NW DI District Semifinals Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The NW Division I District Semifinals were on Tuesday night. There was one doubleheader at Lake High School and one at Toledo Central Catholic High School. I attended the doubleheader at Toledo Central Catholic which featured Findlay Vs Sylvania Northview and Toledo St John's Vs Sylvania Southview. In this article I'll break down the standout performers from the action on Tuesday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2313642"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A heroic performance by Barnesky to will his team to victory on Tuesday. He was making all sorts of shots from the court including fallaway jumpers, spot-up 3-pointers and floaters. Showing the ability to finish at the rim with both hands, make good decisions as a passer and hit contested jumpers, it was a complete offensive performance. I was impressed with how well Northview handled the pressure of Findlay despite not having many ball handlers. They made plays in the clutch and kept their cool even when the Trojans made runs in the fourth quarter. Big time upset victory for Northview as they advance to the district finals.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["2370709"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"A new name, I was impressed with the physicality Robinson played with on Tuesday. A mobile forward who showed defensive versatility with the ability to defend in the paint and on the perimeter. A good frame with long arms, Robinson grabbed a handful of rebounds on both ends. Robinson also showed the ability to use his ball handling skills to break the full-court pressure thrown at his team when needed. As a scorer, Robinson hit some 8-12 foot touch shots around the paint. Good name to add to our database from northwest Ohio, Robinson could be a primary option as a senior.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["2347413"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"One of the top athletes in northwest Ohio, Hill moves at a different speed than everybody else on the court. Able to get to the paint whenever he wants, Hill drew fouls and also showed patience when driving to the lane. Hill made some clutch plays late in the game when Findlay finally took the lead on an and-1 layup with about two minutes to play. Hill was named NLL player of the year and it's easy to see why with the speed he flies around the court with. A stud on the hardwood and gridiron, I'm not sure which sport Hill will choose to focus on at the next level but he's worthy of looks from regional small college basketball programs if he wants to play on the hardwood in college.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1827695"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"The 2026 class in northwest Ohio seems like it has some of the best depth of talent that region of the state has had in a while. Kowalczyk is one of the top players from that 2026 class and proved it again on Tuesday night with a dominant effort. Continuing to grow as an athlete, Kowalczyk threw down a couple dunks with improved explosiveness off the ground. A smart passer, Kowalczyk made the defense pay for sending double teams his way. Another play where Kowalczyk showed his basketball IQ was executing a BLOB for an and-1 layup. Making a couple baseline jumpers, Kowalczyk made a turnaround 15-footer on the first possession and then a corner 3-pointer in the second half to help the Titans pull away. The 3-point shot is something I'm curious to see develop over the next few years for Kowalczyk.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["2370700"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"I really liked what I saw from James off the bench by impacting the game in a variety of ways. I loved the energy and toughness James brought to the court. He grabbed some tough rebounds in the paint against kids much taller than him. His most impressive sequence was a steal where he jumped a passing lane and hit a crafty acrobatic layup in transition. Then on the next possession poked the ball loose and made enough layup past a shot blocker. In the early stages of his career, I loved the way James competed on both ends of the court. If younger players are confused why they aren't getting on the court, watch how James impacts the game as just a freshman on both ends.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1285254"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"In his last career high school game, Bays went out with another high scoring effort. The entire Southview offense runs through Bays with a ton of pick and roll, isolations and off-ball screens set to free Bays for shots. With Bays high volume of shots, he drew a ton of fouls and lived at the free throw line. With his pace, feel and shot making ability, Bays is one of the top scorers in northwest Ohio and drawing attention from a variety of scholarship programs. We'll be following Bays continued basketball journey at the college level!","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e8e3b832607"} /-->