It's one of the most notable sporting events in all of southeast Ohio and can be simply described with one sentence: It's Basketball :30 in the Convo.
The Boys District Tournament kicks off on Thursday night at Ohio University's Convocation Center with a slate of solid action across three divisions and 20 high schools vying for a chance to cut down the nets.
Our panel of contributors have put their collective heads together and made predictions of how the semifinal match ups will go.
Division II
4. New Lexington Panthers (20-4) vs. 1. Marietta Tigers (22-2)
Monday, March 4th, 6:15 PM
New Lexington will bring a tough back court to Convocation Center. The main issue for the Panthers is going to be their depth, which is something they don't have. They will need top-shelf performances from Isaiah Stephens and Brady Hanson to make an upset happen.
The Tigers sports plenty of athleticism and feature the possible player of the year in DII Southeast District, Alex Kendall. But to be a top seed and sport 22-wins, you have to have more than one player. Luckily for Marietta, they have that.
Prediction: New Lexington will cause some problems for the Tigers with their match ups. But Marietta appears to have the tools necessary to avoid an upset attempt from the Panthers. So expect to see the Tigers move on with a 66-60 win.
14. Logan Elm Braves (12-13) vs. 2. Warren Warriors (20-3)
Monday, March 4th, 8:00 PM
The Braves come into the district as one of the big surprises after their upset win over the Unioto Shermans in the sectional finals. Logan Elm will need solid performances from their key players such as Nemiah Waugh and Brody Sabine to keep this run alive.
Warren will have no shortage of scorers, such as point guard Julian Stadleman (averaging nearly 20 ppg) and 1000-point scorer Trent Taylor at center. So the inside-outside scoring threats from the Warriors will be a problem for the Braves.
Prediction: Can the Braves continue their Cinderella run? Or will the Warriors march on to the district finals? Time will tell, but we predict the clock strikes midnight and Warren walks away with a 65-58 win.
Division III
8. South Point Pointers (14-9) vs. 1. Wheelersburg Pirates (18-4)
Sunday, March 3rd, 3:00 PM
The Pointers didn't finish the regular season on such a good note. But fortunately for South Point, they have plenty of battle-tested seniors from last season's regional tournament team and know what to expect on Sunday.
The top-seeded Pirates emerged from a tough SOC III as champions. Wheelersburg will need solid performances from players like Braylon Rucker and Devon Lattimore to keep South Point from knocking them off.
Prediction: This game has all the makings of a classic battle. Both teams feature capable scorers and solid supporting casts that have stepped up at key times this season. In the end, Wheelersburg has managed to get the job done when things are on the line and should do so on Sunday with a 64-60 win.
5. Portsmouth Trojans (17-6) vs. 4. Northwest Mohawks (21-3)
Sunday, March 3rd, 4:45PM
Portsmouth has been one of the surprising stories of the 2023-24 basketball season and the Trojans rolled their way through their sectional to advance to the district behind star point guard Deandre Berry.
The Mohawks plowed through the SOC II division to capture a league title this season and handily made their way to Athens for their first district appearance since the 2010-11 season.
Prediction: Portsmouth's athleticism will be a tough test for the Mohawks. It's possible the Mohawks take an early lead, but Berry and the Trojans will gradually take over the game and advance with a 73-65 win.
7. Fairland Dragons (16-7) vs. 2. Minford Falcons (17-4)
Sunday, March 3rd, 6:30 PM
Fairland will bring their disciplined style of basketball into this one. One place they could have an advantage at is scoring from around the perimeter. So the Dragons' success from long-range will be in the hands of players like Brody Buchanan and Chase Allen.
Minford finished second in a highly-contested SOC III race and have one of the better starting fives in the area. The real Achilles Heel of this team is their thin bench, which becomes a major factor at this point of the tournament.
Prediction: This one could be the game of the night. Both teams sport plenty of shooting talent, which could lead to a high-scoring affair as well. In the end, Fairland has been battle-tested all season long — league and non-league. So we suspect the Dragons have one more upset in them, winning 59-55.
11. Ironton Fighting Tigers (17-7) vs. 3. North Adams Green Devils (19-4)
Sunday, March 3rd, 8:15 PM
Anytime there's a Copas on a North Adams roster, it gives opposing coaches nightmares about coming up with a defensive game plan. But the Green Devils feature plenty of other key scorers like Breestin Schweickart and Jayce Rothwell to make things more challenging.
Ironton will counter with their physicality and athleticism — which will be among the best in Athens this weekend. However, the Fighting Tigers have been up and down at times this season. So it's not a matter of if the team shows up, but which team shows up.
Prediction: This one will certainly be competitive and could range from a high-scoring shootout to a defensive battle. Historically, North Adams has had a tough time matching Ironton's physical play. So we're calling for the upset here, Ironton 53-51 in overtime.
Division IV
8. Symmes Valley Vikings (13-10) vs. 1. South Webster Jeeps (20-3)
Thursday, February 29th, 6:15 PM
The Vikings shocked a lot of people last weekend with their win over Eastern. But now they have an even tougher task and have to get perfect performances from everyone to keep this game close.
The Jeeps will be headlined by Eli Roberts. But South Webster isn't just a one-man wrecking crew. They have plenty of other solid performers like Tyler Sommer, Dylan Shupert and Jack Timothy who can easily pick up the slack when needed.
Prediction: The Vikings will have some match up problems in this one — but that's been the case for almost all South Webster opponents this season. Expect the Jeeps to keep rolling with a 71-45 win.
5. Trimble Tomcats (14-8) vs. 4. Portsmouth Notre Dame Titans (16-6)
Thursday, February 29th, 8:00 PM
The Titans will rely on Landon Barbarits and Connie Thomas' long-range shooting to get an advantage on the perimeter and the inside presence of Cody Metzler to control the boards.
The Tomcats will try to counter with a wealth of experienced players and legendary head coach Howie Caldwell. Trimble will be needing big performances from their key players such as point guard Brandon Burdette.
Prediction: This game will be physical, but it may come down to the Titans outside shooting — which can give any team trouble when they're hot. So expect a close one from the opening tip-off and a 59-51 Notre Dame win.
7. Manchester Greyhounds (15-8) vs. 2. Leesburg Fairfield Lions (20-3)
Saturday, March 2nd, 7:00 PM
The Lancers will be one of the more solid teams appearing in Athens. Despite losing two top scorers from last season's 24-1 squad, Federal Hocking managed to finish 2nd in the always tough Southern Hill Athletic Conference. So this team will be battle-tested.
Manchester's upset win in the sectional title over South Gallia gave the Greyhounds a 6-game winning streak heading into this game. The Lions have disposed of Manchester twice this season in easy fashion, but if Drew Kennedy and Parker Hayslip can stay hot, anything can happen.
Prediction: Much like the regular season, the Lions will control this game from the get-go. Manchester is playing much better than the last time these two played, but expect a 65-41 win for Leesburg Fairfield.
6. Waterford Wildcats (12-10) vs. 3. Federal Hocking Lancers (17-6)
Saturday, March 2nd, 8:45 PM
Despite losing both games, the Wildcats played Federal Hocking tough both times in the regular season. Which means this will be no cakewalk by any means for the Lancers.
The Wildcats will have to put the clamps on Tariq Cottrill and Andrew Airhart to keep this one close enough to pull off the upset.
Prediction: This one could end up being the most competitive game of the D-IV games this week, mostly because of their familiarity with each other. In the end, the Lancers should pull away late — thanks to their guard play — and advance with a 63-52 win.
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