Based solely on teams' won-loss records and their appearance in the Associated Press state rankings, one could deduce that Central District boys basketball is permeated with parity this season.

The perception is while there are a glut of middling to good teams, the great ones, the kind that potentially advance to the state final four March 23-25 in Value City Arena are few and far between.

Only after a three-week elimination process when the district's 105 teams in four divisions are whittled to nine will such speculation be proved or disproved.

Although 24 of the 38 teams in Division I have winning records, Lancaster (19-1), Brookhaven (17-3) and Reynoldsburg (17-3) the top three seeds are regarded as the clear favorites and placed themselves in separate brackets.

"Lancaster has the size of a Mid-American Conference team and coupled with their fundamental soundness they can be so intimidating at times," Gahanna coach Tony Staib said. "If they can get the game into their pace, not many teams in Ohio can beat them."

Staib's team lost twice to Lancaster, split with fifth-seeded Upper Arlington and fell to Reynoldsburg.

"In contrast, Reynoldsburg definitely has the best backcourt around," he said. "They're so difficult to defend because of their ability to drive and shoot."

While Brookhaven might not boast the star power it has in recent years, the Bearcats have won six straight district titles.

"Their tradition and record at the Fairgrounds speaks for itself," Staib said. "A lot of people stayed away from that bracket for that simple fact."

Although 13 of the 22 teams in Division II have winning records, all have at least four losses.

Top-seeded Beechcroft (15-4) and No. 2 DeSales (14-6) opted for the same bracket that advances to a regional at Ohio University. Four Central District teams have won that regional since 2001.

Seed Nos. 3-6 opted for a regional at Wright State perceived to be much tougher.

"When you look at the total picture, Beechcroft and DeSales probably are the two best teams in the district just based on the toughness of competition they see in their leagues," Watterson coach Vince Lombardo said, "but there are a number of teams capable of challenging them. And the opposite bracket is completely up for grabs."

Watterson lost twice to DeSales and also fell to Beechcroft and No. 6 Buckeye Valley.

In Division III, top-seeded Johnstown (20-0) and No. 2 Africentric (11-8) placed themselves in a bracket that would advance to the Bowling Green regional.

Most of the remaining contenders, including defending champion and No. 3 seed Bloom-Carroll (17-3), set themselves up to play in a regional at Wright State, which is likely to include defending state champion and national power Cincinnati North College Hill.

"Our goal, first and foremost, is to win a district championship and we thought going that direction gave is the best opportunity," Bloom-Carroll coach Tom Petty said.

"We've seen Johnstown several times and they're very, very good. Even though Africentric has lost a few since the seeding, that City League schedule has prepared them for the tournament.

"Had we gone to the (Bowling Green) bracket, I could deal with playing one of those teams in the district final, but it would probably mean facing the other one in the semifinal. There's a lot to consider."

Partly because of a rugged schedule that included three Division I, five Division II and six Division III opponents, Worthington Christian (14-6) narrowly earned the top seed in Division IV over Fisher Catholic (19-1). Having opted for opposite brackets, the state-ranked teams wouldn't square off until a regional semifinal in the Coliseum.

Unlike most years, however, the smallschool division figures to be much more competitive.

Harvest Prep (15-4), Ridgedale (14-5), Tree of Life (19-1) and Columbus Academy (12-8) which closed by winning 10 of 12 are among several challengers.