The Ashland Arrows are headed on a road trip.
They enter Division II district tournament play where they have to travel to Toledo to try and get out of a rugged bracket that features three other teams out of the Toledo area.
Let’s break down both district matchups, look at the potential district championship games and meet some players who will stand out on the court this week.
Here is the Division II boys basketball district scouting report.
The Division II district semifinals matchups
No. 2 Toledo St. John’s (17-5) vs No. 7 Ashland (14-8) 6 p.m. March 4 at Toledo Central Catholic
The Arrows had a great season in 2025-26, finishing with a winning record for the first time since going 13-9 in 2021-22 and with the most regular season wins since 2020-21 when they won 18. They shared the Ohio Cardinal Conference championship with three other teams (Mansfield Senior, New Philadelphia and Dover) for their first title since 2021-22. Now, they are looking to get to a district championship game for the first time since 2014-15 and win their first district title since 2002-03. The Arrows have gone for years without a postseason win and 10 years without winning multiple tournament games. They hope to change that this year. In their way is No. 2 seed Toledo St. John’s which won 17 games in a brutal schedule against teams from all over the nation. It played teams from New York, Missouri and Michigan this year and more than held its own. If the Arrows can get by TSJ, they could be the favorites to win the district.
No. 3 Toledo St. Francis de Sales (13-9) vs No. 4 Toledo Start (11-8) 8 p.m. March 4 at Toledo Central Catholic
St. Francis completed a solid regular season with 13 wins. It never lost more than three in a row and never won more that four straight, so it has been a bit of an up-and-down year with no real consistency, but that is what you get when you play an independent schedule full of top-notch competition. St. Francis did beat Start 52-46 back on Feb. 16 and also split with St. John’s with a 61-37 loss on Dec. 12 and a 69-67 win on Jan. 6. So, St. Francis could easily be the district champion of this tournament. Start won 11 regular season games, but won 10 of the first 13 games before going 1-5 down the stretch. Start is reeling a little bit, but the last three losses of the season came to Lima Senior, St. Francis and Toledo Central Catholic. Not an easy path by any means.
Potential Division II district final matchup
No. 2 Toledo St. John’s (17-5)/No. 7 Ashland (14-8) vs No. 3 Toledo St. Francis de Sales (13-9)/No. 4 Toledo Start (11-8) 2 p.m. March 7 at Toledo Central Catholic
Players to Watch
Paxon Ediger, Ashland
Ediger is the Ohio Cardinal Conference Player of the Year after averaging 23.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and two steals per game. He was also a first team selection in the OCC and District 6. The kid is an absolute baller and has the Arrows believing in a nice tournament run. He can knock down free throws, shoot the three, pull up in the midrange and get to the basket. He is as complete of a player as there is in this district.
Race Kowalczyk, Toledo St. John’s
Kowalczyk is headed to Bradley University to play college basketball next year. He averaged 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists while earning first team Catholic High School Leage that features teams out of the Detroit area. He was also a first team All-District 7 selection and led his team to a CHSL championship, the first time a Toledo team has won the ultra-competitive league in history. He shoots 41% from three and 84% from the foul line. Yeah, this kid is good.
Alan Horton, Toledo St. Francis
Horton averaged 14.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists for St. Francis this season. He is a first team CHSL and two-time District 7 Player of the Year. He swats 2.1 shots per game and at 6-9, he is a dynamic rim protector. He is headed to Miami of Ohio next year and is a McDonald’s All-American nominee. He is really, really good.
J’Khai Jefferson, Toledo Start
Jefferson helped Scott to 11 regular season wis in the Toledo City League where he earned first team honors, as well as first team District 7. The 6-foot-senior guard is a play maker to the fullest and could help Start pull off an upset if he gets his teammates involved.
jfurr@usatodayco.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ashland set for road trip to Division II district boys hoops tournament
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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