2003 District Final: Mentor 71 Brush 62
Mentor's 2003 team had a talented senior class that were a part of three straight district titles at Euclid and a regional final appearance in 2002. All-Ohio guard Eddie Zienkowski led the way for Mentor. Brush had a couple of very talented players, Marcel Frost and Ray Mosby. Mosby and Zienkowski went toe-to-toe answering one big shot for another all night long. Frost was a talented post player for Brush that went on to OSU as a tight end.
2004 Sectional Final: Brush 60 Mentor 55
Brush was led by E.B. Davis, a standout sophomore that was the younger brother of Cavalier Ricky Davis. After his brother got traded from the Cavs, Davis left the NEO area and went on to play at Oak Hill and eventually in college at a couple different DI schools. Mentor had a super sophomore of their own in Adam May. In the 2000's, this was one of only two times (2007 was the other) that Mentor did not make it to the district level of the tournament. This was also the only time Brush has beaten Mentor at the Euclid tournament in the 2000's. Due to a punishment from the OHSAA over a violation with missing school for an out of state tournament, Mentor was without their head coach for this loss. Therefore, Coach Krizancic is undefeated against Brush at the Euclid district tournament.
2005 Sectional Semifinal: Mentor 75 Brush 71
A year after losing to the Arcs, Mentor beat Brush in the only time they met in the first round of the tournament. By this point, E.B. Davis left Brush. Mentor would lose in the district semifinals this season to Kenston.
2008 District Semifinal: Mentor 81 Brush 73
Brush was coming off an upset of St Ignatius in the sectional final. A young and talented sophomore, Nate Tait, was a big part of that upset. The 2008 Mentor team was young and very small. Cole Krizancic was starting as a freshman. Sophomore PG Jaron Fritts and senior guard Joey Meyer were also under six foot guards that started. Mentor defeated Brush in the semifinal and then went on to defeat Glenville in the district final. This would be the first of three consecutive seasons that Tait's season would end with a district tournament loss to the Cardinals.
2009 District Final: Mentor 59 Brush 50
As a junior, Nate Tait erupted across the NEO basketball scene. He was one of the finest guards in Ohio and would be the News-Herald's Player of the Year. Tait finished the game with 40% of Brush's total points, but it wasn't enough. For the second season in a row, Brush's season ended at the hands of Mentor. Junior guard Jaron Crowe led Mentor with 23 points. It was the first of what would be four straight district final matchups between the two schools.
2010 District Final: Mentor 88 Brush 73
This may have been the most exciting and talented offensive team Mentor has ever had. They were led by senior guard Jaron Crowe (the Cleveland.com POY this season), all-time leading scorer Cole Krizancic, and future Mr. Basketball Justin Fritts. This trio of guards was as good on the high school level as you will ever find. They all had 20+ points in this game and they combined for 73 of the 88 points. Brush senior Nate Tait gave everything he had, but just couldn't overcome Mentor during his career. Tait struggled in this game, only scoring 15 points. Sophomore Pharaoh Brown and freshman Curtis Oakley (nephew of Charles Oakley) played well and gave Brush something to look forward to in the post-Tait days. Mentor hit 28 of 30 free throws in the game to help give them separation. Mentor would go on to beat Avon Lake and upset St Edward at the CSU regional to give the program their first ever trip to the state tournament.
2011 District Final: Mentor 76 Brush 67
Mentor replaces the departed Jaron Crowe with transfer Collin Barth to maintain a crazy-good backcourt trio. Barth joined Cole Krizancic and Justin Fritts to help lead of the top teams in Ohio. Oakley/Brown combined for 41 points for the Arcs. Amazingly, Cole was able to match their scoring all by himself with a career-defining performance of 41 points in a district final. The senior guard hit five three-pointers in the game. Fritts was second on the team in scoring this night with 16 points. Mentor defeated Berea in the regional semifinal before falling to Garfield Heights in the final.
2012 District Final: Mentor 76 Brush 72
Of the four straight district finals these two played from 2009 to 2012, this was by far the most nerve-wrecking for Mentor. Behind the strong physical play of Pharaoh Brown (24 points and 24 rebounds) and Curtis Oakley, Brush found themselves in great position to cut down the nets. With Brush out to an 11-point lead, Mentor dug deep and outscored the Arcs 24-9 in the 4th quarter. Once again, Brush struggled at the free throw line (10-26), which essentially cost them the game. With a foundation of a state championship team (a year away) playing with Mr Ohio Justin Fritts and steady senior PG Danny Wallack, this was one of the best teams Mentor has put on the floor. Fritts (24 points) and Wallack (17) led the way for Mentor. This was the 4th straight district final win over the Arcs, and 5th straight win overall against the Arcs at Euclid.
2018 District Semifinal: Mentor 65 Brush 61
Brush, featuring a young and talented core, came up a little short against Mentor's deep senior-laden team. Mentor's Shane Zalba had a big time performance with a game-high 22 points, including nine in the 4th quarter. Tadas Tatarunas also chipped in nine big 4th quarter points. Brush was led by Tyler Williams (18 points), Andre Harris (16), and DJ Dial (12). Mentor went on to the district final before losing to a very talented Solon team.
2019 District Final: Mentor 77 Brush 73
There have been some big time battles over the years between the two, and this was as big as any. The crowd was probably the largest it has been too. Brush was loaded with talent, led by senior guards DJ Dial and Andre Harris. Junior John Hugley is one of the top recruited big men in the Midwest. Mentor's talented trio (Luke Floriea, Chad Rogers, and Luke Chicone) were up to the task. Mentor grabbed the lead at the end of the 1st quarter and never let it escape. Luke Floriea had one of the best big games I have seen a Mentor player have. Floriea scored 30 points, including perfect on all of his three-point attempts. He attacked the hoop, hit his free throws, and was the emotional leader on the court in what was one of the very best district wins ever for Krizancic/Mentor. Hugley led the Arcs with 20 points.
2020 District Final: Mentor 71 Brush 69
The 2019 game was a difficult one to live up to, and yet these two talented teams found a way to do it. Brush returned All-Ohio star John Hugley (Pitt commit), one of the most highly recruited big men in the country. Hugley, 35 points and 15 games in this district final, proved to be one of the most dominant individual players Mentor has ever gone up against. Super sophomore Elmore James scored 23 for the Arcs. Together, they helped build a multiple possession lead early in the 4th quarter. Mentor's super trio of Luke Floriea, Chad Rogers, and Luke Chicone still had another big moment left in the tank as all three scored 20+ points for the Cards. Clutch shotmaking by Mentor legend Floriea and critical free throws by Chicone (YSU basketball commit) helped bring Mentor out of a 4th quarter deficit. Mentor closed the game by hitting 11 of 14 free throws in the final quarter to seal the victory, which was their 13th district title in 18 seasons under Coach Krizancic.
Mentor's 2003 team had a talented senior class that were a part of three straight district titles at Euclid and a regional final appearance in 2002. All-Ohio guard Eddie Zienkowski led the way for Mentor. Brush had a couple of very talented players, Marcel Frost and Ray Mosby. Mosby and Zienkowski went toe-to-toe answering one big shot for another all night long. Frost was a talented post player for Brush that went on to OSU as a tight end.
2004 Sectional Final: Brush 60 Mentor 55
Brush was led by E.B. Davis, a standout sophomore that was the younger brother of Cavalier Ricky Davis. After his brother got traded from the Cavs, Davis left the NEO area and went on to play at Oak Hill and eventually in college at a couple different DI schools. Mentor had a super sophomore of their own in Adam May. In the 2000's, this was one of only two times (2007 was the other) that Mentor did not make it to the district level of the tournament. This was also the only time Brush has beaten Mentor at the Euclid tournament in the 2000's. Due to a punishment from the OHSAA over a violation with missing school for an out of state tournament, Mentor was without their head coach for this loss. Therefore, Coach Krizancic is undefeated against Brush at the Euclid district tournament.
2005 Sectional Semifinal: Mentor 75 Brush 71
A year after losing to the Arcs, Mentor beat Brush in the only time they met in the first round of the tournament. By this point, E.B. Davis left Brush. Mentor would lose in the district semifinals this season to Kenston.
2008 District Semifinal: Mentor 81 Brush 73
Brush was coming off an upset of St Ignatius in the sectional final. A young and talented sophomore, Nate Tait, was a big part of that upset. The 2008 Mentor team was young and very small. Cole Krizancic was starting as a freshman. Sophomore PG Jaron Fritts and senior guard Joey Meyer were also under six foot guards that started. Mentor defeated Brush in the semifinal and then went on to defeat Glenville in the district final. This would be the first of three consecutive seasons that Tait's season would end with a district tournament loss to the Cardinals.
2009 District Final: Mentor 59 Brush 50
As a junior, Nate Tait erupted across the NEO basketball scene. He was one of the finest guards in Ohio and would be the News-Herald's Player of the Year. Tait finished the game with 40% of Brush's total points, but it wasn't enough. For the second season in a row, Brush's season ended at the hands of Mentor. Junior guard Jaron Crowe led Mentor with 23 points. It was the first of what would be four straight district final matchups between the two schools.
2010 District Final: Mentor 88 Brush 73
This may have been the most exciting and talented offensive team Mentor has ever had. They were led by senior guard Jaron Crowe (the Cleveland.com POY this season), all-time leading scorer Cole Krizancic, and future Mr. Basketball Justin Fritts. This trio of guards was as good on the high school level as you will ever find. They all had 20+ points in this game and they combined for 73 of the 88 points. Brush senior Nate Tait gave everything he had, but just couldn't overcome Mentor during his career. Tait struggled in this game, only scoring 15 points. Sophomore Pharaoh Brown and freshman Curtis Oakley (nephew of Charles Oakley) played well and gave Brush something to look forward to in the post-Tait days. Mentor hit 28 of 30 free throws in the game to help give them separation. Mentor would go on to beat Avon Lake and upset St Edward at the CSU regional to give the program their first ever trip to the state tournament.
2011 District Final: Mentor 76 Brush 67
Mentor replaces the departed Jaron Crowe with transfer Collin Barth to maintain a crazy-good backcourt trio. Barth joined Cole Krizancic and Justin Fritts to help lead of the top teams in Ohio. Oakley/Brown combined for 41 points for the Arcs. Amazingly, Cole was able to match their scoring all by himself with a career-defining performance of 41 points in a district final. The senior guard hit five three-pointers in the game. Fritts was second on the team in scoring this night with 16 points. Mentor defeated Berea in the regional semifinal before falling to Garfield Heights in the final.
2012 District Final: Mentor 76 Brush 72
Of the four straight district finals these two played from 2009 to 2012, this was by far the most nerve-wrecking for Mentor. Behind the strong physical play of Pharaoh Brown (24 points and 24 rebounds) and Curtis Oakley, Brush found themselves in great position to cut down the nets. With Brush out to an 11-point lead, Mentor dug deep and outscored the Arcs 24-9 in the 4th quarter. Once again, Brush struggled at the free throw line (10-26), which essentially cost them the game. With a foundation of a state championship team (a year away) playing with Mr Ohio Justin Fritts and steady senior PG Danny Wallack, this was one of the best teams Mentor has put on the floor. Fritts (24 points) and Wallack (17) led the way for Mentor. This was the 4th straight district final win over the Arcs, and 5th straight win overall against the Arcs at Euclid.
2018 District Semifinal: Mentor 65 Brush 61
Brush, featuring a young and talented core, came up a little short against Mentor's deep senior-laden team. Mentor's Shane Zalba had a big time performance with a game-high 22 points, including nine in the 4th quarter. Tadas Tatarunas also chipped in nine big 4th quarter points. Brush was led by Tyler Williams (18 points), Andre Harris (16), and DJ Dial (12). Mentor went on to the district final before losing to a very talented Solon team.
2019 District Final: Mentor 77 Brush 73
There have been some big time battles over the years between the two, and this was as big as any. The crowd was probably the largest it has been too. Brush was loaded with talent, led by senior guards DJ Dial and Andre Harris. Junior John Hugley is one of the top recruited big men in the Midwest. Mentor's talented trio (Luke Floriea, Chad Rogers, and Luke Chicone) were up to the task. Mentor grabbed the lead at the end of the 1st quarter and never let it escape. Luke Floriea had one of the best big games I have seen a Mentor player have. Floriea scored 30 points, including perfect on all of his three-point attempts. He attacked the hoop, hit his free throws, and was the emotional leader on the court in what was one of the very best district wins ever for Krizancic/Mentor. Hugley led the Arcs with 20 points.
2020 District Final: Mentor 71 Brush 69
The 2019 game was a difficult one to live up to, and yet these two talented teams found a way to do it. Brush returned All-Ohio star John Hugley (Pitt commit), one of the most highly recruited big men in the country. Hugley, 35 points and 15 games in this district final, proved to be one of the most dominant individual players Mentor has ever gone up against. Super sophomore Elmore James scored 23 for the Arcs. Together, they helped build a multiple possession lead early in the 4th quarter. Mentor's super trio of Luke Floriea, Chad Rogers, and Luke Chicone still had another big moment left in the tank as all three scored 20+ points for the Cards. Clutch shotmaking by Mentor legend Floriea and critical free throws by Chicone (YSU basketball commit) helped bring Mentor out of a 4th quarter deficit. Mentor closed the game by hitting 11 of 14 free throws in the final quarter to seal the victory, which was their 13th district title in 18 seasons under Coach Krizancic.
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