MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Jackson (Massillon, Ohio) Polar Bears have officially been named to the 12th Annual MaxPreps Basketball Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 11th year honoring boys basketball.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for the top 100 teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the
MaxPreps National Rankings. For basketball, only 20 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 40,000 competing varsity teams. This puts the Polar Bears ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
Beating Archbishop Moeller 39-38 in the
OHSAA Division I boys state championship basketball game on Saturday, March 25 marked the completion of an incredible 27-2 season — and earned Jackson an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
Kyle Young made a free throw with 3.6-seconds remaining and it was enough as Tim Debevec's club held on to win the defensive struggle. The one-point triumph was Jackson's second boys state basketball championship in school history.
Jackson led 13-11 after a period but both teams had put 20 on the scoreboard by the end of the first half. The Polar Bears took a 30-27 advantage into the fourth period. Logan Hill led the champions with 12 points and six rebounds, while Jaret Pallotta added 11 points and seven boards. Young ripped down a game-high 10 rebounds.
Jackson upended Medina 80-59 in one regional semifinal before winning the regional title with a 54-38 triumph over St. John's Jesuit. The Polar Bears set up the championship match by outscoring St. Edward 75-64 in the state semifinals.
Debevec's club began the season with eight straight wins before winning 19 of its final 20 contests, including nine straight to end the season.
As it turns out Jackson was not only the top
Division I basketball team in the Buckeye State, but the best in all of
Ohio according to MaxPreps. The Polar Bears also sit
No. 30 in MaxPreps' National Computer Rankings and are ranked
21st in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Rankings.
These incredible season achievements have earned the Jackson Polar Bears an invitation to the 12th Annual Tour of Champions.
Please join us as we celebrate with the boys basketball team, coaching staff, students and fans on Thursday, May 25 at an awards assembly which begins at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.
