When: Saturday, March 20 at the University of Dayton
5:00pm - Mentor (25-0) vs Centerville (24-3)
8:00pm - St Ignatius (19-6) vs Westerville Central (21-2)
*Winners will play in the state championship game on Sunday, March 21 at 8:30pm
Mentor (25-0)
Mentor is a team built on seniors. All seven players who saw time in the two regional games were seniors. It starts with All-Ohio guard and Youngstown State commit Luke Chicone. The third all-time leading scorer in Mentor history is having a memorable season. At the regional round, Chicone scored a team-high 41 total points in the two wins over Jackson and Medina. As the team's point guard, top scorer, and emotional leader - the Cardinals will go as far as Chicone can guide them. Seniors Jonah Waag and Steven Key have been consistently strong on both ends of the court all season long. Waag is a 6'3 guard that is physical, athletic, and versatile. He earned 2nd team All-District honors in a season in which he is second on the team in scoring with 18 points per game. Waag scored 19 points in Mentor's regional final win over Medina. Senior guard Steven Key is one of the team's top defenders along with being one of their go-to playmakers on offense. Key helped seal a regional semifinal win over Jackson with a put back off of a missed free throw in the final minute of the game. The return of forward Ian Kipp has been a welcome sight as he helps provide depth in the front court along with 6'5 forward Andrew Smith. Senior sharpshooter Kyle Culler hit a couple of early three-pointers to help build an early lead in the regional final. Guard Cael Gray brings energy, experience, and shooting off of the bench.
Making their third trip to the Final Four under legendary coach Bob Krizancic, this group will try to win the program's second state title (and third overall for Krizancic as a coach). Their journey to this point has been unscathed as the program seeks a rare undefeated state championships season. Key wins during the regular season included two wins over regional finalist Medina and fellow Final Four team St Ignatius. The district final win saw one of Mentor's finest offensive performances of the season in scoring 91 points against Solon. Even when the offense wasn't at its most efficient at the regional rounds, Mentor found ways to pull out key victories over Jackson and Medina. The team is balanced offensively to go along with a defense that can easily be overlooked.
Centerville (25-0)
In direct contrast to Mentor, Centerville is a younger team with four of their five starters being sophomores or juniors. Super sophomore Gabe Cupps is a social media sensation and AUU teammate of Bronny James. The son of head coach Brook Cupps, the 6'2 point guard was a First Team All-District honoree as he averaged 16 points and 5 assists a game during the regular season. 6'7 junior Rich Rolf is a versatile scorer and double-double machine. Like Cupps, he earned First Team All-District in a season in which he averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds a game. With 14 points, Rolf was the leading scorer in Centerville's 40-38 regional final win over Moeller. 6'6 junior wing Tom House led the Elks in scoring during the regular season with 18 ppg. Able to score inside and out, House hit two late game three pointers in the regional final to help send Centerville to their first ever Final Four appearance. This trio is as good as any in the state of Ohio. Sophomore guard Emmanuel Deng and 6'7 senior Tre Johnson round off the starting lineup. Key bench players include guards Jayson Hayes and Quinn Hafner.
Centerville is a young but extremely talented team. They knocked off two of the three top teams (Elder and Moeller) from the mighty Cincinnati Greater Catholic League in their two regional wins. Coming into the regional final, Moeller had not lost a tournament game since the 2017 state final. In upsetting the Crusaders, Centerville avenged one of their regular season losses. Centerville won the GWOC during the regular season, including two key wins over talented rival Wayne. The Elks knocked off NEO power St Edward last month in a big regular season win. Similar to Mentor, Centerville is a strong offensive group that is not shy about shooting the three ball. The Elks are averaging close to 20 three-point attempts per game. They also showed a commitment to defense in limiting their two regional opponents to an average of 40 points per game.
St Ignatius (19-6)
The Wildcats are making their first Final Four appearance since their 2001 state championship. St Ignatius is guided by second year coach Cam Joyce. It starts up front with 6'7 forward Henry Raynor. The senior averaged 17 ppg during the season and earned Second Team All-District honors. Raynor scored 37 total points in the two regional victories. Fellow 6'7 senior post Will Yontek gives St Ignatius a talented frontcourt duo. Junior guard Jon Effertz, who finished with a team-high 19 points in the district final against Lorain, is the second leading scorer on the team. Talented freshman CJ Little has emerged as the team's point guard and has an excellent future ahead of him. Raynor, Yontek, and 6'10 junior CJ Yarian are key at defending the post and making sure the opposing team's guards have difficulty finishing in the lane. 6'4 sophomore Brayden Szczepaniak and freshman guard Carter Jackson bring depth to the backcourt.
After a grueling regular season schedule that saw some highs (a nine game winning streak that included wins over St Edward, Cleveland Heights, and Shaker Heights) and some lows (four game losing streak early in the season), the Cats are playing their best basketball in the tournament. Following a big district final win over a talented Lorain team that features West Virginia commit Seth Wilson, St Ignatius clinched their first district title since 2016. After splitting two regular season games with rival St Edward, the two met up in the regional semifinal. Behind strong efforts from Ronyak and Effertz, the Wildcats held on to a 55-54 tournament win. In the regional final, St Ignatius knocked off Lima Senior with a 56-44 win. St Ignatius is a team much more comfortable keeping the score low and letting their defense lead the way.
Westerville Central (21-2)
The Warhawks were one of Central Ohio's best and most consistent teams all season long. A year removed from the program's first ever district title, Westerville Central followed it up with the program's first ever Final Four appearance. Coach Kevin Martin, a starter on Westerville North's 1994 state championship team, has already made a huge impact on the program in just his third season. They are led by the Central District's Player of the Year in senior Tasos Cook. The 6'2 guard averaged 21 points per game during the regular season. Joining Cook in the backcourt are fellow seniors Quincy Clark and Landon Tillman. Clark is a 6'3 point guard that led the team in assists along with being a regular double digit scorer. Tillman is one of Westerville Central's top scorers and helped the Warhawks secure the district title with a late game three-pointer. MJ Davis is a 6'4 senior that hit three triples in the regional semifinal win over Hilliard Bradley. 6'7 sophomore Donovan Hunter and 6'5 junior Brad Leonard brings some size and rebounding to the team.
Westerville Central has lost just two games all season. Both games were decided by a single point. They won a district final rubber match with league member Pickerington North, 41-39. After splitting a couple of one-point games during the season, the Warhawks won another rubber match against a league rival in the regional final. Down two with seconds left, Tasos Cook nailed a buzzer-beating shot from beyond halfcourt to give Central a 45-44 victory over Gahanna Lincoln. Westerville Central is a senior-led squad with winning experience in all kinds of ways. They have won eight straight tournament games dating back to last season. This team has strong guard play to go along with size, experience, and a commitment to defense.
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