Final Four Preview: Who Will Win?
To wrap up our preview coverage of the Final Four, which tips off tomorrow at 10:45am inside the Jerome Schottenstein Center, we’ve answered the most important question: Who will win?
Division I
Despite Cincinnati Moeller’s national rankings by certain publications and their #1 spot in Ohio’s AP poll, they lack size in comparison to Pickerington Central. Sterling Manley, the 6’11” North Carolina commit, should be able to affect a ton of shots inside, against a team who likes to back-cut to the rim. So, Pickerington Central will likely play Massillon Jackson.
Massillon Jackson’s veteran talent and athleticism will likely be too much for Lakewood St. Edward. We will all look back on the 2017 Final Four as the first time St. Edward’s 2020 class got their reps in on the biggest stage.
Massillon Jackson, despite not having a near-seven-footer, does have the size and athleticism to compete in the paint with Pickerington Central. However, assuming that Logan Hill defends Manley and Kyle Young defends Adrian Nelson, who guards Jeremiah Francis? Or Juan Elmore?
Essentially, Pickerington Central is too loaded. Too versatile in the ways they can beat you. If you figure out their jab, they can knock you out with a left haymaker.
Pickerington Central is the pick (pun intended).
Division II
Trotwood Madison against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary is the matchup to be giddy about. The backcourt talent in this one is supreme. Trotwood often plays five guys under 6’5”, who all pressure the ball and can turn a steal into a layup quickly. However, they’ll have to frustrate two of the best senior guards in Ohio: Jon Williams (Robert Morris commit) and Jayvon Graves (Buffalo commit). So, there’s a strong chance that Trotwood won’t score as much in transition as they usually do. However, guys like Torrey Patton are underrated in the half-court. Advantage Trotwood.
Wauseon’s 6’9” center, Austin Rotroff, is a Division I prospect who could will the Indians to victory. It will be interesting to see how he deals with the athleticism of Eastmoor Academy’s 6’7” Stanley Williams. My guess, he’ll use it against him by getting him in the air and drawing fouls. Despite the advantage of having one of the best juniors in Ohio, Taevion Kinsey, Eastmoor’s run will come to an end because of Rotroff, unless the Wauseon big gets into foul trouble himself.
Trotwood should handle whoever they meet in the Final. Truthfully, they could (at the very least) “compete” in the Division I bracket. They’re a phenomenal team with a strong identity.
Division III
It’s going to be Roger Bacon and Villa Angela-St. Joseph’s in the Final. These two teams are too talented to be beaten in the Semifinal.
With the likes of Craig McGee, Alec Pfriem, and Justin Johnson defending the perimeter, it’s possible that Roger Bacon can neutralize VASJ’s guards. But they’re going to have to do so without much help from James Johnson on the back-end, because he will need to stay disciplined against VASJ’s Alonzo Gaffney. Gaffney, a 6’8” sophomore forward, is where the game hinges. If he can soar for rebounds and finish easy lay-ups, then VASJ will win.
However, if Johnson can pull him away from the rim with the outside shot, box him out, and generally frustrate Gaffney, then Roger Bacon could take this one.
Leaning towards VASJ here, but Roger Bacon is a serious threat.
Division IV
In the game between Lutheran East and Delphos St. John’s, it’s small versus big. Delphos St. John’s 6’8” center, Timothy Kreeger, should get a ton of post touches. We would expect to see a lot of weak-side double-teams or off-ball denials coming from Lutheran East’s backcourt. If they’re able to do that, which we assume they will, their guards should dominate offensively. While Kreeger will force difficult shots around the paint, Lutheran East’s backcourt will be too much (That makes for four different Northeast Ohio teams to make the Championship round).
The Wellington School should be able to avenge last season’s Semifinal loss with a win in 2017. While Lima Perry will definitely be a challenge, we believe Wellington’s front-line alongside Guy Schmidt and Solomon Pierre-Louis is insurmountable for Perry.
For that same reason, Wellington should finish this weekend as Division IV State Champs. First of all, they’re huge. Furthermore, unlike St. John’s, they have multiple big guys to throw at Lutheran East. Not sure how Lutheran East is going to handle that versatility on the low-block. Also, Wellington’s guards can matchup with those of Lutheran East.