State preview Warren Harding vs. Columbus Northland

When: Friday, 5:15 p.m. Where: Value City Arena, ColumbusSFlbTickets: $10 Other semifinal: Cin. Princeton (24-1) vs. Tol. St. John’s (20-5), 8:30 p.m. Friday. State final: Saturday, 8:30 p.m.

Harding (23-2)

Final AP rank: 8th State semifinalist: 1966, 2009 Points per game: 74 Opponents’ points per game: 58 Coach: Steve Arnold, 7th year, 134-29

Starters

No.Pos.NameHt.Yr.PPG

30FAngel Gonzalez6-5Jr.17.0 44FO’Neal Brown6-7Jr.4.0 23GFred Williams6-0Jr.15.0 3GDesmar Jackson6-5Sr.21.0 34GParis Bruner5-10Sr.6.0

Schedule/results

90East53 72Euclid56 78Farrell56 77Shaker Hts.42 65St. Ignatius58 66Massillon47 70Canton Timken60 83Boardman53 87Mansfield Senior69 84Erie Strong Vincent54 71Ursuline43 63Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary65 85Chaney69 100Warren JFK27 43Zainesville44 70Cardinal Mooney50 82Cle. Glenville56 74East55 74Mentor72 68Cle. John Adams54 64Cle. Hts.57 52St. Ignatius42 61St. Edward57

Raiders scouting report: Harding lost senior guard Sheldon Brogdon to an ACL injury against SVSM but its other players, particularly senior guard Desmar Jackson (a University of Wyoming recruit), junior guard Fred Williams and junior forward Angel Gonzalez have stepped up over the past few weeks. Those three score the bulk of Harding’s points. Jackson is the team’s best player and has superior size, wingspan and athleticism for a guard. “Everything funnels through Desmar,” said Arnold. “As Desmar goes, this basketball team goes.” The Raiders like to push the ball and use strong man-to-man defense and a half-court trap to create opportunities on offense. They’ll be undersized against Northland, but they’re active on the offensive glass (particularly Gonzalez) and can knock down 3-pointers. Paris Bruner is a defensive specialist while O’Neal Brown is a hustling bruiser inside. Isiaha Henderson, a versatile wingman, is a scoring threat off the bench. Sophomore guard Tre’ Brown and senior guard Alquan Holley also see action. “We have a lot of guys who can hurt you on a given night,” said Arnold. Harding has an advantage at the guard position so it will need to speed up the tempo and shoot well outside to have a chance.

Northland (25-1)

Final AP rank: 1st State semifinalist: 2009 Coach: Satch Sullinger, 9th year, 122-76 Points per game: 69.0 Opponents’ points per game: 48.0

Starters

No.Pos.NameHt.Yr.PPG

50FJavon Cornley6-5Sr.8.9 34CJared Sullinger6-9Jr.18.9 10PGTrey Burke5-11So.9.3 24GJD Weatherspoon6-6Jr.14.0 30GDimonde Hale6-4Sr.9.4

Schedule/results

69White Station (Memphis, Tenn.)55 61Dayton Dunbar55 56Cols. Brookhaven35 80Cols. Centennial37 73Cols. East49 86Cols. Whetstone38 71Cincinnati Aiken45 88Cols. Linden-McKinley47 56San Diego39 80Cols. Mifflin45 63Cols. Brookhaven48 62Cols. Centennial45 59Cols. East42 61Canton Timken67 80Cols. Beechcroft73 55Cols. Whetstone40 76Linden-McKinley35 79Cols. Beechcroft67 91Cols. Mifflin39 62Cols. Eastmoor Academy56 70Pataskala Watkins25 65Dublin Jerome46 64Cols. Whetstone50 59Westerville North56 70Grove City64 54Dublin Scioto53

Vikings scouting report: Northland is led by Ohio State recruit Jared Sullinger, this year’s Mr. Basketball who is the top-ranked junior in the country according to some scouting services. Sullinger, whos father coaches the team, is the brother of former Ohio State standout J.J. Sullinger and current Kent State forward Julian Sullinger. His size (260 pounds), athleticism and basketball savvy create a matchup nightmare for every team, particularly one like Harding which doesn’t have a strong low post presence. Sullinger can also handle the ball and shoot the 3. Forward Javon Cornley is a four-year starter who will play football at Indiana and junior JD Weatherspoon has already committed to Xavier. Senior Dimonde Hale is the team’s defensive stoper. “In my opinion, he’s the best defensive player in the state,” said Satch Sullinger. The Vikings prefer to play a half-court game on offense, using their frontline size to dominate teams, and play man-to-man defense. If Northland can dictate tempo and work the ball inside, it could be a long night for the Raiders.

Joe Scalzo