwin Wallace commit who leads the team in scoring (20.9), 3-pointers (36), rebounds (7.8), assists (3.7) and steals (4.2). But this team has plenty of others who have shouldered the scoring load, too, including Lauren Lutz and Jenna Sayle. Defensively, the team gives up only 30 points per game . ... In a sectional-final drubbing of Columbia, nine different Lutheran West players scored in double figures, led by junior Larnae Vance (20) and Abriana Robin (13). The Longhorns pride themselves on defense, too, so this could be a relatively low-scoring defensive slugfest.

Kampf’s pick: Kirtland

(1) CORNERSTONE VS. (5) SOUTHINGTON

What: Division IV district semifinal When: 7:45 p.m., Feb. 28 Where: Grand Valley High School, 111 Grand Valley Ave., Orwell

On deck: Winner plays the winner of (2) Cuyahoga Heights and (3) Bristol in a district championship game at 4 p.m. March 3. Cornerstone Christian’s path: The Patriots defeated Maplewood, 60-27 Southington’s path: The Wildcats defeated Windham, 40-39; defeated Badger, 65-55

For the record: Cornerstone is looking to get back to the state tournament for the second time in three years, while Southington is making its first appearance in the district tournament in 17 years. Cornerstone (17-5) doesn’t go really deep into its bench, but has six players who can score in double figures on any night, led by talented sophomores Madison and Michaela Cloonan. The pressure defense the Patriots play is smothering for the opposition, and CCA’s strength of schedule cannot be matched in the D-IV ranks . ... Southington (14-9) got 20 from Courtney Warnick in a sectional final. She is nine points short of a school record for points in a season (1,459, held by Holly Housholder). Warnick will be the main focal point of Cornerstone’s defensive effort. Kampf’s pick: Cornerstone Christian Feb. 26 games: 5-0 Kampf’s record: 32-4