Area college basketball notes: Lorain grad Seth Wilson Zips script, ends career in same city it started

Seth Wilson's basketball career began in Akron and will end with the Zips. Before he graduated from Lorain High, Wilson spent his first two high school seasons with St. Vincent-St. Mary, winning the Division II state championship in 2018. Now, seven years later, he capped his college career by helping the University of Akron win the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Zips earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament with a 76-74 win over Miami of Ohio in the MAC championship at Rocket Arena on Saturday. The Zips earned a No. 13 seed and will face No. 4 Arizona in the first round in Seattle on Friday at 7:35 p.m. on TruTV. The winner will face either No. 5 Oregon or No. 12 Liberty on Sunday. "Growing up as a kid you see LeBron (James) play in downtown Cleveland, so to play there and compete for a championship means a lot," Wilson said. "And then Akron is like full circle, if you will. I won my first high school championship out in Akron and I won my first college championship out in Akron. It's an extreme blessing and it just feels like it came full circle." Wilson spent his first three years in college at West Virginia, appearing in 82 games with three starts. He became a regular member of the rotation by his junior season, averaging 17.1 minutes with 3.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 15 steals while shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point range. With Akron, Wilson has had an expanded role. He's appeared in 33 of 34 games, while averaging 18.7 minutes, and has made 21 straight starts since making his first against Central Michigan on Jan. 7, a game in which he scored a season-high 18 points. "It's definitely a blessing," Wilson said. "The word I've been using is gratitude. I'm extremely grateful to have won the regular season and the postseason. To do it at home where your family can see you and stuff like that. I had a lot of people come to the game this past weekend. To be able to do something that incredible in front of them meant the world." Wilson does a little bit of everything for Akron, shooting 35.3 percent from 3-point range on 153 attempts, averaging 6.3 points to go with 22 steals. He had 15 points on 5-of-7 attempts — all from 3-point range — in the quarterfinal win over Bowling Green. This is Wilson's second trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers qualified during his sophomore season, losing to Maryland 67-65 in the first round. Wilson played nine minutes and scored three points in that game. "We have to keep the energy right as far as coming to the game confidently and having that fine line of it not being arrogance," Wilson said. "Just make sure that we come into the game locked in, ready to play. We can't take this time for granted because tomorrow is definitely not promised. Arizona is a great team. They wouldn't be in the tournament if that wasn't the case." Dance, dance Wilson isn't the only local player who brought home a MAC regular-season and tournament championship. Grace Kingery (North Ridgeville) was a key member of No. 1-seeded Ball State's run to both crowns on the women's side, clinching a spot in the NCAA Tournament.While Kingery did not play in the 65-58 win over Toledo in the MAC final, the freshman was a key reserve for the Cardinals, seeing action in 30 of 34 games while averaging 14.3 minutes and shooting 34.9 percent from 3-point range on 109 attempts.Ball State earned a No. 12 seed and will face No. 5 Mississippi in the first round Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPNU. The winner will face either No. 4 Baylor, the host of the quadrant, or No. 13 Grand Canyon on Sunday. Jeremy Sanchez (North Ridgeville) and No. 6 Missouri will take on No. 11 Drake in the first round at Wichita, Kansas, tonight at 7:35 on TruTV. The winner will face either No. 3 Texas Tech or No. 14 UNC Wilmington on Saturday. Sanchez, a graduate student, plays sparingly for the Tigers with just six total minutes on the season. Mary Meng (Midview) and No. 7 Michigan State will face No. 10 Harvard in the first round Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPNews. The winner will face either No. 2 North Carolina State, the host of the quadrant, or No. 15 Vermont on Monday. Meng has appeared in nine games, totaling 11 points, 19 rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Horizon line A first-round Horizon League women's tournament game between Wright State and Youngstown State featured two notable locals. Amaya Staton (Amherst) had a record-breaking night in leading Wright State to a 73-58 win. The graduate student's 27 rebounds broke the single-game record for the program and the league tournament and matched the Horizon League's all-time single-game rebounding record. She also led the team with 17 points and three blocks while contributing two steals. The Raiders lost to Purdue Fort Wayne 64-50 in the quarterfinals March 6. Stanton finished with her 10th-consecutive double double — 11 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Abby Liber (Avon) came off the bench and played 15 minutes for Youngstown State. She shot 1-of-2 from the field, all from 3-point range, for three points while also contributing three rebounds, two assists and a block. Last possession Fairmont State won its second straight Mountain East Conference women's tournament championship, clinching a spot in the NCAA Division II tournament. Jalen Gibbs (Wellington) was a cornerstone on both teams, this time putting up 13 points and 14 rebounds in a 79-65 win over Glenville State in the MEC championship March 9.Fairmont State earned a No. 5 seed and lost 76-61 to Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the first round. Gibbs had six points, a team-high 12 rebounds, two blocks and three steals. The graduate student concludes her season averaging 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds with 55 blocks and 51 steals. Jamir Billings (Lorain) concluded his career with Wooster as one of the most decorated players to come through the program. Billings was named second-team all-district by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and third-team all-region by D3hoops.com. He broke the NCAC all-time record for career steals with 324, which ranks No. 13 in Division III history. He also holds the Wooster record for assists (596) and his 1,270 points are No. 20 in program history. The Scots' season ended with a 79-68 loss to Denison in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament final, their fourth straight loss in the conference championship. Wisconsin women's season ended with an 81-54 loss to Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten tournament March 5. Carter McCray (Elyria Catholic) had six points, two rebounds and one steal in the loss. The sophomore averaged 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds — both second on the team — to go with 23 steals and 12 blocks in her first season with the Badgers since transferring from Northern Kentucky. Ave Maria University lost to RV Florida Memorial 74-66 in the semifinals of the Sun Conference tournament Feb. 28. Senior Emily Rapacz (Elyria Catholic) played 31 minutes, scoring four points with three rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks. Isabelle Niederst (Elyria Catholic) finished her debut season with 19 points and five steals, both game highs, in leading Tiffin to a 68-58 win against Walsh on Feb. 27. She appeared in all 28 games with two starts her freshman season, averaging 18.6 minutes and 6.3 points while totaling 36 steals and one block. Ashland's men's team ended its season with a 76-59 loss to Hillsdale in the Great Midwest Conference tournament quarterfinals. Aden Gregory (Midview) made his first start of the season in that game, scoring seven points to go with five rebounds. The 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore had been a core member of the team's rotation all season, appearing in every game and averaging 21.4 minutes and 8.2 points while shooting 43.4 percent from 3-point range on 53 attempts. For additions to the college notebook, contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.