Medina’s Ben Geschke and Brunswick’s Michael Quiring will face off in the Copley Division 1 District Championship game. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)
Albert Grindle
The Gazette
There is no reason to downplay what everyone is talking about: One of the biggest boys basketball games in Medina County history will take place tonight.
The delectable rubber match will be on the table at 7 o’clock, as top-seeded Brunswick (20-4) will go blow for blow with second-seed archrival Medina (19-6) for the Copley Division I District championship. The winner gets Massillon Jackson (21-4) or Canton McKinley (20-5) in the University of Akron Regional semifinals Thursday.
Each team won at home in Greater Cleveland Conference play. The Bees survived 61-56 on Jan. 5, while the Blue Devils won 55-51 on Feb. 9 en route to their first league title since 1966.
“It’s great,” Medina small forward Luke Schaefer said. “After the loss in the Brunswick game, we rooted for them in this district. We wanted revenge so bad.
“We really feel like it’s such a great rivalry, you know what I mean? This is the best rivalry probably in Northeast Ohio.”
The game marks the third time county teams will meet for a district crown. Medina has been involved in all of them.
In a battle of state Route 57 rivals with a combined 39 wins, Wadsworth defeated the Bees 55-43 to win the 1995 University of Akron District. In 2004, Medina needed double-overtime to upset the Grizzlies 59-56 behind 29 points from all-time leading scorer Dontaie Anthony in front of 3,056 fans at Copley.
Tickets are $7 presale and $8 at the door, which opens at 6 o’clock. A sellout of 3,000-plus is expected.
“We’re really excited,” Blue Devils combo guard Kevin Simmons said. “We’re in the district finals. I don’t know how you couldn’t be excited. It helps a little bit we’re playing Medina in a rivalry game, but we’re more excited just to be here because last year we lost in the semifinals (to Lorain in triple-overtime).”
Brunswick, which has won 13 of its last 14 games, reached this stage with triumphs over No. 8 Highland (59-42) and third-seeded Hoban (47-42). The undersized Blue Devils defense has been a pleasant surprise with a 50.1 scoring average over the last nine games.
Much like Medina featuring 7-foot-1 Northeast Inland District D-I co-Player of the Year Jon Teske, Brunswick’s strength is obvious: Record-breaking 3-point shooting. The Blue Devils are tied for ninth in state history with 254 triples, as starters Simmons (6-1, sr., 15.7 ppg, 40 3-pointers), Michael Quiring (5-10, sr., 14.3, 57), Zach Cebula (6-2, sr., 11.8, 62), Aaron Badowski (6-6, sr., 8.4, 41) and Kyle Goessler (5-10, fr., 5.7, 39) are threats to connect at any time.
Brunswick saw Stow fluster Medina in the first half Thursday with a myriad of high-post screens that led to good perimeter attempts. The Blue Devils then saw the Bees regroup and clamp down in the second half, holding the Bulldogs to 15 points on 5-for-21 shooting.
“We’re just excited to play any team,” Badowski said. “We’re trying to hunt for a win and get back on the ladders and cut down the nets again.”
Winning seven of its last eight games behind a 47.9 defensive average, Medina defeated last-seeded Akron North (88-38), No. 6 Walsh Jesuit (72-57) and No. 5 Stow (52-47) to reach a district title game for the eighth time in the last 21 years. Teske has stepped up with a 19.0 scoring average since Jan. 29 when a five-point showing against North is thrown out.
The rim-attacking 6-3 Schaefer (16.5) is coming off a dynamite second half against Stow. Sharpshooter Jackson Sartain (6-0, jr., 11.9, 59 3-pointers) had a season-low two points but has otherwise been the team’s X-factor all season, while two-year starting point guard Ben Geschke (6-1, jr., 7.4), power forward Jimmy Clark (6-5, sr., 2.8) and backups Jimmy Daw (6-4, jr., 4.4), Colin Szumski (5-11, so., 3.8) and Dylan Fultz (5-10, so., 1.4) all have contributed big plays in the tournament.
The Bees did not take advantage of Teske enough in the last matchup against Brunswick — at least not before a last-ditch comeback bid — but a lot has changed since as they are shooting a sparkling .620 (57-for-92) from inside the 3-point arc over the last three games.
“We expect them to come out and play good basketball and really good defense,” Schaefer said. “They’ll shoot the heck out of the ball — they do that so well — and we’re just going to have to game plan going in and see what happens.”
No matter which team is victorious, the county will have a school in the regional semifinals for only the 12th time. That means as much as anything.
“It’s going to be fun,” Teske said after the Stow win. “This gym is going to be packed.”
Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.