The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
High school boys basketball tournament capsule
(1) RICHMOND HEIGHTS VS. (7) DALTON What:
Division IV regional final
When: 7 p.m., March 10
Where: Canton McKinley, 1815 Harrison Ave NW, Canton
Records: Richmond Heights 26-0, Dalton 17-8
Richmond Heights path: Defeated Lake Ridge, 10622, def. Open Door, 92-56, def. Mogadore, 70-50, def. Cornerstone, 92-52
Dalton’s path: Defeated Cardinal, 81-63, def. Lowellville, 55-36, def. Warren JFK, 71-58, def. Colonel Crawford, 51-46
On Deck: Winner advances to the state semifinal and will play the winner of Jackson Center and Russia at the University of Dayton on March 17 at 8:30 p.m.
For the record: After a bad second quarter, Richmond Heights turned it on in the third against Cornerstone. The Spartans rattled off 38 points in the third quarter to give themselves some breathing room. It was on the strength of Jeremy Wilson’s strong second half after missing a lot of the first with foul trouble as he finished with a team-high 26points. The Spartans also had three other players in double figures with a pair also going over the 20-point mark. The scoring diversity for Richmond Heights isn’t just with who scores but also how they score as they work inside and out. Their pace of play has pushed teams all season as well with the speed that they bring. … Dalton started its season on the wrong foot, losing five of its first seven. But the Bulldogs recovered nicely as they have gone 16-3 since, led by the strongscoring Braylon Wenger. He had 14 in their regional semifinal win while Brady Hignight and Jack Steiner were also in double digits. The Bulldogs do work best from inside the paint with a lot of strong cuts. They average 61.8 points per game and have eclipsed the 70-point mark nine times this season. But if the Bulldogs want to pull off the upset, they will need to anchor in on defense. They allow 51.3 points a game, but this is a Richmond Heights team that can put that number up in a half.
Richmond