Seed: Red 2

The 216ers got a big win over the weekend, defeating formerly undefeated St. Bartholomew in a close 54-50. They did lose a tiebreaker to Elyria Catholic, which gives them the Red 2 seed in the State Qualifying tournament. They still get a bye this weekend, which allows them to get regrouped after their closest win all year.

Seed: White 1

St. Al got yet another easy win over the weekend, beating NDCL by 15 points. This clinched the division for the Mustangs, giving them a great position in the tournament. St. Albert and the 216ers, if they both win out, could possibly meet on 2/27 in a clash of two of the top teams in the state.

Seed: White 2

Gesu continued with their winning ways, defeating Lake Catholic 56-43. This gave them the 2nd seed in the loaded State-White division, putting them in arguably better position than St. Albert. They will most likely play the Blue division #1 seed, Sacred Heart, on 2/21. This is a winnable game for the Bulldogs, and they should be able to advance to the Final Four.

Seed: White 3

Both Paschal’s and St. Greg won this weekend, but the return of Joe Johnson puts the Knights ahead. After winning by 15 on Saturday, this squad is in great position heading into tournament play. They even have a bye this weekend, the only 3 seed with the honor. In all, this is a team that has all the tools needed to make a deep run into the tournament.

Seed: White 4

The Jaguars got a nice win over the weekend, beating Our Lady of the Lake by 8. They are one win away from playing a dangerous 216ers team, getting the bye this weekend. The potential matchup of 2 top 5 teams on the 21st will be quite the game to see.

Seed: Red 4

Despite losing by 2 this weekend, the Vikings are still capable of getting some major upsets in the tournament. They have a winnable game this weekend, but face a daunting Gesu team should they win. If they can win both, they should have the ability to make it to at least the Final Four.

Seed: N/A

It appears that the Thunderbolts opted out of playing for a City Championship, an interesting move considering the successful season they had so far. They did end the season on a good note, however, winning their final game against St. Luke. Congrats to the Thunderbolts on a great season.

Seed: Navy 4

The Cougars squeaked out a 2 point win against St. Luke, but that win put them into the 4th seed for the tournament. This is a good team that could cause some chaos in the tournament.

Seed: N/A

Where has this team been all season?? The Bulldogs absolutely dismantle St. Angela, winning 77-29. It is a shame that they did not qualify for the State Qualifying Tournament, because this looks like a team that could have really gone far. Congrats to the Bulldogs on an entertaining season.

Seed: Blue 3

The Mustangs were idle this weekend, more or less getting a bye before the tournament starts. This is a solid team, and when they play at their peak they can knock off some good teams.

Seed: Maroon 5

St. Mark did lose to the top team in the division this weekend, but they are still in a good position to make some upsets in the tournament. If they win this weekend, they will get the opportunity to knock off the #1 seed, something they could very well do.

Seed: N/A

Holy Family had a good start to the season, winning 3 of their first 4. Unfortunately, they lost 4 straight games to end the season and disqualify them for tournament play. Congrats to the Centurions on a great season.

Seed: N/A

The Bulldogs looked like they would have a great season after winning two of their first three. Then, similar to Holy Famiy, they lost the rest of their games and did not make tournament play. Special shoutout to Trei Burque and Nik Neron and the rest of the Bulldogs on a terrific season.

Seed: N/A

St. Joe’s season was looking up at the beginning, and it looked as if they would have a big year. Then, after a 104-58 loss, everything seemed to change. They only won one game for the rest of the season and did not qualify for tournament competition. Congrats to the Vikings on a great season.

The 6ers are coming off of a bye week, their last week off before State Tournament play. A big game is lined up against fellow undefeated team St. Bartholomew, with the winner claiming the #1 seed from the division. A win here will set these juniors up nicely heading into tournament play.

The ‘Stangs are coming off of yet another win, beating NDCL 52-37. With this win, they have clinched the State-White division and have locked in a #1 seed heading into tournament play.

Gesu, despite getting a #2 seed in the State Qualifying tournament, look to be in excellent form, winning 5 games in a row. This is a hot team that has the ability to challenge the 216ers and St. Albert come Tournament time.

St. Greg put up yet another terrific defensive performance over the weekend, holding St. John Vianney to a mere 22 points. In today’s era of CYO basketball, that is quite a feat. If the Jaguars can keep up this defensive play in the next few weeks, they should be a dangerous team in the State Qualifying Tournament.

St. Paschal is coming off another win, and look to get another one (s/o DJ Khaled) against a 2-5 St. John Vianney. Yet another win here would guarantee a well-earned 3 seed in the tournament, a vital asset as this year’s bracket is loaded with sleeper teams. The Knights need to keep their momentum if they want a chance at bringing some hardware back to Highland Heights. (note: in last week’s edition I said that NDCL beat St. Paschal, but it was the other way around. The Knights won in a high scoring affair, 72-63.)

Many things have not been consistent this year. There have been 3 different #1 ranked teams, all but 2 teams are undefeated, and scores fluctuate more than any given Ignatian’s mood during finals week. One thing, however, has remained constant week in and week out: The Magic Johnson of CYO. The player formerly known as Jared Yant is a scoring machine inside the well-oiled machine that is the Thunderbolts. One of the best, if not the best, “Local” teams in CYO, this team has a serious shot at winning a City Championship.

Coming off of a win against an evenly-matched St. Ignatius of Antioch, the Vikes look to be in good shape. A win this weekend could clinch them the four seed in a division with a rare 3 undefeated teams.

OLA is back to their winning ways, beating Assumption by 10 this past weekend. A win this next weekend against a 1-6 St. Luke squad is much needed as the Cougars look for momentum heading into tournament play.

The Mustangs ended their regular season with a loss, but the future could be bright for this squad. They have shown they have the ability to pull out close games, a crucial trait come tournament time. They also lucked into getting put in a weaker State division compared to the others. This means they have a have a great position seeding-wise, pulling a 3 seed.

This spot might be slightly controversial, but it is great to see that the Bulldogs have finally shown their true game. A 31 point thrashing this weekend solidifies theories that Alex Hornung and the ‘Dogs have been holding back this whole season, waiting to sneak up and upset some highly ranked teams in the tournament.Watch out #2 and #1 seeds, this team could be the next George Mason, VCU, or FGCU.

After a 3 point win over St. Pat’s, a game this weekend against division-leaders St. Joe is all that separates the Lions from a 2 seed or a 5 seed. A win here will put them in great position for the Local Tournament.

Holy Family lost this weekend, but they need to put that in the back of their minds and find some momentum for the impending Local Tournament. A win over St. Leo could do just that for the Centurions.

Gesu had a disappointing end to their regular season, losing by 14 in one game and forfeiting the other. If captains Nick Neron and Trey Burque can whip this team back into shape and pull off a Cinderella run in the Local Tournament, they will have lots of momentum heading into next year.

The Vikings have had less than ideal season so far, but all can change in one game in the city tournament. Just like the NCAA tournament, the CYO tournament brings the almost certainty that major teams will get upset by lesser schools. This St. Joe team could do just that come tournament time.

Another week, another win for the 6ers. This week they beat a consistently high ranked St. Joseph and John team, with a “close” 60-49 win. Their regular season concludes this weekend against fellow undefeated team St. Bart’s. If they can pull off yet another big win, they should have plenty of momentum heading into the State Tournament.

This Mustangs squad is a late addition to the rankings, but deserve this spot. Unbeknownst to me, they had multiple Ignatius kids on their team (sorry guys). They have been the only team so far that has beaten Gesu, St. Greg, and St. Paschal all in the same year. This is a dangerous team that has the talent to beat any team in the state.

The Bulldogs have had a rollercoaster season so far, going from #1 to all the way to #4. They do seem to be back to their old ways though, after beating NDCL this weekend. They are a very good squad that can still bring back yet another championship to University Heights.

Despite losing to #2 St. Albert this past weekend, the Jaguars can still realistically win a state title. Their losses to St. Albert and Gesu were by a combined four points. If the Jags can start to win these close games, they should be able to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Paschal’s, like Gesu, has had a very up and down year. This is evident in their 4-2 league record and 2-3 tournament record. The good thing is that they can beat good teams like St. Greg, but they manage to lose to teams they are better than like NDCL and St. Raphael. If the Knights can get back into their winning ways, they could challenge for a title.

The Thunderbolts have plenty of momentum heading into the playoffs, sitting at a 6-5 record. They are a very dangerous team when the “Magic Johnson of CYO” Jared Yant is hot, but when he is off the team seems to struggle. This can be seen in their most recent loss, a 14 point setback to a team they should be able to beat. If Yant and the ‘Bolts can get hot again, they should be able to make an ‘08 Davidson-esque run in the City Tournament, with Jared Yant as Steph Curry of course.

The Vikings have had plenty of opportunities to prove themselves this year, but fell short in both of them. Losing to league leaders Elyria Catholic and 216ers in back to back weeks, the Vikings’ have 2 winnable games in the next two weeks. Wins in both of these games will be critical to getting a good seed for the State Tournament.

St. Al has truly turned around their season, going from a middle-of-the-pack team to league leaders in one weekend. They beat St. Bart on Saturday and St. Basil on Sunday to put themselves in a very good position for the imminent State Tournament.

The Cougars are coming off of a close 8 point loss to a decent St. Thomas More team. This is still a good team, and should be able to win the next two games against two of the lowest teams in the division.

After skyrocketing 4 spots in last week’s rankings, the Lions look to have fallen into old habits of losing after this past weekend’s result. A win against a 1-5 St. Patrick on Saturday could push them in the right direction come City Tournament time.

The Jazz have not won since 12/19, and their schedule gets no easier from here. They play the #3 and #4 teams in the next two weeks. At least one win could turn their season around.

The Centurions are coming off of a 29 point loss, but things could still turn around. Two big games against the #2 and #4 teams in the division has the ability to give Holy Family the confidence they need heading into the Tournament.

The Vikings do not have the best record in these rankings, but it does not tell the type of team they are. One loss was by one point, another by forfeit, and another was in OT. The Vikings are looking to bounce back this weekend with a game against the only team below them, St. Joseph of Amherst.

In hindsight, putting themselves in the State division (with better teams than the Local divisions) might not have been the Bulldog’s smartest decision. That said, Alex Hornung definitely belongs in this division. Conspiracy theorists have claimed that he is holding back his talent until tournament time, where he will unleash a fury of basketball that has only been achieved by the like of Wilt Chamberlain with 100 points, Kobe Bryant with 81 points, and Jared Yant with 19.