Where: At Value City Arena in Columbus.
State semifinals Thursday: St. Vincent-St. Mary (19-9) vs. Vincent Warren (26-1) at 5:15 p.m.; Kettering Archbishop Alter (21-5) vs. Columbus Bishop Watterson (26-1) at 8:30 p.m.
State final Saturday: Semifinals winners at 1:30 p.m.
St. Vincent-St. Mary notebook: The Fighting Irish feature three players who score in double figures: 6-foot-7 freshman guard VJ King, 6-6 junior guard Jalen Hudson and 6-6 senior forward Nick Wells. King averages 16.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, Hudson 14.0 points and 3.8 rebounds, and Wells 11.9 points and 8.6 rebounds. The Irish’s other starters are 6-0 senior Jordan Hargrove and 6-6 senior Joey Weber. Top reserves are 5-8 senior Fransohn Bickley, 5-8 junior Jarel Woolridge, 6-4 junior Dante Booker, 6-1 junior Newman Williams, 6-3 junior Travonte Junius and 6-4 freshman Henry Baddley.
Vincent Warren notebook: Junior Evan French, a 6-4 guard, leads the Warriors at 19.3 points per game. Junior Reece Patton and sophomore Michael Hall also average double figures in points.
Other teams: Kettering Archbishop Alter 6-2 senior guard Jaaron Simmons is the top scorer in the Division II state semifinals at 24.4 points per game. The Knights other top players are senior Michael Spencer and sophomore Dean Lemon. Columbus Bishop Watterson features a balanced starting lineup with five players averaging eight to 13 points per game. The Eagles’ top three scorers are 6-4 senior Bryan Jackson, 6-4 junior Matt Lehmann and 6-5 junior Matt Hughes.
— Michael Beaven
