A look at upcoming high school boys basketball sectional/district tournaments involving News-Herald coverage area teams: Division I Northeast 1 – Lakewood Top seed: 2 St. Edward Other area teams: 7 Mentor Up next: District champ advances to Akron Regional Outlook: Mentor comes in off an up-and-dow n end to the regular season. The Cardinals have been strong on offense, averaging 79 points. Jack Kennedy (18.7 points) and Tony Katava (17.5 points) have led the way with contributions from Logan Lynch, Tommy Pavicic and Connor Witte. Katava has controlled the glass (9.9 rebounds) while Kennedy has been strong with the ball in his hands (8.4 assists and 3.7 steals). Related Articles High school scoreboard for Feb. 21 Harvey vs. Geneva boys basketball: Red Raiders’ second-quarter run leads to 68-60 victory High school scoreboard for Feb. 20 Mentor boys basketball: Medina uses 23-point second quarter to surge ahead, take 68-63 victory Kirtland vs Madison boys basketball: Hornets finish regular season with 62-51 win Division II Northeast 2 – Valley Forge Top seed: 7 Hoover Other area teams: 11 Riverside, 32 North Up next: District champ advances to Kent State Regional Northeast 4 – Twinsburg Top seeds: 5 Austintown-Fitch, 6 Hudson Other area teams: 17 Mayfield Up next: District champ advances to Kent State Regional Northeast 7 – Twinsburg Top seed: 3 Euclid Up next: District champ advances to Wooster Regional Outlook: The Panthers come in with an offense that can run through several players. Mekhi Asberry leads the way (17.2 points, 69 3s) with Kye Owens averaging a double-double of 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. Dashaun Williams (six rebounds), DJ Jenkins (5.5), and Dontez Jones (5.5) help Euclid control the glass for second-chance looks. Division III Northeast 1 – Cloverleaf Top seeds: 10 Garfield Heights, 18 Harvey Other area teams: 22 Brush, 25 Geneva Up next: District champ advances to Medina Regional Outlook: The bottom half of this bracket will be a clash of styles if Harvey and Brush reach the district semifinals. The Red Raiders are offensive-minded, averaging 65.4 points. Four players average over 10 points, led by four-year starter Armani Hall at 13.9. The Red Raiders can play inside and out, making them difficult to defend. But Brush’s defense has held several teams well below their averages, holding teams to 49.5. Top seeds: 3 Ursuline, 6 Hawken Other area teams: 19 University, 42 Madison Up next: District champ advances to Medina Regional Outlook: A year ago, Hawken’s run to the state semifinals began with a win over Ursuline. This year, they would meet in the district final. The Hawks are led by guards Daron Hill (17.6 points), Ice Taylor (16.1) and Greg Price (15.9). They also feature Charlie Mallett, who can run the offense and control the glass. Northeast 3 – Cloverleaf Top seeds: 4 Hoban, 5 Kenston Other area teams: 24 Chardon Up next: District champ advances to Medina Regional Outlook: Kenston’s youth movement is in full effect. The top six scorers are underclassmen. Eli Ellis leads the way at 13.5 points per game. But even when he missed several games with a collarbone injury, the Bombers continued to score. Kahlil Hinton (11.8) and Luke Stupica (11.1) control the paint and get up for dunks in transition. Northeast 4 – Warren Harding Top seeds: 2 Chaney, 8 Gilmour Up next: District champ advances to Medina Regional Outlook: Gilmour has been up and down since losing Mikey Holt and Brody Durham. But winning two of the last three and leading a majority of the time against Brecksville could be the spark that the Lancers need for the postseason. Brayden Titas has made a leap with 12.8 points and 52 3-pointers. Northeast 5 – Strongsville Top seeds: 7 CVCA, 9 Akron SVSM Other area teams: 30 VASJ Up next: District champ advances to Toledo Regional Northeast 6 – Strongsville Top seeds: 1 Alliance Other area teams: 43 South Up next: District champ advances to Toledo Regional Division IV Northeast 1 – North Ridgeville Top seeds: 1 Canfield, 6 Orrville Other area teams: 13 Perry, 14 NDCL, 19 West Geauga Up next: District champ advances to Canton Regional Northeast 4 – Copley Top seeds: 5 Warrensville Heights, 9 Woodridge, 10 Benedictine Up next: District champ advances to Canton Regional Division V Northeast 1 – Cleveland Heights Top seeds: 1 Lutheran East, 12 Triway Other area teams: 29 Wickliffe, 35 Beachwood Up next: District champ advances to Canton Regional Northeast 2 – Firestone Top seeds: 2 Chagrin Falls, 3 Keystone Up next: District champ advances to Canton Regional Outlook: The Tigers have won 15 straight and are doing it with defense. They have held teams to 46.9 points this season while controlling the glass. The offense has been one by committee, as Harrison Horvath (10.8) and Jake Vasko (10.6) are the only two averaging double figures. Northeast 3 – Cleveland Heights Top seeds: 5 Poland Seminary, 6 Fairview, 7 Southeast Other area teams: 25 Lake Catholic Up next: District champ advances to Canton Regional Northeast 4 – Firestone Top seeds: 4 Manchester, 8 LaBrae, 9 Berkshire, 10 Canton Central Catholic Up next: District champ advances to Canton Regional Division VI Northeast 2 – Gilmour Top seeds: 6 Newton Falls, 7 David Anderson Other area teams: 9 Richmond Heights Up next: District champ advances to Canton Regional Northeast 3 – Gilmour Top seeds: 3 Smithville, 4 Brookfield Other area teams: 18 Andrews Osborne Up next: District champ advances to Canton Regional Northeast 4 – Salem Top seeds: 1 Kirtland, 10 Oberlin Up next: District champ advances to Canton Regional Outlook: Kirtland has been efficient on offense. The Hornets are averaging 68.5 points, led by Lucas Renfro (18 points) and Ben DiFranco (14.6) working on the cut. The Hornets use their size and speed to their advantage. They push the pace and tempo against any opponent. Division VII Northeast 1 – Mineral Ridge Top seeds: 1 McDonald, 5 Hillsdale Other area teams: 17 Cardinal Up next: District champ advances to Barberton Regional Northeast 2 – Smithville Top seeds: 3 Heartland Christian, 4 BC Western Reserve Other area teams: 14 Cornerstone Up next: District champ advances to Barberton Regional Northeast 3 – Smithville Top seeds: 2 Fairport, 6 Medina Christian Up next: District champ advances to Barberton Regional Outlook: Fairport has the coverage area’s best offense, averaging 79.1 points this season, led by Yomar Castellano with 19.8 points per game. But the Skippers’ starting five features four players averaging double figures with Jan Castellano (12.1), Kam Leftwich (12), and Ben Allen (11). Shane Greenwood is a strong shooter, and the Skippers’ variety of defenses have been a challenge to crack all season. ...read more read less