Medina basketball and bowling teams advance

Medina’s girls basketball team is seeded 11th among the Northeast Ohio teams spread over five Division I sectionals. The Bees learned their tournament path along with the rest of the big-school division and Division II teams on Feb. 15.

Medina will start postseason play on the road at No. 4 Berea-Midpark, which will host the teams’ 7 p.m. Northeast 5 District semifinal on Feb. 25. The winner will play in the district final at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at Nordonia.

The district champ will move into a regional semifinal on Tuesday, March 3, at 8 p.m. at the Taft Coliseum in Columbus.

The Medina and Highland boys teams will learn their tournament road this coming Sunday.

Buckeye is seeded 31st in Division III tournament play and will start at home against Garrett Morgan at 7 p.m. Feb. 27. The winner will move on to most likely play at 7 p.m. March 3 against No. 9 Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, which needs to beat No. 37 Wooster.

Cloverleaf got the 16th seed in the Division IV super district and will open at home at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 against Coventry. The winner will play at 7 p.m. March 3, likely against No. 3 seed CVCA, which would have to get past either No. 24 Holy Name or No. 31 Clearview.

Medina Christian’s boys, seeded sixth among the three Northeast Ohio Division VII sectionals, will face No. 21 Lake Ridge Academy at 7 p.m. Feb. 26. The winner will play either No. 8 Vienna Mathews or No. 18 Southington Chalker at a date and site to be determined.

Bowling

Medina’s boys team finished second among 17 teams in the Akron Division I Sectional at Spins Bowl on Feb. 13. The Bees totaled 3,827 pins, trailing only Tallmadge’s 3,932. Buckeye also moved on to districts, placing just behind Medina with 3,791.

Sophomore Jimmy Green was Medina’s top bowler, totaling 585 to place 11th overall. The Bees were bunched together, though, with senior Mathew Paffumi (14th, 572), junior Justin Rehner (18th, 534) and senior Brayden Phillipp (24th, 517) contributing solid numbers to the team total.

For Buckeye, junior John Ambrose was the individual runner-up. His 668 series was second to the 710 put up by Tallmadge junior Nathan Bishop. Ambrose was followed by senior Alex Marconi (12th, 584) and senior Kevin Miller (35th, 487).

Highland flirted with a team berth, placing sixth with 3,609. The Hornets’ Davis Slatkovsky came even closer to moving on. His 595 series left the junior just four pins short of the final individual qualifying spot. Highland senior Lucas Less finished 17th among 90 individuals with a 537.

Girls Division I Sectionals were Feb. 16, just after press time.

The top four teams and the top four individuals not on qualifying teams advanced to the Oberlin Rebman Recreation District tournament, to be held Sunday, Feb. 22, for boys and Feb. 23 for girls. Action both days starts at 10 a.m.

Cloverleaf competed in the Canton Division I Sectional at Eastbury Lanes. The Colt boys finished 13th out of 15 teams. Senior Trevor Courie was Cloverleaf’s top boys finisher, placing 32nd out of 82 bowlers. Sophomore Dan Bray was next, coming in 59th. The top four teams and the top four individuals not on qualifying teams moved on to district competition.

Cloverleaf’s girls finished 14th among 15 teams at Eastbury. Sophomore Izzy Messmore was the Colts’ top performer, placing 28th out of 85 bowlers with a 433 series.

Swimming

Swimmers from Medina and Highland had strong showings at the Cleveland State Division I Sectional on Feb. 14. Team scores were unavailable at press time, but district qualifier lists were released, with both schools qualifying healthy numbers to the Bowling Green District to be held this weekend.

For Medina’s boys, senior Brady Ryba was runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley and third in the 100 backstroke. Sophomore Dylan Kish placed fourth in the 200 freestyle and 11th in the 100 free. Sophomore Manny Heming placed third in the 500 free and sixth in the 200 free, just behind Kish. Junior William Carlson placed eighth in the 200 IM and ninth in the 100 breaststroke. Kish, Heming, Ryba and senior Jonathan Robinson combined for a fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay. They also placed fourth in the 400 free relay.

District qualifiers were Robinson (50 free, 100 free), Kish (100 free, 200 free), Heming (200 free, 500 free), Kyle Lukovski (500 free), Jackson Condit (500 free), Ryba (100 back, 200 IM), Connor Larouere (100 back), Carlson (100 breaststroke, 200 IM), Greg Kaufman (100 fly), and the 200 free, 400 free and 200 medley relays.

For Medina’s girls, sophomore Quinn Harrell placed seventh in the 200 free and 100 back. Junior Eve Lindon placed eighth in the 500 free. Sophomore Sydney Robinson finished 10th in the 100 free and 11th in the 50 free. The quartet of Robinson, Lindon, Harrell and sophomore Harper Koennecke placed seventh in the 400 free relay. The foursome of Harrell, Robinson, Lindon and sophomore Taylor Stromberg placed eighth in the 200 free relay.

Moving on were Robinson (50 free, 100 free), Harrell (200 free, 100 back), Koennecke (200 free), Lindon (500 free), Chloe Eidemiller (500 free, 200 free alternate), along with all three relays.

For Highland, freshman Zachary Onopko and Jack Clark came up big. Onopko was sectional champion in the 100 butterfly. Clark won the 500 freestyle and was runner-up in the 200 free. Junior Aaron Moore was one spot behind Clark in the 500 free and finished fifth in the 200 free. Sophomore Braden Studd placed sixth in the 100 backstroke and 11th in the 100 fly. Freshman Croix Moore finished 11th in the 500 free. Studd, Aaron Moore, Onopko and Clark placed fifth in both the 200 free and 400 free relays.

Advancing were Clark (100 free, 500 free), Aaron Moore (200 free, 500 free), Croix Moore (500 free), Studd (100 back, 100 fly), Onopko (100 fly, 50 free alternate), and the 400 free and 200 medley relays, with the 200 free relay as an alternate.

Highland’s girls: Senior Sasha Koval finished second in the 100 backstroke and fifth in the 50 free. Freshman Sophia Koval placed third in the 200 free and fourth in the 500 free. Freshman Kayleigh Scholz finished fifth in the 100 free and 10th in the 50 free. Senior Emma Osborne finished eighth in the 100 butterfly. Sophomore Aleena Studd placed ninth in the 500 free.

Sophia Koval, Sasha Koval, Scholz and junior Melissa Durny finished third in the 200 free relay and fourth in the 400 free relay. The quartet of seniors Carley Schreiber and Osborne, junior Kate Wood and sophomore Studd placed 10th in the 200 medley relay.

Headed to districts were Sasha Koval (50 free, 100 back), Scholz (50 free, 100 free), Durny (50 free, 100 free), Wood (100 free), Sophia Koval (200 free, 500 free), Studd (500 free, 100 breaststroke), Osborne (100 butterfly, 200 IM), Schreiber (200 IM; breaststroke alternate), Nastia Koval (500 free alternate) and all three relays.