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3/22/06

Trojans, Bulldogs geared up for run at back-to-back titles
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Like a cat toying with a cornered mouse, Cincinnati North College Hill used to delay the inevitable.

Coach Jamie Mahaffey, a former standout at Miami (Ohio), says his Trojans team looked at the tapes from last year's state championship run and saw that for some reason it had an aversion to putting games away.


Don't expect such drama later this week when O.J. Mayo, Bill Walker and the rest of the Trojans are back to defend their Division III title at the 84th annual Ohio boys state tournament at Value City Arena.


"Last year we didn't finish teams," Mahaffey said. "We'd play good defense for two or maybe three quarters, then we'd let up. Now we're trying to play through the entire game."


North College Hill (24-1), ranked among the top four teams in the nation by several publications, takes on Archbold (21-4) on Thursday night in the first Division III semifinal. Wheelersburg (23-2) takes on Ohio State signee David Lighty and Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (20-5) in the nightcap.


Other teenagers carry the hopes of their communities on their backs, but it's a different kind of pressure for North College Hill's players. They go into the tournament with everyone expecting them to win and win big; anything less and they've failed.


"People don't expect you to lose or for the game to even be close," Mahaffey said. "We know people think that, but we have our own goals.

We're not trying to impress people; we're only trying to impress ourselves."


The tournament kicks off with the Division IV semifinals. South Webster (24-2) _ who wouldn't like a team with the nickname Jeeps? _ battles Lockland (23-3), with Columbus Grove (20-5) meeting Windham (22-3).


By the way, the village of Columbus Grove is nowhere near the state capital. The school is a qualifier from the Northwest District, nestled in a small town not far from Gomer, Seitz and Jones City _ or just a little north of Lima, if you prefer.


The bigger schools take over the arena Friday, with Columbus DeSales (19-6) tackling last year's state runner-up Wooster Triway (25-0) and first-team All-Ohioan Linc Rottman in the first Division II semifinal.


Illustrating the many connections between the state qualifiers, one of DeSales' top players is Alex Kellogg, the son of former NBA and Ohio State star Clark Kellogg, who scored 51 points for Villa Angela-St. Joseph in the 1979 state championship game.


Dayton Dunbar (24-2), a semifinalist a year ago, meets Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (21-3), LeBron James' alma mater and now the launching pad for Marcus Johnson, who will be a Dayton Flyer next year.


"We haven't lost to anybody (in Ohio) and we hope it ends that way," Dunbar coach Peter Pullen said last week after a 77-54 victory over New Albany in the regional finals. The Wolverines' only losses have come to Ridgeway (Tenn.) and Indianapolis Lawrence North _ which features 7-footer Greg Oden and Mike Conley, who will join Dunbar's Daequan Cook and Lighty as members of the "Thad Five" under Ohio State coach Thad Matta next season.


North College Hill's only loss came to an out-of-state school, Oak Hill (Va.) Academy, in a game that was played before more than 16,000 paying customers at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati last month. So the Trojans haven't been beaten by an Ohio team, either.


Toledo St. John's (21-5) draws defending state champion Canton McKinley (23-2) in the first Division I game in the final four, with Lancaster (25-1) playing Trotwood-Madison (21-5) in the night game.


McKinley is led by 6-8 Raymar Morgan, the Division I player of the year who has signed to play next season at Michigan State. The Bulldogs' only loss came to North College Hill.


The return to Columbus is an odd circumstance for McKinley, which is making a record 28th appearance at the state tournament. Ardent Bulldogs fans have had their hearts broken so many times at the state tournament _ winning only two titles despite a who's who of Ohio prep superstars.


Yet McKinley, of all schools, is poised to become only the sixth Division I team to win back-to-back crowns.


"I think we sense the history," said Morgan, who averages 24.5 points a game. "But that's not really on our minds right now. We're just focused on winning state."