Marion Local’s Brayden Mescher has evolved into a strong backcourt anchor for the Flyers at both ends of the court. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Can Russia finally break through to win the elusive title in basketball? And can Marion Local prevail against a Monroe Central team that few actually know much about? What they once said about Marion Local?
I made five phone calls and shared texts yesterday with coaches and contacts in northeast and southeast Ohio to learn more about the Division VI and Division VII opponents Saturday for Marion Local and Russia, respectively.
If you’ve lived in a cave for the past week, 2018 Division IV champion Marion Local will meet a team from Woodsfield, Ohio (Monroe Central) at 2 p.m. Saturday for the Division VI title.
And Russia, coming off disappointing back-to-back appearances in the Division IV state semi-final game the last two years, will match with 2018 finalist Cornerstone Christian from Willoughby at 5:15 p.m. Saturday for this year’s Division VII title.
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And if I made five calls and sent texts, I’ve probably gotten twice that many from people in southern Ohio, in particular, wanting to know more about Marion Local…because Monroe Central has never appeared in the state tournament, and is only the second team in history from Monroe County to make it this far. The other, Skyvue, lost to Jackson Center in the 1985 Class A title game, then coached by Jerry Harmon.
Both will be interesting contests, and I might add, according to the information I received…a game of wills.
“MC (Monroe Central) is very athletic,” added a contact from Jackson County. “They play a pretty good schedule of teams from this area. And,” he added, “They have a huge fan base.”
Another shared that the Seminoles have good outside shooting (senior guard Jacob Fogle), and have a strong 1-2 punch inside with Tyler Howell and Chance Allen…”But what they really do is tough, in-your-grill physical defense. I haven’t seen Marion Local play, but I would guess they’re accustomed to that,” he added.
Yes, coming out of the MAC Conference they’ve seen their share, including against Russia, who beat Marion Local in the final week of the season by 20 points.
Marion Local’s Austin Niekamp is unique as a big man for his ability to put the ball on the floor and play outside the post.
But no team, besides Russia, that I can think of over the past month has played with the confidence – who they are and what they do best – better than Marion Local.
All the concerns early in the year about guard play, and perimeter shooting, and responding to the competitive challenge following another annual football title run have one-by-one been answered.
And of course, 6-foot-9 Austin Niekamp has matured into more-than-your-average post presence because of his ability to step outside and knock down shots from beyond mid-range. And if he can do that Saturday I’m not sure there’s another player his size in Division VI that can. There might be, but no one at this tournament that we’ve heard about!
But the elephant in the room is the Marion defense, that coach Kurt Goettemoeller cites as advantage one, two, and three nearly every time you talk with him about Flyers basketball. If you’re going to play for Goettemoeller, you’d better have that physical mindset. And given the lack of officiating calls in the typical state game, you put two teams like this together and it might resemble mixed martial arts.
Offensively, Marion has feasted off that defense – turnovers and transition – and the comfort of enough three-point shooting from Grant Kremer and Brayden Mescher to complement the rest of their game.
But it all revolves around defense, and the experience of Kurt Goettemoeller, who won in 2018 against a much-favored Cornerstone Christian team by wearing Cornerstone down mentally, finally winning in double-overtime on pair of free throws by another Mescher…Tyler Mescher! Goettemoeller is without question one of the state’s most underrated coaches at any level, and little will escape his attention this week in his preparation for a fourth school title in basketball.
And finally, how much does title experience matter?
Consider, that over half the Marion roster has played football on back-to-back-to-back title teams the past three years – part of the legacy of 15 titles in football over the past twenty five years. It may mean something, or it may mean nothing.
But the name Marion Local does garner attention, any time a title is on the line.
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Without question, the tension at Russia High School to finally break through the title barrier is as great, or greater, than any other team in this year’s State Finals.
The undefeated Raiders were denied back in 2002 by Delphos St. John in their only other title appearance, and have failed in the last two years to get past Richmond Heights in the semi-final round, the eventual winner of the then Division IV championship.
They’re the only undefeated team in this year’s tournament and in my view it would easy to over-evaluate this group, individually. Simply put, after years of veteran experience together playing basketball, I cannot think of another D-VII team that’s as confident in each other…and I cannot think of another team who plays as a team better…than the Russia Raiders.
Russia doesn’t just have 6’4″, they can average 6’4″ with skill at multiple positions (Dominic Francis, above).
Their overall size is formidable. They don’t have 6-4 players, they AVERAGE 6-4 players. And perhaps the biggest difference I’ve seen in this group and the two state teams previous is their ability to play different styles. They’re more comfortable, and confident, in the halfcourt than in years past. Those teams feasted off pressure defense, turnovers, and easy points in transition.
This team has that, too. But with the emergence of senior guard Vince Borchers, and their ability to score dependably in the post with 6-6 Dominic Francis and 6-4 Braylon Cordonnier, they’d like to believe that their game is more complete now than with any of the previous teams. This is to be respected, too, that to a man they believe that they’ve yet to play their best game.
Early in the year there were questions about perimeter shooting, and the graduation loss of Brayden Monnin. But Russia is no different than any other basketball team in that respect. Three-point shooting is a matter of repetition and confidence, and on any given day you have it, or you might not. That’s why the phrase…you live by the three and you die by the three. But this Spencer Cordonnier-coached team believes that their commitment to versatility makes them a tougher threat for that reason.
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Speaking of Cordonnier, if Goettemoeller is under-appreciated, the coach of the Raiders is probably overlooked altogether by those who dwell on how many sectionals, districts, and regionals have you won as a coach. Cordonnier has done it, but doesn’t care. He’s just remarkably gifted in making the most of the moment, being competitive and well-schooled from the experience against the best of the Shelby County League and the MAC. I would add…that he’s as good as I’ve seen at adjusting to the game in real time.
Russia’s Vince Borchers has become a tough assignment for opposing backcourts for his size and athleticism to attack the rim.
If they win they’ll have to adjust in real time to the all-time scoring leader in Ohio basketball, Quinn Kwasniak, a recruit to play at West Point next year, and the son of multi-title coach Babe Kwasniak during his time as coach at Villa Angela-St. Joseph – the David Lighty (Ohio State star) years. The younger Kwasniak eclipsed the career scoring mark of Jon Diebler earlier this year, and has the distinction of one hundred made three-pointers in three consecutive seasons…3,303 points, and counting.
All that said, Russia, like Marion Local, WILL defend, and the will REBOUND, cleaning up on Arlington in the state semi-final game by a margin of 32-14.
So where does this matchup lead?
There are no Kwasniaks in Russia, but on any given day someone – Borchers, Cordonnier, a Grojean or a Francis – can spring for 20 or more.
And the elephant in the room?
Defensively, someone’s gonna have to prove that they’re tougher-willed, and have more to play for than Russia. Remember the aforementioned reference to “game of wills.”
We’ll know soon…if a third time is the charm.
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