Sports

Ursuline punches its ticket to state tournament

By Mike Brown
OHSAA logo
OHSAA logo Photo provided

CANTON — Youngstown Ursuline is state bound.

The Irish boys’ basketball team punched its ticket to next weekend’s state tournament in Dayton after topping the Canfield Cardinals 60-35 in a Division II regional championship game played Saturday evening at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse.

It marks Ursuline’s second qualification to the state boys’ basketball tournament in school history and its first since the 1994 campaign when the Irish won the state championship.

Ursuline (24-3), which finished first in the final mahoningmatters.com boys’ basketball poll, will play Kettering Archbishop Alter (21-7) in a Division II state semifinal at Dayton’s UD Arena on Saturday, March 23 at 10:45 a.m. The other state qualifying teams in Division II are the Shelby Whippets and Zanesville Maysville Panthers who will play in the other state semifinal game on Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m. The Ursuline vs. Alter and Shelby vs. Maysville winners will play for the Division II state title on Sunday, March 24 at 4:15 p.m. at UD Arena.

While Ursuline is making its second trip to the state tourney in school history, Kettering Alter will be appearing in its 11th state boys’ basketball tournament and first since the 2022 campaign. Alter advanced to the 2024 state tournament after routing the Cincinnati Wyoming Cowboys 63-36 in a D2 regional title game Saturday.

Canfield, which enjoyed an outstanding season, bowed out of the tournament after Saturday’s loss to Ursuline with a 23-5 final record.

Cardinal Mooney drops regional final to Lutheran East

Also on Saturday in a Division III regional final, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney saw its outstanding season come to an end following a 56-43 loss to defending D3 state champ Lutheran East in a Division III regional final in Canton.

Cardinal Mooney concludes its campaign with a final record of 22-6.

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