OHIO HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TOURNAMENT BASKETBALL : Sectional BREAKDOWNS

Division I, Region 2 Cleveland

Copley District: No. 28 East

Solon District: No. 4 Warren Harding

Euclid District: No. 24 Howland

Canton District: No. 20 Austintown Fitch, No. 23 Boardman

Favorite: Warren Harding

No coach wants his players entering the postseason with regular-season losses still weighing on their minds. Despite having lost two of its last five down the stretch, that’s not something Warren Harding head coach Andy Vlajkovich is worried about.

The Raiders (17-4, 11-1 AAC Red) lost to Division II Poland and Division III Ursuline and still have a late-season matchup with Massillon Jackson on the schedule.

“I don’t think that’s really affected us,” Vlajkovich said. “I’m not going to let it bother our team. I think you have to look at style of play more than wins and losses this time of the year.”

They’ve enjoyed their first season as a member of the All-American Conference, finishing atop the Red Division alongside Poland. But more importantly, Vlajkovich believes his team is prepared for whatever styles are thrown their way in the tournament.

“We kind of pride ourselves on running, but you also can get in the half-court grind game and we’re prepped for that, too,” he said. “I think though, if you notice in March, no matter where the basketball is being played it’s more of a half-court game. It just is.”

Harding will need that type of versatility with its tournament draw. The Raiders will meet resistance, should they reach the district semifinals, against Mentor. The two teams played a “very, very competitive” scrimmage before this season. After that, it’s top-seeded Shaker Heights.

“We know a lot about those teams in Cleveland,” Vlajkovich said. “We keep up with them, we scout them, our kids know their kids. So we’re excited to make a run here.”

Sleeper: Austintown Fitch

If we’re being completely honest, none of the remaining teams have much of a chance to get past their first-round opponent. But let’s go with Austintown Fitch for argument’s sake.

The Falcons (12-8, 6-6 AAC Red) have won their last seven games and are hoping to ride that wave right into district play. Stow-Munroe Falls will certainly have something to say about that in the opening-round matchup, but crazier upsets have happened.

Division II, Region 5 Canton

Warren District: No. 1 Poland, No. 2 Canfield, No. 3 Cardinal Mooney, No. 4 Struthers, No. 5 Lakeview, No. 6 Niles, No. 7 West Branch, No. 8 Salem, No. 12 Hubbard

Ashtabula District: No. 4 Jefferson

Favorite: Poland

It’s easier to list the reasons why Poland will be back in the regional semifinals than it is to find the team’s flaws.

The Bulldogs (19-2, 11-1 AAC Red) have been on a roll of late, stringing together 13 consecutive wins following a Jan. 3 loss at Harding. The run has included a pair of wins over rival Canfield — the region’s second-ranked team — and an impressive payback win over the Raiders to split the season series. An area coach in the district needed just one word to sum up how his team matches up against the Bulldogs: “awful.”

You’d be hard pressed to find a better 3-point shooting team in the area, with pretty much anybody head coach Ken Grisdale puts on the floor posing a threat. The Bulldogs have as much depth as anyone, which will only improve with the return of 6-foot-5 senior Tate Duarte, who missed the last eight games due to injury.

Poland’s kryptonite over the years has been Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, much like many Valley teams who run into the same buzz saw in the postseason (see Hubbard football). This year’s Irish team is unbeaten and holds the top spot in the state’s Division II ranking.

Not sure this is the Poland team to take down the Irish.

Sleeper: Cardinal Mooney

Just because Cardinal Mooney head coach Brian Danilov doesn’t have a winning formula doesn’t mean his Cardinals won’t be a tough out in the tournament.

Andrew Armstrong plays a key factor on a team that prides itself on defense. His versatility makes the Cardinals (12-7) a viable sleeper.

“We’re tying to get everyone on the same page and get our mojo going here,” Danilov said.

Should Mooney get past Ravenna and Hubbard in the first two rounds, a district semifinal matchup against Canfield would be fun. A district final battle with Poland would be even more fun.

“Hopefully we can get in a nice groove and keep improving,” said Danilov, whose team has two regular-season games left on the schedule.

“You can go fast by yourself. If you want to go far, you go together.”

Division III, Region 9 Canton

Salem District: No. 1 Springfield, No. 3 Lisbon, No. 4 South Range, No. 6 Campbell, No. 7 Columbiana, No. 8 Southern, No. 9 Crestview, No. 10 East Palestine, No. 11 United, No. 12 Jackson-Milton

Warren District: No. 1 Ursuline, No. 2 Girard, No. 3 Brookfield, No. 4 Newton Falls, No. 5 LaBrae, No. 8 Liberty, No. 10 Champion

Favorite: Ursuline

In a region that includes an undefeated team, Ursuline is still the favorite. The Irish (16-5) have the potential to make this season into something special.

Point guard Mark Hughes is the best player in the area and plays the most important position on the floor. His ability to create on his own and finish at the rim is something that cannot be overlooked this time of year. And if defenses decided to help, the Irish have the shooters around Hughes — namely Greg Parella — to make you pay.

Ursuline beat Canton Central Catholic by 10 in the regular season and area teams like Girard and Springfield will have difficulty matching up with the Irish, who should be playing in Canton.

Sleeper: Springfield

The good news for Springfield is it won’t have to face Ursuline until the regional final, should both teams advance that far.

The bad news for the Tigers (21-0, 14-0 ITCL Tier One) is Canton Central Catholic is the second seed in their district. Only Salem stands between Springfield and a perfect regular season. But much tougher challenges await the Tigers when they return to Salem in March for district play.

Division IV, Region 13 Canton

Struthers District: No. 2 McDonald, No. 3 Lowellville, No. 4 Western Reserve, No. 5 Leetonia, No. 6 Lordstown, No. 7 Wellsville, No. 8 Sebring, No. 10 Youngstown Christian, No. 11 Mineral Ridge, No. 12 Heartland Christian

Orwell District: No. 1 Warren JFK, No. 2 Maplewood, No. 4 Bristol, No. 5 Southington, No. 6 Mathews, No. 8 Badger

Favorite: McDonald

The top seed in the district is Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas, and rightfully so. But McDonald has a chance to play spoiler, if the Blue Devils can reach the district final.

McDonald (14-5, 10-3 ITCL Tier Two) has largely been overlooked in the ITCL this year with the success of Springfield and Lisbon in Tier One. Late-season wins over Western Reserve and Sebring should provide confidence.

It’s not likely the Blue Devils make too deep a run, but playing a game or two in the Struthers Field House isn’t out of the question.

Sleeper: Warren JFK

It’s been a bit of a bumpy year for a Warren JFK team that had high aspirations in November.

Plagued by inconsistent shooting and a nagging injury at midseason to senior James Burney, the Eagles (8-10, 1-7 North Coast League) enter tournament play as a question mark. They had just one win in the extremely difficult North Coast League that includes nationally ranked Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Cleveland Central Catholic and St. Thomas Aquinas.

With a senior heavy roster, the Eagles still have a chance to salvage the season with a run in the Orwell District of the Canton region in Division IV.

— Kevin Connelly, The Vindicator