MANSFIELD, Ohio — Jake Gurski’s contributions don’t always show up in the scorebook or on the stat sheet, but the senior’s fingerprints are all over St. Peter’s march to the Sweet 16.
The Spartans (23-2) will take on North Baltimore (16-10) in the early game of a Division IV regional semifinal doubleheader Tuesday at Bowling Green State University’s Stroh Center thanks in part to Gurski’s under-the-radar performance in last week’s district championship win over Colonel Crawford. The 6-foot-4 post scored eight points and swiped five rebounds while limiting Heath Starkey, Crawford’s 6-foot-10 center, to four points and six boards.
“He’s a good player. He’s physical and he’s tough,” Gurski said of his matchup with the Ashland University-bound Starkey. “He changes so many shots around the rim with his length.”
With four teammates averaging more than 10 points a game, Gurski isn’t asked to score a lot. He’s often overlooked, which suits him just fine.
“I just play in the flow of the game,” Gurski said. “My teammates share the ball really well and when I’m open they get it to me.”
The Spartans advanced to the regional championship game last year with Gurski seeing spot duty off the bench. He moved into the starting role this year in place of the graduated Ryan Payne and hasn’t looked back.
“Man, he’s big for us. If (opponents) forget about him, he’ll make them pay,” senior point guard Tyson Kent said. “He’s a tough kid and he does the dirty work. He rebounds and plays defense.”
North Baltimore was just 12-10 in the regular season and finished in the middle of the pack in the Blanchard Valley Conference before catching fire in the postseason. The Tigers won the Findlay district championship — the program’s first ever district crown — as the No. 5 seed, avenging a regular season loss to Arlington with a 66-53 win.
Chase Naugle, a 5-foot-8 junior guard, scored 22 points in the victory, while 6-foot-3 freshman Levi Gazarek added 17. Junior Julian Hagemyer, a 6-foot-4 forward, added 16.
St. Peter’s, ranked second in Division IV in the final Associated Press state poll, is the only holdover from last year’s regional field. Delphos St. John’s and Holgate will meet in Tuesday’s late semifinal game.
“Last year’s regional experience helps big-time in terms of dealing with nerves and maintaining our composure,” Gurski said. “We have worked hard to get back and I’m looking forward to regionals.”
