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OHSAA boys basketball brackets | Louisville, Green, GlenOak, Malvern lead area seeds

josh weir, canton repository
·4 min read

The road to Dayton has been revealed for Stark County-area boys basketball teams looking to make a run to the Ohio High School Athletic Association state final four next month. The 2024 OHSAA boys basketball state tournament draws have been released and the top teams in the area now can see their paths to the finals at University of Dayton Arena.

The boys basketball postseason starts Feb. 19. The state tournament at UD Arena is March 22-24. Here's what the tournament draw looks like for Greater Canton's top boys basketball teams:

Louisville's Brayden Gross shoots in the second half with pressure from McKinley's Anthony Chavers at Louisville Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.
Louisville's Brayden Gross shoots in the second half with pressure from McKinley's Anthony Chavers at Louisville Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.

Louisville boys basketball staying close to home

The 17-2 Leopards earned the best seed of any area Division I team, and their reward is not having to leave eastern Stark County for a potential district run. The No. 4 seed out 76 Division I teams in Northeast Ohio, Louisville is in the Northeast 2 Alliance district, meaning they would host two sectional games and then have about an 11-mile trip to Alliance's Harry Fails Gymnasium for two district games. The closest seed on the Leopards' side of bracket is battle-tested No. 26 Medina (10-8). No. 9 GlenOak (14-5), No. 17 Canton McKinley (13-7) and No. 29 Cleveland Heights (11-9) all loom on the other side of Louisville's bracket as dangerous opponents. The Leopards beat visiting McKinley 71-67 in an entertaining game on Feb. 2, led by junior Brayden Gross' 29 points and 11 rebounds.

Regional destination: The Northeast 2 Alliance winner advances to Kent State.

Green's Jarrett Taylor scores in the fourth quarter of McKinley at Green boys basketball. Friday, February 09, 2024.
Green's Jarrett Taylor scores in the fourth quarter of McKinley at Green boys basketball. Friday, February 09, 2024.

Green boys basketball lands in Euclid district

Green (14-4), having already won at least a share of the Federal League championship, earned the next best seed at No. 6 of any area D1 team after Louisville. The Bulldogs, who won a district championship two years ago, chose the Northeast 3 Euclid district for their path. No. 14 Mentor (11-6) looms as a potential district semifinal opponent, with the Cardinals' lightning pace serving as a stark contrast to controlled Green. No. 13 Jackson (14-4) is on the other side of the bracket, with a potential district semifinal matchup with No. 7 Dover (15-3). As for some of the area's other better seeds, No. 16 Hoover (12-6) and No. 23 Massillon (12-7) will have to do some traveling if a district run is in store. The Vikings are in the Northeast 5 Elyria district, while the Tigers are in the Northeast 6 Lakewood district.

Regional destinations: The Northeast 3 Euclid winner advances to Kent State, while the Northeast 5 Elyria and Northeast 6 Lakewood winners advance to a site to be announced.

Northwest’s Tristan Pennington makes a pass as Canton South defends on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.
Northwest’s Tristan Pennington makes a pass as Canton South defends on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

Northwest boys basketball earns best seed of area Division II teams

Northwest (13-5) earned the best seed of area Division II team at No. 11 out of 62 teams and chose the Northeast 5 Louisville district as its path. A district semifinal vs. No. 5 Canfield (15-4) could await. No. 3 Norwayne (17-1), No. 8 Glenville (16-3) and No. 19 Buchtel (11-7) all loom on the other side of the bracket. No. 21 Canton South (12-7) is in the Northeast 3 district at Akron North. Minerva (11-9) and Carrollton (9-12) are seeded eighth and 10th, respectively, in the 21-team D2 East District and could meet in an East 1 sectional final. The Minerva-Beaver Local first-round winner advances to face Carrollton.

Regional destinations: The Northeast 3 Akron North and Northeast 5 Louisville winners both go to Canton Memorial Field House. The East 1 winner goes to Ohio University.

Central Catholic’s Gavin Layman drives past Massillon’s Dre'Shaun Jackson on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
Central Catholic’s Gavin Layman drives past Massillon’s Dre'Shaun Jackson on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.

Canton Central Catholic, Malvern and Sandy Valley dangerous Division III boys basketball teams

Central Catholic was the only area district champion last season, and the Crusaders (11-7) are a threat once again. Seeded No. 8 in the Division III Northeast 1 Niles district, Central has a potential district semifinal matchup with No. 3 Crestwood (17-2), while No. 2 LaBrae (17-2) is on the other side of the bracket. Malvern (18-0) and Sandy Valley (14-6) are seeded first and sixth, respectively, in the 15-team East district. The two IVC foes would meet in a district championship game. The powerful Hornets look to break a string of four straight district final losses.

Regional destinations: The Northeast 1 Niles winner goes to Canton Memorial Field House. The East winner goes to Ohio University.

East Canton's Jaedyn McLeod goes to the hoop with pressure from Buckeye Trail's Donovan Geiger in the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.
East Canton's Jaedyn McLeod goes to the hoop with pressure from Buckeye Trail's Donovan Geiger in the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.

Lake Center Christian and East Canton boys basketball teams lead the way in Division IV

Fresh off knocking off No. 1 seed Warren JFK 69-65 on Friday behind 28 points from Tanner Norman, Lake Center Christian (14-5) gained the No. 8 seed and chose the Northeast 3 Struthers district. No. 7 New Middletown Springfield (15-4) is a potential district semifinal opponent. On the other side of the Struthers bracket is East Canton (14-6) at No. 9. The Hornets' potential path includes No. 12 Dalton (11-7) in a sectional final and No. 3 Mogadore (15-3) in a district semifinal.

Regional destination: The Struthers winner goes to Canton Memorial Field House.

Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com 

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: OHSAA high school boys basketball tournament brackets, draw released