HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL DISTRICT SEMIFINAL CAPSULES

By Mark Perez-Krywany

MPerezkrywany@morningjournal.com

(14) BAY VS. (9) LAUREL

What: Division II district semifinal

When: 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23

Where: Elyria High School, 601 Middle Ave, Elyria

Records: Bay 14-9, Laurel 4-13

Bay’s path: Defeated Beaumont, 62-50 and Hawken, 45-43.

Laurel’s path: Defeated Defeated Holy Name, 6336

On deck: Winner moves on to play the winner of (5) Rocky River and (10) Copley in district final at 7p.m. Feb. 26.

For the record: Laurel may be a four-win team, but last year’s final four team played one of the toughest schedules in the state. They’ve faced state-ranked teams like Reynoldsburg, Princeton, Olmsted Falls, Archbishop Hoban, and Mason in the regular season. However, The Rockets played the Gators in the regular season, falling to Laurel 54-46 in December. Bay is no stranger to playing tough competition in the GLC West with Rocky River, Elyria Catholic and Westlake all being in the same division playing twice a year. They also have playoff experience. Two years ago, Bay won their district in the 2019-20 season.

Laurel

Perez’s pick: (3) ELYRIA CATHOLIC VS. (4) CHIPPEWA

What: Division III district semifinal

When: 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23

Where: North Ridgeville High School, 34620 Bainbridge RD

Records: Elyria Catholic 19-4, Chippewa 16-6

Elyria Catholic’s path: Defeated Lutheran West

58-18

Chippewa’s path: Defeated Garrett Morgan, 76-5 and East Tech., 69-12

On deck: Winner moves on to play the winner of (1) Warrensville Heights and (10) Mapleton in district final at 2 p.m. Feb. 26.

For the record: Elyria Catholic is on a mission ever since their 2019-20 Final Four team’s season was cancelled from the COVID-19 Pandemic. The year after, they lost to Warrensville Heights in the District semifinal. The Panthers will have a chance to rematch the Tigers, but they must win against Chippewa. the Chipps play in a very competitive Wayne County League. They finished second in a league that has Waynedale, the No. 3 team in the Division III state poll, and Division IV, Norwayne District third seed Dalton. In the Wayne County League, Chippewa finished second with a 12-2 conference record. The Chips enter the semifinal winning four of their last five, with the one loss being against Canton McKinley. The Panthers enter the game as the Great Lakes Conference champions with tournament-style experience under their belt. Elyria Catholic has won 14 of their last 15games falling only to St. Joseph Academy in almost two months of play.

Perez’s pick: Elyria Catholic

(4) COLUMBIA VS. (2) LOUDONVILLE

What: Division IV district semifinal

When: 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23

Where: Norwayne High School, 350 S. Main ST, Creston

Records: Columbia 16-7, Loudonville 19-4

Elyria Catholic’s path: Defeated Andrews Osborne

Academy, 47-40

Chippewa’s path: Defeated Central Christian, 70-3

On deck: Winner moves on to play the winner of (3) Dalton and (1) Cuyahoga Heights in district final at 7 p.m. Feb. 26.

For the record: Both team enter the playoff with a win already under their belt, but they also played each other in the regular season finale, with the Redbirds winning 66-37. They have two 1,000 point scorers on their squad have them going undefeated in Mid-Buckeye Conference (8-0). This is Loudonville’s second year in Division IV where they won their district championship. Columbia is riding high off their late victory over Andrews Osborne Academy and upsetting Keystone and Firelands in their Lorain County League conference before the start of the postseason. They have shown they ability to play well when the game gets tight. The question will be can they take care of the basketball early in the game to keep up with Loudonville and make the game close in the end.

Perez’s pick: (12) FIRELANDS VS. (1) ST. VINCENT-ST. MARY

Loudonville

What: Division II district semifinal

When: 6 p.m., Feb. 23

Where: Nordonia High School, 8006 Bedford RD, Macedonia

Firelands path: Defeated Cloverleaf, 69-60 and Tallmadge 41-25

St. Vincent-St. Mary’s path: Defeated Springfield 62-30

On deck: Winner moves on to play the winner of (2) Canal Fulton Northwest and (15) Triway

For the record:

St. Vincent-St. Mary is the one seed for a reason. Along with Canal Fulton Northwest, the Fighting Irish are one of the top 10 teams in the Division II basketball in the most final AP Poll. They have played teams like Division IV top seed Dalton, Walsh Jesuit, and Archbishop Hoban. Firelands come into the game as the three-time defending Lorain County League. This year, they shared the title with Keystone. The Falcons come into the game winning 11of their last 13 games of the season. Perez’s pick: St. VincentSt.

Mary (5) ROCKY RIVER VS. (10) COPLEY

What: Division II district semifinal

When: 6 p.m., Feb. 23

Where: Elyria High School, 601 Middle Ave, Elyria

Records: Rocky River 18-5, Copley 13-10

Brush’s path: Defeated Lutheran West 58-18

Copley’s path: Defeated Beachwood 57-10 and Cleveland Central Catholic 59-19

On deck: Winner moves on to play the winner of (9) Laurel and (14) Bay in district final at 7 p.m. Feb. 26.

For the record: Copley finished fourth in the Suburban League-American Division behind Revere, Aurora and Division I’s second seed Highland. Their league record is 7-6. Rocky River is headed into the playoff with a third place finish in the Great Lakes Conference, competing with teams like Lakewood, Elyria Catholic and Westlake. The Pirates are led by sophomore Ava Patti, who’s averaging 11.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.6 SPG so far. Patrolling the paint is Kelsey Murphy, who’s averaging 7.2 PPG with 6.7 RPG.

Perez’s pick: Rocky River