Jake Furr’s Boys Basketball Bracketology 101: Everything you need to know about the tournament
MANSFIELD — All right ladies and gentlemen. Class is now in session.
It is time for Jake Furr's Boys Basketball Bracketology 101 where you will learn everything you need to know about this year's boys basketball tournament.
Let's get started.
How good is this Division II Ashland District?
That is a simple answer. It might be the best in the entire state in terms of talent level from top to bottom. Nine of the 12 teams in the district finished the year with a .500 record or better. The lowest-seeded team, Vermilion, won five games which when you look at other districts across the state, there are many with winless teams or 1 or 2-win teams. And Vermilion even has a win over No. 9 seed Norwalk on its resume.
Then you look at just how close the Top 5 teams are to each other. Sandusky is the clear No. 1. There is no debating that at 21-1. But you have to look at their five-point win over Mansfield Senior as an indicator of a possible chink in the armor. Then an overtime victory over Madison late in the season may show how the Blue Streaks can be beaten.
And then you look at those three Richland County teams who are just itching to make a run. Mansfield Senior just beat Lexington who just beat Shelby and Mansfield Senior just took Sandusky to the brink. So, does that make the Tygers the favorite to make a run? If all goes according to play and Mansfield Senior gets passed No. 4 Bellevue in the sectional final, Sandusky will be waiting for Round 2. And if everything goes chalk in the bottom part of the bracket, Shelby and Lexington Part 2 will be waiting there for us. For there, all hell could break loose and give us what we really want, an all-Richland County district championship game.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, there are some very good sectional games. Clear Fork and Ontario square off for the third time this year at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Madison. The last time they met, it went to OT. Then, Galion and Willard play in an old NOL revival featuring arguably the best scorers in the entire district in Willard junior Max Dawson and Galion's Cooper Kent. Willard is playing with some amazing momentum right now and could be a Cinderella pick to make a deep run, especially with Lexington being short-handed for its next two games.
Man, this is going to be fun.
Top Players in Division II Ashland District
Alex Bruskotter, Shelby
You can't take about this district tournament without talking about the best player in it with Shelby junior Alex Bruskotter. The Division II District 6 Player of the Year averaged 22 points, nine rebounds and 4.9 assists a game this season and when you have the best player on the floor, your team always has a chance and Shelby more than has a chance to win this thing.
De'Mar Moore Jr., Sanduksy
The kid nearly averaged a triple-double during his senior year. He scored 17 points, added 6.2 rebounds and handed out nine assists a game for the 22-1 Blue Streaks. A first team All-District 6 player, he has Sandusky as the favorite to win the district championship and for good reason. He can hurt you in multiple ways and will take every opportunity to do so.
Baden Forup, Lexington
The most dominant big man in this district and it isn't even close. He is what gives Lexington the nod when picking district champion contenders. His ability to control the paint on both ends of the floor is something no other team in the district has. He scored 15 points and added nine rebounds a game this season and will be key moving forward for Lex.
Kyevi Roane, Mansfield Senior
The sophomore had been absolutely sensational this season. Roane averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists a game this season and the Tygers are rolling because of him. If there is a team seeded outside of the Top 4 that can make a district championship run, it is Roane's Tygers because this kid is amazing at running the show. It is no surprise he was first team All-District 6.
Max Dawson, Willard
There isn't a better pure scorer in this district. Take that to the bank. Dawson averaged 24 points a game this season, but has been sensational of late scoring 34 points in a Sandusky Bay Conference title clincher last week. When it is big-game time, Dawson is at his best and he will be ready to put the Cinderella slipper on the Flashes this week.
Is the upper half of the Division III Norwalk District the bracket of death?
Yes, yes and yes.
I feel for Crestview, man. The Cougars took the No. 2 seed with a 20-2 record and it seemed like every top-ranked team wanted to jump in their side of the bracket. No. 3 Huron, No. 4 Genoa, No. 6 Wynford, No. 9 Northwood all decided to go after the Cougars and completely avoid No. 1 Cardinal Stritch in the bottom half.
The Cougars will be tested right away after taking the first-round bye. They will meet the winner of Wynford and Genoa at 6 p.m. on Friday for a sectional championship. Genoa went 17-5 this season and Wynford completed a 13-9 campaign with a win last week where they knocked down 17 3-pointers. Some consolation for getting the No. 2 seed, huh?
If the Cougars win that, then they get a nice date with No. 3 Huron and their District 6 Player of the Year, Dylan Hohler. Meanwhile, Cardinal Stritch, in the bottom half of the bracket, can basically sleepwalk to the district finals as their biggest competition along the way will be No. 5 Margaretta in the semifinals. Margaretta went 13-9 this year.
So, yeah, that upper half is impossible, but the Cougars have done the impossible this year with their first 20-win season ever.
Top Players in the Division III Norwalk District
Dylan Hohler, Huron
You're not the Division III District 6 Player of the Year by accident. Hohler averaged 20 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists and is a major reason why Huron very well could make a district championship run. Super Athletic and strong. Led the Tigers to a Division II district crown last year so things are going to look much slower this year.
Jarek Ringler, Crestview
The engine for the 20-win Cougars. Ringler averaged 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists a game as a junior and helped the Cougs make all kinds of history this year. He has shown the ability to be whatever the Cougars need him to be. Scorer, check. Passer, can do. Lockdown defender, every night. Ringler is the real deal.
Sam McMillan, Wynford
The Royals have the only double-double guy on the entire All-District 6 list in McMillan. He averaged 11 points and 11.8 rebounds to go with two assists a game. With his ability to control the glass, the Royals have a chance to make a nice run if they can limit teams to one shot per possession. McMillan will be that x-factor.
Kam Hughes, Cardinal Stritch
An absolute beast on the boards and a terror inside. Has the athleticism and strength to post a double-double every single night. It is easy to see why Stritch is the No. 1 seeded team because with players like Hughes, it is a pick-your-poision kind of situation and usually, you pick wrong.
Is there any way it isn't Lucas vs Colonel Crawford in the Division IV Willard District final?
I really do not see a world where the Cubs and Easgled aren't playing for a district championship. Crawford took teh first-round bye and will play the winner of No. 10 Sandusky St. Mary's and No. 12 Plymouth so a sectional title should be a running-clock win. Then, the Eagles will face whoever comes out of the grouping of No. 4 Mansfield Christian, No. 7 St. Paul, No. 6 Danbury and No. 8 South Central. And honestly, it could be any of those teams. My pick would be Mansfield Christian because I think that is the better team with the best player, but Danbury is scary and South Central has a sure lock to be an All-Ohioan and one of the best coaches in the entire district. So it really is anyone's sectional title to win.
Lucas, on the other hand, has possibly the easiest road to a district final. They start off with No. 14 St. Peter's a team the Cubs beat twice this year by a combined 79 points. Then, they get No. 13 Nw London in the sectional finals. Those two teams combined for four wins this year.
In the district semis, it will either be No. 3 Seneca East or No. 5 Monroeville. SE will have to survive upset-minded Buckeye Central in the sectional finals. The Tigers did beat the Bucks twice this year but they were close games both times. Monroeville should cruise past No. 11 Crestline.
If it is the Tigers that comes out of it, the Cubs will play a team that lost to Colonel Crawford twice by a combined 46 points and the Cubs only lost to Crawford by 3.
So, the numbers tell me, it's Lucas vs Crawford for the district title.
Top Players in the Division IV Willard District
Braxton Baker, Colonel Crawford
Baker may be the biggest matchup nightmare in the entire district. Averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game, this first team All-District 6 player is something else. He has size to dominate in the paint and skill to control the game from out front. Guarding him is a tall task from the tip.
Amarr Davis, Mansfield Christian
Speaking of unguradable players, Davis may be the best athlete in the entire district in terms of speed, agility, leaping ability and just flat out athleticism. He averaged 21 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game and has what it takes to be able to take a game over and lead his team to a win on any give night.
Isaac Blair, South Central
Maybe the most skilled player in the entire district. Blair scored 22 points and added 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists a game in a season full of adversity for the Trojans. Despite going 9-13, the Trojans are still a very dangerous team because they will have arguably th ebest player on the court every night in the tournament.
Logan Toms, Lucas
Maybe the players with the most tools in the district. Toms can score, pass, handle the ball, score from the block, hit a mid-range jumper, knock down the three and might be the best defender in the district as well. He averaged 16 points, six rebounds and three assists all while guarding the other team's best player. Anyone who can play that hard for 32 minutes is an All-Ohioan in my book.
Isaac Mason, Seneca East
Mason saw his numbers dip a little bit, but he might be the best scorer in the entire district. Last year, he averaged 27 points a game. This year, he is down to 16 a night, but he is also pulling in eight rebounds and handing out 4.9 assists so even though he isn't doing all of the scoring this year, he is still impacting the scoreboard just as much as he has in years past. The Tigers are dangerous because they can as Mason to go get them a bucket when they need it and he can, and will.
jfurr@gannett.com
740-244-9934
Twitter: @JakeFurr11
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Jake Furr’s Boys Basketball Bracketology 101: Everything you need to know about the tournament
