What to watch: Wednesday's Stark County-area OHSAA boys basketball district semifinals

Division I and II high school boys basketball teams get to work Wednesday as the OHSAA tournament moves to neutral sites for district semifinals.

Four Stark County-area teams are in action. Let's take a look at the matchups — Louisville vs. Medina, Green vs. Mentor, Hoover vs. Brecksville and Minerva vs. Maysville — as they try to advance to district finals on Saturday.

Louisville (22-2) vs. Medina (14-10)

Division I, Northeast 2 at Alliance HS 

• A big question mark for this semifinal is Louisville big man Brayden Gross. The 6-6 junior rolled his right ankle in the No. 4 seed Leopards' 86-38 sectional final win against Firestone and is considered questionable for Wednesday. Gross averaged 16.2 points and 9.4 rebounds while shooting 63.9% from the floor in the regular season, but his impact goes beyond that. Gross is adept at breaking pressure and helping spark (and finish sometimes in spectacular fashion) Louisville's transition game. The good news for the Leopards is they have a lot of firepower, starting with senior wing Hayden Nigro. The senior lefty averaged 20.9 points through the regular season and became Louisville's all-time leading scorer in the Firestone game. His 1,410 career points rank 19th in Stark County history. He's gone to another level down the stretch, averaging 31.3 points his last four games. Junior point guard Beau Siegfried, the son of head coach Tom Siegfried, averaged 12.9 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 48.3% from the 3-point line through the regular season. No. 26 seed Medina's record doesn't jump off the page, but the Bees should not be overlooked. They are a battle-tested program that has faced a variety of tough teams and tough players. Brock Beech, a 6-4 senior, averages a team-high 14.4 points. Other capable scorers include 6-5 senior Connor Smith (10.3), 6-0 senior J.T. Mog (9.5) and 6-5 junior Kellon Johnson (9.2). Mog has made 53 3-pointers on the season.

• Up next: District final, Saturday, 2 p.m. vs. McKinley-GlenOak winner at Alliance.

Green (18-5) vs. Mentor (17-7)

Division I, Northeast 3 at Euclid HS 

• This matchup of the Federal League co-champion vs. the Greater Cleveland Conference champion should be an interesting contrast of styles. No. 6 seed Green likes to play games in the 50s or 60s, especially after injuries to Lucas Bitong and Antonio Martin that have robbed the Bulldogs of their backcourt depth. No. 14 Mentor can't score enough, averaging 88.6 points and scoring 108 and 112 points, respectively, in its two sectional wins. The Cardinals' Ian Ioppolo has made 77 3-pointers this season. Green has made 92 3s as a team. Ioppolo, a 6-foot-5 senior, averages 26.6 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 35.5% from the arc. Mentor's Matthew Biddell, a 6-4 senior, adds 23.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He's made 55 3-pointers at a 40.4% clip. Green will lean heavily on seniors Brady Rollyson and Jarrett Taylor. The 6-4 Rollyson, an Ohio State baseball recruit, averages 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 52.6% from the floor. The 6-6 Taylor, who basically plays a point forward type of position, averages 11.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks. This shouldn't be too bad of a coaching matchup, either, with Green's Mark Kinsley and Mentor's Bob Krizancic combining for more than 1,100 career wins.

• Up next: District final, Saturday, 2 p.m. vs. Jackson-Dover winner at Euclid.

North Canton Hoover (17-7) vs. Brecksville (19-4)

Division I, Northeast 5 at Elyria Catholic HS 

• Points might be hard to come by with these two teams. No. 16 seed Hoover has allowed more than 56 points just once all season and yields 46.4 on average. No. 2 seed Brecksville allows 49.4 a game. While the Vikings like to pack it in and make it tough in the halfcourt, the Bees will come out and pressure defensively. Junior Zac Braucher has been Hoover's best and most consistent player, averaging team highs of 12.1 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting a team-best 55.1% from the floor. Freshman Hunter Hershberger's scoring has been absolutely crucial for the Vikings. He averages 10.2 points while shooting 51.5% from the floor and 44.3% from the 3-point line. Junior point guard Crew Cain must take the lead in handling the Bees' pressure. Brecksville started 17-1 before losing three straight games (to St. Edward, Stow and Hudson) late in the regular season. The Bees, champions of the Suburban League's National Conference, beat No. 39 seed Medina Highland 52-40 in a sectional final. Brecksville senior guard Luke Skaljac, a first team All-Ohioan last year, is a Miami (OH) recruit. The 6-foot-2 lefty, who scored 38 points in the Bees' loss at St. Ed's on Feb. 13, averages 22.1 points. The Bees lost to St. Ignatius last year in overtime in a district final.

• Up next: District final, Saturday, 2 p.m. vs. Hoban-Strongsville winner at Elyria Catholic.

Previews for Tuesday: OHSAA boys basketball district semifinals with Central Catholic, Malvern and Lake Center

Minerva (15-9) vs. Maysville (21-3)

Division II, East 1 at Claymont HS 

• The Lions find themselves in a district semifinal for the first time in 15 years. Their prize is No. 1 seed Maysville. No. 8 Minerva enters off two impressive wins against Beaver Local and Carrollton by a combined 42 points. Senior Garrett Gonzalez totaled 30 points and seven assists in the sectional semifinal, then went for 33 points, five steals and four assists in the final. Gonzalez averages a team-high 17.0 points on 48.6% shooting. Sophomore Rowen Hoffee (13.3) and junior Jayden Yerger (10.0) also are double-figure scorers. They have combined for 90 3-pointers. Maysville — the Muskingum Valley League champion and a defending district champion — is led by the school's all-time leading scorer, senior Alex Bobb, who went for 42 points in the sectional final. Sophomore Gator Nichols added 17 points. A couple of common opponents: Maysville beat Carrollton by almost 50 in late December, then turned around and lost at home to Malvern 75-64 a few days later. Minerva went 2-1 against Carrollton and lost at home to Malvern 49-33.

• Up next: District final, Saturday, 7 p.m. vs. Indian Valley-St. Clairsville winner at TBD.

Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com

On X: @jweirREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio high school boys basketball: District semifinal previews