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Canton Central Catholic (12-11)- The Crusaders have struggled this year playing an independent schedule. Playing multiple big schools have given CCC different looks during the season. A win over Colonel Crawford is an example the Crusaders can beat said big teams. With Will Minor in the paint, the Crusaders will look to pull two straight upsets against LaBrae and Akron Manchester to get a District title.
Fairview (16-7)- The Warriors enter the tournament as the 6-seed in the Northeast District. Fairview is a team that is capable of scoring in the high 70s and has been able to score against some tougher teams during the year. The Warriors have already defeated Mentor Lake Catholic to start the tournament and had put together two straight double-digit wins entering tournament play. Keystone (18-5)- The Wildcats started the season with 8 straight wins before seeing some of their losses trickle in throughout the season. The one positive? Keystone’s losses have all been by 6 or less points. This is a team capable of creating problems for 32 minutes and has a heck of a matchup potentially with Chagrin Falls if the two advance to the District Finals. Lutheran East (18-2)- The defending Division V state champions are again the top seed in Northeast Ohio and are the favorites to cut down the nets at UD Arena. The Falcons have beaten Reynoldsburg, Westerville North, Cleveland St. Ignatius and Garfield Heights while playing an extremely competitive schedule. Their lone losses came to Maysville and St. Ed’s. Chris Hill and Dylan Zeigler lead the Lue.
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Indian Lake (18-5)- The Lakers entered the tournament as one of the better offensive teams and having one of the best scorers in Brodey Reisinger. February wasn’t a great month though as the Lakers went 2-3 and had a 3-game losing streak entering their 1st round game. A recent win over Milton-Union got them back to winning, but Preble Shawnee will be the next matchup and will be looking to catch and disrupt the Lakers’ momentum.
Summit Country Day (11-9)- The Silver Knights have dealt with injuries this year and they haven’t been near as successful as originally hoped. However, their schedule is brutal. Losses to Cincinnati Wyoming, Bishop Hartley, Badin, Cincinnati St. Xavier and Youngstown Ursuline are far from unimpressive. But the Silver Knights lack that one signature win to make them a no-brainer pick. Max Joiner and Tim Martin can change a game though and could get them rolling. Versailles (17-6)- The Tigers were hot to start the year, winning 9 of their first 10 games of the season. While they cooled off in conference play, they still earned the 3-seed on the Dayton side of the District. Drake Ahrens has been leading this group since his freshman year and has helped guide the Tigers to wins over Tippecanoe, Minster and Indian Lake. Their biggest test may come in a potential District Final as the undefeated Williamsburg Wildcats could be waiting. Waynesville (22-2)- After dropping 2 of their first 4 games on the year, the Spartans put together 18 straight victories to earn the top seed in the Dayton District. Wins over Valley View, Oakwood (twice) and Trenton Edgewood stand out. Zevin Sesslar has been instrumental so far this year and has the Spartans playing with a lot of confidence. Waynesville has already won two tournament games to stretch their win streak to 20 games going into the District Finals. Africentric (18-4)- The Nubians are again back in the conversation as a notable team out of Columbus in Division V. Behind a senior heavy group headlined by Josh Smith Jr and Rohaun Hardy, the Nubians have beaten Walnut Ridge, Groveport-Madison and Centennial on the season and earned the 2-seed in the District. Tight losses to Hilliard Bradley, Walnut Ridge and Gahanna Lincoln demonstrate the competitiveness the Nubians play with.
Columbus Academy (19-4)- The Vikings are the top seed in the Central District and enter the tournament winners of 14 straight games. After starting the season 0-2, wins over Bishop Ready, Bishop Watterson and Columbus DeSales stand out as notable. With Harvard commit Jason Singleton leading, the Vikings could see Bishop Ready for the 3rd time this season in a potential District Final. Genoa (23-0)- One of the few unbeatens in Ohio, the Comets have beaten Millbury Lake (twice), Maumee Valley Country Day and Keystone during the regular season. Led by Ryan Plantz, Genoa earned the top seed in their District and will be eyeing a potential matchup with Paulding in a District Final. The Comets defeated Western Reserve already and will face Liberty-Benton on March 3rd in their next game. Margaretta (20-3)- The Polar Bears have an exciting player in Julian Washington and have defeated nearly everyone they’ve faced so far this year. Washington along with Judah Keller put Margaretta in a position to compete through the District tournament. All 3 of Margeretta’s losses are by 6 points or less and to quality opponents. Could this be the year the Polar Bears get to UD Arena? Chesapeake (20-3)- The Panthers have an exciting player and have been winning big all season. Maddox Kazee can score in volume and leads this group on both ends of the floor. The Achilles’ Heel for this group is the 2-seed Ironton. 2 of the 3 losses for Chesapeake came against the Tigers. Fortunately, the Panthers wouldn’t see Ironton until potentially the Regionals.
St. Clairsville (16-7)- The Red Devils were the East District top team despite their 7 losses. Behind Griffin Straub, St. Clairsville has been competitive throughout the season. When your losses come to Delphos St. John’s or Steubenville it’s hard to judge. A District Final game with Martins Ferry could be intriguing. The Red Devils have beaten the Purple Raiders twice already this year. West Muskingum (19-5)- This Tornadoes team might be one of the bigger dark horses in Division V. While they don’t have a ton of quality wins, they hung around with Maysville and John Glenn in losses. The recent Maysville loss has been the Tornadoes only defeat since the calendar switched to 2026. They’ve already defeated Fairless and Sandy Valley by double figures to set up a showdown with Harrison Central. Wheelersburg (14-6)- The Pirates have been up-and-down this year after starting the year with 6 straight wins. Victories over Ironton and South Webster are impressive and reinforce this group can beat some of the better teams in their District. A recent victory over Minford gave the Pirates their first win in the tournament and a matchup with Fairland awaits. Then a potential District Final rematch with Ironton could be in the cards should both teams keep advancing. Chillicothe Unioto (19-3)- The Shermans have been one of those teams that always find a way to be in the mix at a District and Regional level. This year’s team started with 15 wins. But victories over Leesburg Fairfield and Miami Trace solidify the Shermans are truly one of the top teams in the District this year. Blake Fitch has been an instrumental part of their run thus far.
Circleville (21-2)- The Tigers earned the top seed in the Southeast District and for good reason. Currently riding a 16-game win streak, Circleville has beaten Miami Trace, Hamilton Township and Chillicothe Unioto in the regular season. Behind Ed Kirk and Kole Nungester, the Tigers have the 1-2 punch to compete for a District title. John Glenn (22-1)- The Little Muskies dropped a game to Maysville on December 9th. That has been the only time John Glenn has been beaten this year. Their resume is impressive with victories over Berlin Hiland, Cambridge and Marietta on the season. Stehl Bates has guided the Muskies as they look towards an interesting potential matchup. A District Final could feature a rematch with Cambridge. And a Regional rematch with Maysville could be in the cards. Zanesville Maysville (22-1)- The defending Division IV state champions took a loss to Cincinnati Taft on the first game of the year. Since then, they’ve won 22 straight games. The resume for those 22 games is impressive. Victories over Archbishop Alter, John Glenn, Akron SVSM, Lutheran East and Bishop Hartley prove the Panthers are clearly favorites to repeat behind Gator Nichols and Jordyn Watson. Archbishop Alter (16-6)- The Knights are always one of the better teams in Dayton and had a tall task replacing a winning 2025 class. Wins over Badin, Northmont and Tippecanoe are impressive, and the Knights enter the postseason on a 5-game win streak. Freshman William Peagler Jr has had a breakout season and looks to lead the Knights to yet another Regional appearance.
Caledonia River Valley (18-5)- The Vikings started the season 3-3 with tough losses to Olentangy Berlin, Jonathan Alder and Bishop Watterson. Since then River Valley has found their footing and have dropped just two games. Wins over Ontario (twice) and Shelby (twice) were impressive as the Vikings sit as the 2-seed. A potential District Final with Johnstown will be intriguing as the Vikings won by 3 in OT just a few weeks ago. Cincinnati Wyoming (20-2)- The Cowboys were arguably the best team in Division IV at one point with an 18-0 start. Wins over Centerville, Huber Heights Wayne, LaSalle and Ferndale (MI) prove how talented this group is. Back-to-back losses to Cincinnati St. Xavier and Elder ended the unbeaten campaign, but Wyoming still enters the tournament as Cincinnati’s top seed. Kellen Wiley and Carlyle Billingsley have been instrumental for the past 4 years and will try to get over the Regional hump. Dayton Northridge (22-1)- The Polar Bears took a tough loss to Westerville North back in December. Since then Northridge has won 20-straight games with victories over Mason, Margaretta, Troy Christian (twice) and Lehman Catholic (twice). Sophomore Keonte Smith has proven he is the state’s most talented 2028 prospect and put the Polar Bears on his back. A potential District Semifinal with Dunbar poses a test, as does a District Final with Cincinnati Taft. If Northridge can come out victorious in both games, they have a real chance to win the Region. Canfield (20-3)- The addition of Jace Riccardo has helped Canfield as they earned the top seed in the Northeast District. While the Cardinals losses came to the likes of Youngstown Ursuline and Alliance, they don’t have as many big wins to compare with other teams in the District.
Cleveland Glenville (14-9)- The Tarblooders started the 2025 calendar year 2-4 with close losses to mainly bigger schools. SInce then Glenville has been up and down. They have wins over the likes of Hawken and Brunswick. But also have losses to Cleveland Rhodes and Bedford. Even with the record they have, Glenville is the highest seed in their District and should be able to get to the District Final. Norton (21-2)- A bit of an unknown to individuals outside of Northeast Ohio, the Panthers started the season 17-0 with victories over Woodridge and Medina Highland. Losses to Lutheran East and Akron Ellet were the only times Norton was defeated. The Panthers can put the ball in the bucket at a high rate, with numerous games scoring in the mid-70s. They could have a major test in front of them with a potential District Final with 3-seeded Cleveland Central Catholic. Warrensville Heights (13-9)- The Tigers did not end the regular season on best of terms splitting their final 8 games. Another team with a tough schedule, the Tigers have shown they can hang with different styles of basketball and compete with some of the best teams in the state. Recently scored 102 points in their first tournament game. The Tigers may face Cleveland Benedictine in a potential District FInal. Jonathan Alder (18-5)- The Pioneers earned the top seed in the Central District behind their sophomore combo of Danny Bentley and Byron Byerly. Alder only dropped one game in CBC play and has the tradition to be a tough out for anyone in March.
Millbury Lake (18-5)- The Flyers looked good to start the season, but have come down to Earth in February. After defeating Clyde in their first round game, Lake now prepares for Otsego, a team they split the regular season with. If the Flyers can win game #3 and potentially a District Final with Ottawa-Glandorf, they could make some noise in Regionals. Sandusky Perkins (21-2)- The Pirates started the season 15-0 with wins over Keystone and Willard in the process. Close losses against Sandusky and Oregon Clay by a combined 7 points are the only blemishes on Perkins’ resume. A football powerhouse, Perkins looks the part to be a District champion. Van Wert (17-6)- The Cougars are one of the younger teams in their District. Wins over Lincolnview and Wapakoneta certainly help. However, the Cougars entered the tournament on a 3-game losing streak. While none of the losses could be considered “bad losses”, it still is never great to enter March with losses. They did defeat Napoleon in their first game and will push for a deep postseason run. Bishop Hartley (15-5)- Led by Jakhi Calloway, Hartley has earned the top seed in the Central District while competing in the always physical Central Catholic League. The Hawks have went up against the likes of Newark, Winton Woods and Maysville outside of their league play. Entering the tournament, they have lost 2 of their last 3, including a 38-point loss to Independence. Hartley could potentially have a 3rd game with St. Francis DeSales, who they split the regular season meetings with.
Marietta (20-4)- The Tigers play a mix of Ohio and West Virginia teams due to their location in the state. This gives them plenty of different styles to go up against on a nightly basis. One of the biggest wins came just three days ago as the Tigers stunned top seeded Miami Trace 55-52. If Marietta can get past New Philadelphia, a team that beat them in the regular season, there could be enough momentum for Marietta to make some noise in the Regionals. Steubenville (22-1)- Another team that plays a mix of OH/WV teams, the Big Red have lost just once on the year. They entered the tournament winners of 16- straight games. A 4-point victory over Dover put the Big Red in the District Finals to face Chillicothe. Led by Santino Haney, Steubenville might be the favorites in the District/Regional behind their guard play and winning culture this year. Walnut Ridge (14-9)- The Scots have not had the best season. After an 0-2 start, Walnut RIdge just hasn’t found their footing and have a mix of close losses and bigger losses. The positive? The Scots have a game with Columbus Centennial, a team they defeated 91-69 earlier in the year. Should Walnut Ridge beat them again, they have yet another big test with Bishop Watterson in a District Final. Badin (21-2)- The Rams entered the tournament with 15-straight wins and an impressive slate of victories. LaSalle, Archbishop Alter and Summit Country Day are just a few of the impressive wins Badin has on the year. Defense is what drives this group as they already defeated Talawanda 78-28 to start their run.
Cincinnati LaSalle (17-6)- The Lancers kickstarted the season 10-0 and defeated Hilliard Bradley and Fairfield to start the year off. Once the Lancers started GCL South play, the losses followed. While 3 of the Lancers’ 6 losses came in league play, they also picked up a quality win over Moeller. CJ Davis and Shamari Scales have been instrumental for this group on the season and will be leaned on for LaSalle to get back to Regionals. Hughes (18-5)- The Big Red started the season off 1-3. That stretch seems like such a far time ago as Hughes has won 12-straight games entering the tournament. Beating Aiken and North College Hill during the stretch, Hughes has looked to guard Le’Shawn Hill to guide their backcourt and has been a big reason why Hughes is in the position they’re in. Trotwood-Madison (17-4)- The Rams enter the tournament as Dayton’s best team in Division III and look to build off of last season’s Regional Final run. 3 of their 4 losses have came in the month of February, raising concerns for Trotwood entering tournament play. Guards Cari Reaves and Daveon Arnold have given the Rams high scoring options in the backcourt. A potential District Final with Goshen could be some must-watch action. |
Written by: Tony Peters & Seth KeimEdited and Published by: Seth Keim Archives
February 2026
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