High school boys basketball rankings | Early 2024 Stark County-area power poll
The holidays are over and the boys high school basketball season starts kicking into high gear around Ohio.
No better time to check in on how Stark County-area teams are faring.
We will do it power-poll style, dividing it up by the top five teams in Division I and the top five teams in Divisions II, III and IV combined. Consider it a snapshot of the local hoops scene.
Stark County-area Division I Power Poll
1, Louisville Leopards (9-1)
Led by the trio of Hayden Nigro, Brayden Gross and Beau Siegfried, the Leopards are a handful. Long. Explosive. Highly skilled. Louisville has won eight straight since its only hiccup: a 75-62 loss at St. Ignatius on Dec. 8. Its winning streak includes three victories to take the KSA Pre-Holiday Tournament in Florida right before Christmas.
2, Green Bulldogs (6-1)
Another year, another physical, disciplined team for head coach Mark Kinsley at Green. The Bulldogs have won five straight since an early-season home loss to Jackson 70-65. Green has won two straight Federal League titles and enters tonight's game at league-leading McKinley in the thick of the race again, tied for second with GlenOak at 3-1. Kinsley also enters tonight's game with 399 career wins.
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3, Canton McKinley Bulldogs (5-2)
The young Bulldogs have impressed early for first-year head coach Sean Weatherspoon, with junior Reed Sims Jr. leading the way offensively. Highlighted by a signature win in overtime at GlenOak on Dec. 14, McKinley leads the Federal League at 4-0. That record will be put to the test right away in 2024, with Green visiting Memorial Field House tonight and Jackson (6-3, 2-2) coming over on Tuesday.
4, GlenOak Golden Eagles (6-1)
The Golden Eagles bounced back nicely from their lone loss, a 64-61 OT defeat to McKinley. Their five-game winning streak is highlighted by victories against Mentor and at Jackson. GlenOak features a harassing defense and a tough-shot maker in senior guard Ja'Corey Lipkins.
5, Massillon Tigers (6-1)
Maybe the biggest surprise in the area, the Tigers are off to a great start that includes quality wins against Walsh Jesuit, Ursuline and Warren Harding. They won their first six game before a 56-53 loss at home to Hoover on Tuesday. Junior guard Chris Knight has been a breakout star, averaging 23.1 points so far.
Lurking in Division I: Jackson 6-3, North Canton Hoover 6-3.
Stark County-area Divisions II-III-IV Power Poll
1, Malvern Hornets (9-0)
The undefeated Hornets are heavyweights in Division III, with senior guard J'Allen Barrino leading a deep, experienced cast. Malvern is scoring 71.6 points on average and beating opponents by almost 28 points a night for head coach Dennis Tucci, who picked up his 600th career win with a quality road victory against Maysville on Tuesday.
2, Northwest (7-2)
An experienced nucleus led by Ian Ziegler and Chase Badger has Division II Northwest off to a great start. The Indians are tied atop the PAC-7 at 5-0 with CVCA for head coach Mike Lower, who earned his 200th career win last week. Northwest hosts Canton South tonight before going to CVCA on Tuesday.
3, Canton Central Catholic Crusaders (5-3)
As usual, the Crusaders are a battle-tested bunch against a diverse schedule. Central is led by junior guard Luke Vlacovsky, the most experienced player for a program that won a Division III district championship last year. The emergence of 6-foot-8 Jonathan Stangl gives the Crusaders a presence in the paint.
4, Sandy Valley Cardinals (6-2)
The Cardinals' two losses are a 46-43 heartbreaker at IVC South-leading Hiland on Dec. 19 and a 51-39 neutral-floor game vs. a good River team on Dec. 28. High-scoring guard Dantae Faiello and multi-faceted athlete Nick Petro lead Division III Sandy Valley, which is tied for second in the league with Indian Valley at 3-1.
5, Canton South Wildcats (5-2)
The Division II Wildcats have the look of a team that's going to get much better as the season progresses. Seniors Tavon Castle and Poochie Snyder are settling in after a run to a football state semifinal and St. Thomas Aquinas transfer Julius Kimbrough adds a versatile talent to the equation for South, which is 2-2 in PAC-7 play.
Lurking in Divisions II, III and IV: Alliance 3-4, Minerva 7-2, Lake Center Christian 7-1, East Canton 5-3.
Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com
On X: @jweirREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Louisville, Malvern lead Canton-area boys basketball rankings
