Breakdown: The undefeated Griffins and Fighting Irish will finally decide which team is Akron’s best this winter. Buchtel finished its spectacular regular season atop the Associated Press state poll, while St. V-M was largely disrespected by the voters and finished 10th.

 

The Griffins feature the talented trio of Myles Fitten, Jason Pitts and Jazell Garrett, but their biggest asset is having double-digit depth. Buchtel’s waves of offensive and defensive pressure allowed it to clobber Alliance and Marlington by a combined 186-95 margin. It also will have plenty of motivation in wanting to win this game for the City Series over a perennial parochial powerhouse.

 

Coach Dru Joyce’s Irish has a slight advantage in the paint with center Jakarr Sampson and power forward Lorenzo Cugini, while Ricky Johnson Jr. can get up and down the floor with the Griffins’ backcourt. However, St. V-M has not been particularly sharp in the postseason, only beating Canal Fulton Northwest by 16 and Akron Kenmore by nine.

 

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. at Canton Memorial Fieldhouse

Next up: Canton Civic Center Regional against Boardman District champion (Poland Seminary or Youngstown Cardinal Mooney) on March 18 at 8 p.m.

 

Breakdown: The Orientals were the consensus pick to win this district in a survey of Summit/Medina County coaches, but nearly saw their title hopes end in the semifinals against underrated Green. Fortunately for them, junior Trevoris Bell’s buzzer-beating layup was just enough to score a 62-60 victory.

 

After rolling to a 34-point triumph over Nordonia in its postseason opener, East was not sharp in its second contest against the Bulldogs. That doesn’t figure to be the case in the district final, where sophomore Davonte Brunson and senior Elvin Butler should be very effective.

 

The Rough Riders boast arguably the best player at the site in senior center Cameron Black Jr., who had 17 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and eight blocked shots in a 49-46 upset of top-seeded Twinsburg.

 

Kent Roosevelt’s first two wins also came in one-possession contests against Hudson and Stow, so the Orientals must be vary wary if the game is close in the fourth quarter.

 

Tipoff: 7 p.m. at Copley-Fairlawn High

 

 

Breakdown: While Medina County hoops fans eagerly awaited a Medina vs. Brunswick mega-matchup, Avon Lake had other ideas and stunned the Blue Devils 54-44 in the district semifinals.

 

If nothing else, the Shoremen’s third tournament win delivered a much-needed wakeup call to the Bees. Medina was shaky in beating Westlake 57-47, then played downright awful and was lucky to advance with a 37-32 win over 13th-seeded Amherst Steele.

 

But should coach Jody Peters’ club return to its regular-season form, Avon Lake is in big trouble. The Bees boast All-Ohio shooting guard Tyler Peters, emerging star forward Kenny Kaminski and perhaps the best kept secret in the area in center Matt Ellenbest.

 

The Shoremen are a well-balanced squad featuring center Ronnie Willoughby and guard T.J. Thompson. They edged Elyria by five points and nipped Berea by three in sectional play, playing near-perfect basketball down the stretch of both contests to advance to their first-ever district final.

 

Tipoff: 7 p.m. at Grafton Midview High

Next up: Cleveland State University Regional against Euclid District champion (Mentor or Lyndhurst Brush) on March 17 at 6:15 p.m.

 

 

 

Breakdown: The Suburban League champion Minutemen have nothing to lose and everything to gain against the top-rated team in Northeast Ohio. Many people believe the Eagles are on their way to state, but St. Ed’s coach Eric Flannery recently said he was well aware of the threat that Revere poses.

 

The Minutemen have already played two quality foes at Brecksville, knocking off Cleveland Rhodes 57-54 and Middleburg Heights Midpark 60-45 -- both of which could have claimed other district crowns.

 

Another plus is knowing that John Galbraith, Dan Steinkerchner, D.J. Bettinger and Larry Nance Jr. will do whatever it takes to win for Revere, whose losses came at Cleveland Benedictine and Kenmore, and against Archbishop Hoban at Barberton.

 

The Eagles are flat-out loaded and could go 15 deep if they needed to. Matt Stainbrook and James Price are beasts on the blocks, while guards Delbert Love and Myles Hamilton are NCAA Division I prospects. It’s hard to imagine them losing anytime soon.

 

Tipoff: 7 p.m. at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High

Next up: Cleveland State University Regional against Solon District champion (Cleveland St. Ignatius or Warren Harding) on March 17 at 8 p.m.