High school boys basketball tournament capsules

BHercik@news-herald.com

(12) BRUSH VS. (8) WALSH JESUIT

What: Division I district final

When: 2 p.m., March 4 Where: Euclid, 711 E 222nd St.

Records: Brush 13-10, Walsh Jesuit 18-7 Brush’s path: Defeated Mayfield, 78-61, def. Akron SVSM, 42-37

Walsh Jesuit’s path:

Defeated Massillon Perry, 74-37, def. Hoover, 62-37, def. Louisville, 49-48

Up next: Winner advances to play the winner of Stow and Jackson in a regional semifinal on March 8 at 7 p.m. at Kent State.

For the record: It’s a rematch of the second day of the regular season with a trip to regionals on the line. Brush carries in a boatload of momentum after the biggest upset of the district semifinal round. Behind Marlon Barnes’ 17 points and 10 rebounds, Brush looks to get to regionals for the first time since 1930. The Arcs will need Tyler Williams to have a bigger impact inside against the Walsh bigs as their board control was a problem in their first meeting. But if Brush brings its aggressive style of defense to the final as it did in the semifinal, it will be another physical one down low. The Arcs will also need some bigger contributions from Yahir Hill and Alijah Murray. … Walsh survived a scare against Louisville. Jesse James came up with a steal with less than a second left to advance to the district final. The Warriors are averaging 61 points a game offensively and nine times have eclipsed the 70-point mark. The Walsh defense has been just as stout. The Warriors hold opponents to 48.7 points a game, including under 40 in five of their last six. With how both teams approach defense, this has the potential to be a low scoring one.

Hercik’s pick: Walsh Jesuit

(18) VASJ VS. (3) BUCHTEL What:

Division II district final

When: 7 p.m., March 4 Where: Stow, 3227 E Graham Road

Records: VASJ 11-14, Buchtel 18-6

VASJ’s path: Defeated Norton, 50-43, def. Elyria Catholic, 51-43, def. Rocky River, 69-58

Buchtel’s path: Defeated Bedford, 72-43, def. Bay, 83-41

Up next: Winner advances to play the winner of Canfield and Chaney in a regional semifinal at Canton Memorial Civic Center on March 9 at 6 p.m.

For the record: A huge third quarter gave VASJ all the breathing room it needed for a victory over Rocky River to get back to the district final. Quandell Wright led with 18 points, and Sean Shenker and Jeremiah Martin each had 15. The Vikings’ defense was also big against the Pirates. That was something they struggled with this season (opponents have averaged 66.3 points per game) and will need to show back up against a good Buchtel offense. VASJ will need to play a perfect game and take advantage of looks with scorers like Shenker and Brian Kortovich from deep. … Buchtel is looking to avenge its district final loss to Gilmour a season ago. Their offensive prowess sees the Griffins averaging 68.4 points per game, led by Khoi Thumon with his 19.3. He also leads Buchtel in assists with 4.2per game. If the Vikings are able to isolate Thumson, the Griffins will turn to Amire Robinson, who averages 14 points per game. Buchtel has held opponents to 52.2 points. The Griffins could be at a disadvantage as Thumson averages just 4.2 rebounds. While VASJ is strong from outside, the Vikings will need to establish paint control early if they want to pull the upset.

Hercik’s pick: Buchtel (6) GILMOUR VS. (1) URSILINE What: Division II district

final

When: 4 p.m., March 4 Where: NDCL, 13000 Auburn Road, Chardon Records: Gilmour 15-10, Ursuline 22-2

Gilmour’s path: Defeated Field, 67-30, def. Struthers, 69-40, def. Girard, 61-55 Ursuline’s path: Defeated Streetsboro, 61-28, def.

Edgewood, 87-53

Up next: Winner advances to play the winner of Glenville and CVCA in a regional semifinal at the Canton Civic Center on March 9 at 8:00 p.m.

For the record: Gilmour needed another postseason magic act in an overtime victory over Girard to reach its third district final in as many years. To make it back-to-back trips to the regional round, the Lancers will need a bigger scoring performance from Brandon Rose. Their leading scorer on the season was held scoreless in the first half and only had eight points before fouling out. Adisa Molton handled scoring duties against the Indians with 22 points. Against an Ursuline defense that allows 46.6 points a game, the Lancers will need all the scoring output they can get. Role players were crucial in the win over Girard, and they will need to be again against the Irish. … Ursuline is averaging 67.8 points per game and is on a 16-game winning streak. The Irish haven’t had many close games. Only contests against Grand River and Spire have been one-possession games. With how many different defenses Gilmour can throw at teams, the Irish will need to be ready for anything. The Lancers have held teams to 53.7 points per game and their tallest task will be trying to neutralize the scoring clip of Ursuline.

Ursuline