East District Preview: Divisions II, III, and IV

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The East District is one of the smallest brackets and districts in the state. As a result, some sleepers sometimes make runs in the tournament. This season has some teams capable of making noise at the district level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Division II</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>East 1</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top Teams: New Philadelphia (2), Tri-Valley (4), John Glenn (7)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sleeper: St. Clairsville- The Red Devils are below .500 on the year, but seem to have found their stride, winning 5 of their last 7 entering the tournament. They have seen both Beaver and Indian Creek so far this year and could be an intriguing sleeper out of their sectional.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evaluation: New Philadelphia enters as the favorites in their top sectional with a great senior duo in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1519640' first='Michael' last='Vickers']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1477079' first='Carter' last='Vandall']</strong>. They've played a great schedule with wins over Massillon Washington, Lexington, and Dalton on the year. John Glenn is the closest seed and was beaten earlier in the year by the Quakers. They have a great player in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1201833' first='Nathan' last='Walker']</strong> (Sr) to lean on, but the Little Muskies have struggled as of recent. The bottom sectional is headlined by Tri-Valley, Indian Creek, and St. Clairsville. Tri-Valley enters the tournament as one of the hotter teams in the bracket, beating Maysville, West Muskingum, and Fairfield Union as of recent. While a younger team, the Scotties can compete with anyone. Indian Creek has experienced guards in <strong>Logan Schaffer</strong> (Sr) and <strong>Logan Kuczykowski</strong> (Sr) that can give them an advantage deeper in the tournament. St. Clairsville has the demeanor and reputation to be a team worth watching.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Predicted Final: New Philadelphia vs Tri-Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>East 2</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top Teams: Maysville (1), Carrollton (3), East Liverpool (5)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sleeper: Indian Valley- The Braves have won 15 games on the season and have guys back from last year's talented team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evaluation: Maysville has beaten every team they've played except for a recent 2-point loss to Tri-Valley who is in the opposite bracket. The closest seed is 6-seed Indian Valley, but I feel the Panthers are clearly the top team and behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790775' first='Hayden' last='Jarrett']</strong> (Sr) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2386471' first='Alex' last='Bobb']</strong> (Sr) will be a force to reckon with. East Liverpool and Carrollton are likely the teams to come out of the bottom sectional. East Liverpool is always a competitive team in the tournament, but enters losing 4 of their last 5. Carrollton has completely rebounded from a 4 win season a year ago, and now enter the tournament 19-2. The Warriors lost to East Liverpool 55-35 in December, but the Warriors have not lost since December 9, 2022. A rematch would pit Carrollton and their current 17-game winning agains East Liverpool and their struggles entering February.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Predicted Final: Maysville vs Carrollton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Division III</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>East</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top Teams: Malvern (1), Martins Ferry (2), Garaway (3)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sleeper: West Muskingum- The Tornadoes have won 18 games this year and have made a case to be one of the better teams in Eastern Ohio. A possible game with Malvern would be fun to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evaluation: Malvern has won most of their games by double digits this year and stands at 19-1 currently. I like their chances to make the District Final and setup a fantastic game between the Hornets and West Muskingum. Martins Ferry has been an impressive team this year and lost just twice on the year. The Purple Riders make a case as the highest seed in their sectional, but could face a Garaway team that has a ton of seniors with deep postseason success previously. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Predicted Final: Garaway vs Malvern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Division IV</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>East</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top Teams: River (1), Caldwell (2), Hiland (3)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sleeper: Bishop Rosecrans- The Bishops dominated most teams they've played this year and played a tough league schedule with games against Harvest Prep. <strong>Weston Hartman</strong> (Sr) is their top guy worth watching.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evaluation: This bracket likely comes down to the top 3 teams and who makes it out. River missed out last year and is 39-5 over the last 2 years. The Pilots have several returning players behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='976074' first='Ty' last='Long']</strong> (Sr) and <strong>Brody Lollathin</strong> (Sr) and will be hungry to avenge last year's early exit. Caldwell has one of the best scorers in the bracket in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='976075' first='Bede' last='Lori']</strong> (Sr) and will be a favorite solely off of his presence. Hiland is a competitor every year and can't be overlooked with their well coached program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Predicted Final: River vs Hiland</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->