MANSFIELD, Ohio — St. Peter’s stay in the Associated Press Division IV state poll was short-lived, but Tyson Kent isn’t especially concerned about rankings.
The junior point guard and his talented teammates have more important things to worry about as the postseason rapidly approaches.
The Spartans were 14th in the poll last week, but dropped out after a 65-47 loss at Shelby on Saturday. It was St. Peter’s first loss since early December, snapping a 10-game winning streak.
“We don’t really pay much attention (to the state rankings) because that isn’t our goal,” said Kent, the son of Mansfield Senior great Ahmed Kent. “Our goal is to get down to state. That is what we’re trying to achieve.”
No team in Richland County has made more frequent visits to the Final Four than St. Peter’s. The Spartans have advanced to the state tournament eight times in program history, winning small-school titles in 1968 and 1978 and finishing runner-up in 1977 and 1979. St. Peter’s last state appearance was in 1990.
There have been some close calls since then — most recently an overtime loss in the 2004 regional championship game — but for the past decade, the Spartans have largely struggled to make it out of the sectional.
Area legend Joe Jakubick took over the program last year and led St. Peter’s to its first sectional title since 2008. The Spartans gave eventual regional runner-up Plymouth all it could handle before falling 48-41 in the district semifinals last March.
With a majority of last year’s roster returning, expectations were high coming into the season. The Spartans split their first four games before ripping off 10 wins in a row.
“I feel that these kids are pretty skilled,” Jakubick said. “We can compete against anybody but at the other end, anybody can beat us, too.
“The whole ranking thing is on potential on where maybe we could be.”
Jakubick’s son, sophomore sharpshooter Jared, is averaging 13.7 points a game. Fellow sophomore Mason Campbell averages a team-high 14.6 points a game. Kent ranks among area leaders at 3.1 assists a game, while senior Kyle Osgar averages three assists a night.
“If we put 32 minutes together, we can be good,” Jakubick said. “I got two sophomores on the court. Tyson is a junior but this is really his first season starting at point guard. He is still learning.
“Sometimes you’ve got to put that in perspective but at the end of the day I really don’t.”
The Spartans led Shelby 39-35 midway through the third quarter only to be outscored 30-8 during the final 12 minutes.
“Every game is a lesson. That is why we play the schedule we play. We want to play quality teams,” Jakubick said afterward. “The important thing is we learn from it and move on.”
St. Peter’s hosts Loudonville on Friday. The Redbirds handed the Spartans their only Mid-Buckeye Conference loss on Dec. 11.
The tournament draw is Feb. 7 and the Spartans should be one of the top seeds at the Division IV Willard sectional/district. The field also includes state-ranked Sandusky St. Mary. St. Peter’s handed St. Mary it’s only loss on Dec. 28.
“I think they know that we are a capable team,” Jakubick said. “Where do we fit in at the end? Time will tell, but we are a capable team.”
