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Of 64 teams making up 4 Ohio boys basketball Sweet 16s, only one, Malvern, is undefeated

steve doerschuk, canton repository
·4 min read
Malvern
Malvern

The Survivor Island with hoops remains slightly crowded.

Ohio boys basketball's four boys basketball "Sweet 16s" include 16 district champs from each of the Ohio High School Athletic Association's Division I, Division II, Division III and Division IV.

That's 64 teams retaining state championship dreams after fighting through fields of 128 in district finals, 256 in district semifinals and 512 in sectional finals.

Among all of them is just one undefeated team, Malvern.

The Hornets take a 26-0 record into Wednesday's 6 p.m. regional semifinals against McDermott Northwest (23-3) at the 13,000-seat Ohio University Convocation Center.

In its way, zero is the loneliest number. It was the first thing Martins Ferry head coach Derek Edwards mentioned after losing to Malvern 61-50 in Friday's district finals.

"Twenty-six and 'O,'" Edwards said as the Hornets cut down the nets. "That tells you how good they are."

The 64 teams still alive have 64 different stories — many would cite strength of schedule — as to why their records are what they are.

The ones other than Malvern with the best records are:

  • Division I: Olentangy Orange (25-1), Delaware Hayes (25-1), Garfield Heights (24-1) and Cincinnati Moeller (24-1). Area teams Jackson (22-4) and GlenOak (20-6) are in "the 16."

  • Division II: Lutheran West (23-2) and Shelby (23-2), Maysville (23-3), Cincinnati Wyoming (23-3), Columbus Hartley (23-3), Youngstown Ursuline (22-3) and Vincent Warren (22-3).

  • Division III: Tri-Village (24-2), McDermott Northwest (23-3), Margaretta (23-3), Preble Shawnee (22-3), Ottawa Glandorf (22-3) and Toledo Emmanuel Christian (22-3).

  • Division IV: Russia (25-1), Toledo Christian (25-1), Troy Christian (24-2), Lima Central Catholic (24-2), Pandora Gilboa (23-2).

It would take all day to cover the stories of hopefuls with more than a few losses. Around the state, that includes Toledo St. John's (17-8) in Division I, Toledo Central Catholic (12-14) in Division II, Versailles (14-11) in Division II.

Examples closer to home are Akron Hoban (18-7) in Division I, Canton Central Catholic (18-7) in Division III, and Dalton (16-9) and Berlin Hiland (20-6) in Division IV.

Then there is the lone wolf without a scratch. Malvern.

Malvern frequently puts up great records, so much so it may seem they roll the ball out and watch it trickle into a victory locker.

Head coach Dennis Tucci has spent decades learning the psychology behind a record.

Malvern boys basketball head coach Dennis Tucci, talking to his team during a game last season against East Canton, has guided the Hornets to a 26-0 record heading into regionals.
Malvern boys basketball head coach Dennis Tucci, talking to his team during a game last season against East Canton, has guided the Hornets to a 26-0 record heading into regionals.

"Everybody talks about teams facing adversity," Tucci said. "That's easy if you're a competitor. If your back is against the wall, what are you going to do? You're going to fight.

"Sometimes it's harder, and it never gets talked about, for a team to handle success.

"I'm impressed with this squad. They don't beat their chest and say look at me. They say, 'Who's next?'

"There's an an old saying, it's amazing what can get accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit. This team not only believes that. They live it every day. They say, 'Who's next?' And that's hard for high school kids."

Malvern's J'Allen Barrino, going up for a shot at East Canton last season, is the IVC North Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season.
Malvern's J'Allen Barrino, going up for a shot at East Canton last season, is the IVC North Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season.

Six-foot-3 Malvern senior J'Allen Barrino was the Inter-Valley Conference North Division Player of the Year.

"He's the best teammate," Tucci said. "He's always looking after the other kid. He's always trying to get us organized, always trying to keep it positive."

Barrino conceded the Martins Ferry game got hairy.

"Right now we're doing what we need to do to get past people," he said.

Martins Ferry put heat on the Hornets deep into the second half.

Malvern guard Drake Hutchison acknowledged the pressure, saying, "It's hard being undefeated."

Hutchison made clutch shots down the stretch, including must-have foul shots.

"Usually I practice until I make five in a row," Hutchison said. "Sometimes it takes me forever. When it's under pressure I make it. That's all that matters."

The biggest threats to Malvern's unbeaten regular season were East Canton (55-50) and Indian Valley (59-52).

Malvern's lineup features 6-5 junior Mitchell Minor, who made first-team, All-IVC along with Barrino.

The other starters are 6-2 senior Dylan Phillips, 6-2 junior Rodney Smith and 6-5 junior Jared Witherow. A 10-2 Malvern football team ran an offense built around quarterback Witherow throwing to star receivers Phillips and Smith and handing off to running back Hutchison.

"We've played together a whole lot," Phillips said. "The chemistry's just there."

So is the record.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Malvern High School is lone unbeaten in OHSAA boys basketball Sweet 16