The men’s basketball team can advance to the Division II regional championship game by defeating Brecksville-Broadview Heights on Thursday.
Following a 7-15 regular season, the Raiders entered the district tournament as the No. 17 seed. The Raiders defeated No. 22 seed Parma Normandy 65-43 and No. 3 seed Massillon Washington 72-67 to win head coach Danny Young’s seventh district championship.
Following the 2023-24 season, the OHSAA changed men’s basketball from four divisions to seven. Teams no longer face, at minimum, four opponents to claim the district championship. Both Shaker and Brecksville were moved from Division I to Division II.
Junior guard Kevin Lowery said the win against Massillon strengthens his belief in the team. “Even without that victory, I would still have the confidence that my boys can compete or play at the same level as anyone we face,” Lowery said.
It is the Raiders’ first district championship since 2019-20, when the tournament was later canceled due to COVID-19. The 2019-20 team was the No. 1 seed in Northeast Ohio.
Six of the Raiders’ regular-season wins came since Jan. 22. Senior guard Mek Black said the team came together to fix the slow start. “We started turning it around once we listened to our coaches more and follow the game plan,” Black said. “We realized how special our team is.”
The Raiders will face Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees in the regional semifinal. The Bees’ 15-6 regular season earned them the No. 4 seed. The Bees defeated No. 25 seed Parma Heights Valley-Forge 73-32 and No. 14 seed Austintown Fitch 54-32 to win their district championship.
The Bees are led by 6-foot-3 senior Brady Ganley and 6-foot-8 junior Ben Mehandale. Ganley is the seventh player in Brecksville history to surpass 1,000 career points. Bees head basketball coach Steve Mehalik gives all credit to Ganley. “Brady has had a special year. We are so happy that he was able to accomplish that milestone. I wish I could say we have something to do with it, but he is the one who controls that ball going in,” Mehalik said.
The last time these teams met in the playoffs, the No. 2 seed Bees defeated the No. 5 seed Raiders 69-66 in the 2021-22 district semifinals. Young said the loss has no impact on this year’s team. “I don’t think it has any bearing, but I’m going to reference it. I’ll use any little bit of motivation to get them going,” Young said.
Mehalik shares that view. “That was three years ago and really means nothing to this year´s team,” he said.
Junior forward and captain Jacire Eaddy is confident about the matchup with Ganley. “We plan to stop Brady by putting our best defender – me – on him,” Eaddy said. “I’ve guarded some of the best players in Northeast Ohio already and I know what I can do.”
Black led the Raiders with 21 points, shooting 89 percent from the field, in the district championship game against Massillon Washington. “Big games get me going because I understand that it’s win or go home and my team will need me more than ever,” Black said.
Young said Black needs rest to stay hot on Thursday. “He has an injured leg, so we’re going to give him some rest and make sure he’s ready to go,” he said.
Young said the Raiders do not rely on one star. “We had four guys in double figures. Mek [Black] led us in scoring, J-10 [Jacire Eaddy] had 16, Kevin [Lowery] had 13, and Chris [Cunningham] had 11,” Young said. “They were just keying in on John [Horn]. John was more of a decoy while the other four guys got loose.”
Eaddy said he knows the Raiders are underdogs. “We have come a long way, but we have belief in each other so we don’t really worry about seeding, record or standings; we go hoop,” Eaddy said.
Young said the Raiders’ run shocked everyone. “I tell them all the time, ‘No one expected you to be here. No one believes you’re going to win, but the guys in this room and your family members,’” Young said. “They’re kind of used to playing for the love of each other, the coaches and for Shaker.”
Mehalik doesn’t think the Raiders are on a Cinderella run. “They are a very good team who hit their stride late in the year. They are well-coached and play extremely hard. Underdogs don’t exist when you make it this far,” he said.
The Regional semifinal clash will tip at 8 p.m. March 6 at James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, home of the Akron Zips. Raider fans are encouraged to wear black.
Eaddy said the brotherhood is most important. “Fans and wins come and go, but we been with each other through blowouts,” said Eaddy. “Showing everyone isn’t our priority, but we want to win bad.”
