The mid afternoon matchup on Sunday is the Jaguars from Hilliard Bradley and the Fighting Irish of Youngstown Ursuline. Bradley has been one of the more dominant forces in central Ohio over the last few years, at one point winning 61 straight games in the OCC conference. Elite players Matt Allocco (now at Notre Dame) and the three Norris brothers (Braden, Keaton, and Cade) have all gone on to play D1 hoops at the next level. Coming off of a district title, the Jags lose six seniors and are now starting two freshman and a sophomore. The sophomore, however, is one of the top point guards in the the area in Ben Mirgon, who has an offer from Kent State already locked up. On an inexperienced team, senior Garrett Sever has already shouldered a lot of load, as he been one of their top scorers and often guards the other team’s best player. Defense has been the bread and butter for Bradley, as their ability to pack the paint often causes other teams become frustrated and take bad jump shots. Fundamentally, there is no one better than the Jags under coach Brett Norris, who has built one of the high school basketball giants in the state of Ohio.
Youngstown Ursuline has been a well known program over the years as well. Coach Keith Gunther recorded his 300th win as a head coach in February, and helped the Fighting Irish capture their first regional title in 30 years last March. Sophomore Jaylen Gunther is the leader, who is arguably the best player in Ohio for the class of 2027. The three star guard has an unmatched motor and is ferocious defensively, which has helped him pick up offers from Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Youngstown State, Akron, and Arkansas State among others. Sophomore Noah Bell is another key player, who a stud 6’3 guard who compliments Gunther very well. Bell already has offers from Kent State and Youngstown State as a sophomore. Senior DaShaun Will is also a microwave scorer and had 25 points in a win over Fitch a few days ago. The guard matchup between 2027s Jaylen Gunther and Ben Mirgon is the best sophomore matchup of the event, and Bradley’s ability to play a half court game and make Ursuline take tough shots is the key to the game for the Jags to stop the high powered offense of the Fighting Irish. This game will be played Sunday, December 28th at 3pm.
