The Division VI district tournament features some of the best teams in the entire state.
Six of the eight teams in the district brackets that feature local teams have winning records, and the other two have impressive victories on their resumes that give them confidence heading into their matchups.
Let’s break down all four 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 VI boys basketball district scouting report.
The Division VI district semifinal games
No. 1 Colonel Crawford (20-2) vs No. 7 Wynford (7-16) 6 p.m. March 4 at Willard
The Colonel Crawford Eagles come in as the defending district and regional champions, and they look like they are on their way back to a district championship game. The Eagles put together another 20-win season, which included two wins over Wynford in Northern 10 Athletic Conference play. They beat the Royals 77-27 back on Dec. 20 and 76-29 on Jan. 17, so it is easy to see that they come in as the heavy favorite. This marks the 15th straight season the Eagles have won at least one tournament game as they have won a sectional championship in each of those years. If they win, it will be the 13th time in those 15 years they have at least two postseason wins. The Royals come in as a young team trying to build something sustainable and this year has been a solid start. They knocked off Mohawk in the sectional final after splitting with the Warriors during the season. It was the first postseason victory for the Royals since the 2016-17 season and the last sectional title since 2015-16.
No. 3 Patrick Henry (19-4) vs No. 6 Toledo Christian (8-15) 8 p.m. March 4 at Millbury Lake
Patrick Henry started the year off like gang busters winning the first eight games of the season before going through a tough stretch where it went 1-3 with losses to Columbus Grove, Evergreen and Miller City. The Patriots rebounded nicely with another eight-game winning streak before splitting their last two games of the regular season. They have a solid squad with plenty of height and athletes at nearly every position. Toledo Christian has a roller coaster kind of season. It never won more than two consecutive games and never had a losing streak last longer than four games. TC did play a very tough schedule for a Division VI team with games against Maumee Valley Country Day, Millbury Lake, Bowling Green and Ottawa Hills just to name a few. There may not be a team more battle tested in the district.
No. 1 Van Buren (19-3) vs No. 2 Columbus Grove (17-6) 6 p.m. March 4 at Liberty-Benton
Van Buren started the season off with a 55-39 loss to Ottawa-Glandorf before going on an absolute heater with 17 straight wins before falling to their eventual district semifinal opponent, Columbus Grove, 51-45 on Feb. 7. Grove has had an interesting season. It lost to Arlington 55-39, beat Patrick Henry 51-48 and beat Van Buren 51-45 in some very close contests. Grove could easily be considered the best team in its side of the district bracket despite being a No. 2 seed in the pod. This one should be one heck of a basketball game.
No. 2 Seneca East (17-6) vs No. 4 Crestview (13-10) 7:30 p.m. March 4 at Willard
These two teams met in a preseason scrimmage with Crestview kind of controlling things, but there have been 23 games and several months since then so it will be a great way to measure just how much each team has improved. Seneca East played four Firelands Conference teams this season going 3-2 with wins over South Central and Plymouth and losses to New London (Crestview’s sectional final opponent) and Monroeville. The Tigers have plenty of common opponents to compare themselves with Crestview. The Cougars had a tough start to the season going 4-7 in their first 11 games before closing out the second half of the season 8-3 to flip the script. They won five of their last six regular season games and went on the road to knock off New London in the sectional final for their fourth straight season with a postseason win. They are looking for a second straight trip to a district final.
The potential district final matchups
No. 1 Colonel Crawford (20-2)/No. 7 Wynford (7-16) vs No. 3 Patrick Henry (19-4)/No. 6 Toledo Christian (8-15) 6 p.m. March 6 at Willard High School.
No. 1 Van Buren (19-3)/No. 2 Columbus Grove (17-6) vs No. 2 Seneca East (17-6)/No. 4 Crestview (13-10) 6 p.m. March 6 at Liberty-Benton High School.
Players to watch
Brayden Holt, Colonel Crawford
The senior averaged 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.3 steals for the Eagles as he has more than 1,700 points in his career. He was the unanimous Northern 10 Athletic Conference and Division VI District 6 Player of the Year after earning first team All-Ohio and Northwest District Player of the Year honors last season. He is well on his way to a third consecutive season with All-Ohio honors. He is the engine who can score, set his teammates up for success and set the tone defensively. You won’t find a bigger gym rat.
Drew Stanek, Wynford
The sophomore averaged 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game for the Royals. He earned first team All-Northern 10 Conference and first team Division VI All-District 6 honors this season while leading the Royals to their first sectional championship in a decade. The Royals are in a youth movement and at the head of it is this sensational 6-foot-3 guard. Watch out for the Royals in the future.
Mack Hieber, Patrick Henry
The 6-6 senior forward averages 22.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals for the Patriots. He earned Division VI District 7 Player of the Year and Northwest Ohio Athletic League Player of the Year honors after a junior season where he was a third team All-Ohioan. He is the all-time leading scorer at PH with 1,473 points and counting. He is a great athlete and will head to Ohio State University to pitch next season. He would love nothing more than to close out his final basketball season with a district title.
Josiah Michalski, Toledo Christian
Michalski helped his team beat Lakota 56-55 in overtime in the sectional championship game with eight points. He did battle foul trouble all night and ended up fouling out with 1:16 left in OT so it might be safe to say if he could have avoided foul trouble, TC might not have needed OT to win. He is the most consistent player TC has on the roster and plays extremely hard on both ends of the court. TC has to be confident it can compete in any game with Michalski on the floor.
Cole Bishop, Van Buren
Bishop isn’t the Black Knights’ top scorer, but he is the guy who makes everything click. He averages 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals as a dynamic guard. He earned first team All-Blanchard Valley Conference after making 46 three-pointers and shooting 35.7% from deep. Van Buren has a very balanced team with eight seniors and five different players who led the team in scoring throughout the year. There are six guys who average between 5.1 and 9.7 points. Making sure Bishop doesn’t make those around him better will be the key to stopping the Black Knights.
Trevon Baxter, Columbus Grove
Baxter averaged 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.6 steals for the Bulldogs. He earned first team All-Northwest Conference and second team All-District 8 honors during his senior season. He does a lot of everything for the Bulldogs and the key will be making sure he doesn’t get everyone else involved so it makes the defense have to focus on multiple guys at once.
Luke Mason, Seneca East
Mason is without a doubt one of the most dynamic players in this district. He averaged 17 points while adding 4.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 3.3 steals per game for the Tigers. He can really fill it up as a career 1,000-point scorer while also facilitating as one of the Northern 10 Conference leaders in assists. He plays great defense and rebounds very well for a 5-foot-9 guard. He is the career leader in 3-pointers made and steals in N10 history and is a multi-year All-Ohioan. This kid is special.
Karter Goon, Crestview
Goon is a kid who can take over a game, and no one can do anything about it. He averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and 2.4 steals as a first team All-Firelands Conference and Division VI first team All-District 6 player. He is a 6-2 forward but handles the ball like a guard and plays inside like a 6-5 center. His athleticism is off the charts, and when the Cougars need a bucket, he is their guy. He has a chance to lead the Cougars to something that hasn’t happened in the program since the 1960s, lead a team to a district championship. Goon is a guy who can put a team on his back and take it to the promised land.
jfurr@usatodayco.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Colonel Crawford, Wynford, Crestview set for Division VI district semis
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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