10 storylines for central Ohio girls high school basketball entering the postseason
Hundreds of girls basketball teams across Ohio have been playing since late November to get in position for this – the start of the postseason.
Central District teams tip off the tournament next week across all four divisions. Division III starts Tuesday, and divisions I, II and IV get underway Wednesday.
The Southeast District began play Monday, when Fairfield Union defeated Wellston in a Division II first-round game.
On March 16, four state champions will raise their trophies at University of Dayton Arena.
Here are 10 storylines to watch in the girls basketball district tournaments:
1. Olentangy Berlin hopes to prolong record season
With a program-record 14 wins, the 15th-seeded Bears (14-7) hope two things – lessons learned in a top-heavy OCC-Cardinal and excelling in close games – pay off in a Division I bracket highlighted by No. 1 seed Pickerington Central.
Senior guard Layla Merriweather averages 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 steals and has set Berlin’s single-game scoring record twice, most recently with 28 points Feb. 7 against Westerville Central.
“What is impressive about Layla is how hard she has worked at her game to become a three-level scorer,” coach Brock Cunningham said. “She has always been gifted athletically and could get to the rim, but has really developed as a shooter this year with her pull-up jumper and 57 (3-pointers).”
Sophomore guard Aubrey Bashore (10.8 points) and junior point guard Cami Elliott (9.0 points, 4.3 assists) have been dependable complementary scorers.
Berlin, whose league opponents include No. 2 seed Olentangy and No. 3 Marysville, is 7-2 in games decided by six points or fewer. The Bears, who would not meet Central until a district semifinal Feb. 28, host 28th-seeded Logan on Wednesday and, with a win, would host 26th-seeded Watkins Memorial on Feb. 24.
2. Who else stands out in Division I?
All of the top 10 seeds, including league champions Big Walnut (OCC-Capital, No. 5), Watterson (CCL, No. 8) and Westerville Central (OCC-Ohio, No. 9), seem capable of making runs to at least a district final. Rarely do the top four seeds all advance to the regional, so odds are someone will throw a wrench into the bracket.
Sixth-seeded Upper Arlington (18-3) and No. 11 Canal Winchester (16-6) have the pieces both inside and out to make lengthy runs. Both are paced by underclassmen, with sophomore center Elizabeth Hunt (16.9 points) leading UA and Canal Winchester having only one senior in guard Kay Dunn.
No. 7 seed Reynoldsburg (16-6) has won 10 of 13 entering the tournament.
3. Can Granville capture first state title?
After three consecutive Division II district titles, fourth-year Blue Aces coach Tate Moore is confident his team is ready to take the next step.
Top-seeded Granville (20-1) begins pursuit of its first state title when it hosts No. 20 Marion-Franklin on Wednesday.
On the horizon are potential matchups with No. 10 London or No. 11 East in a semifinal Feb. 24 and No. 3 Centennial, No. 6 North Union, No. 7 Eastmoor Academy or No. 9 Heath in a district final March 2.
The Blue Aces are seeking their first state berth since 1994.
“When we came in, we hadn’t won a district title in about 30 years my first year here,” Moore said. “That was the goal. That was the be all, end all. Anything we did was to try and win a district. Now that we’ve done it three times, this senior class is only focused on one thing and that’s making it to the (state tournament).”
Through 20 games, senior forward Harper Annarino was averaging team highs of 19.8 points and 8.2 rebounds. Senior guard Aliyah Moore (10.3 points) and senior forward Taylor Warehime (5.0 rebounds) have been other top contributors.
4. Africentric looks to defend Division III state championship
The Nubians are seeking their second consecutive state title and ninth overall, and third-year coach Janicia Anderson is confident the City League champions can pull off the feat.
“Every year our goal is to contend for a state championship,” she said. “I believe my kids can get it done, but we’re not looking ahead. We’re just going to take it game by game.”
The Nubians defeated Doylestown Chippewa 75-62 for the 2023 title.
“We acknowledge last season, but it’s behind us,” Anderson said. “We’re trying to create a new foundation, a new year of success.”
Seeded second in the district tournament behind Mechanicsburg, Africentric (19-2) opens postseason play Tuesday at home against No. 26 Horizon Science. No. 5 Centerburg is the highest-seeded potential opponent in the district final Feb. 29.
Senior forward Kamryn Grant leads a balanced scoring attack for Africentric at 17.2 points per game, followed by senior guard Natiah Nelson (13.0) and sophomore guard/forward Jeniya Bowers (10.9). Senior forward SamairahThompson leads in rebounding (6.0) and junior guard Shaunie Little leads in assists (3.0).
5. Buckeye Valley brings momentum into postseason
Winners of 13 consecutive games and the Central Buckeye League title, the Barons (20-2, 14-0) have second-year coach Todd Pennington feeling confident.
“I love where this team is,” he said. “We’ve been outstanding on defense, only giving up 25 points a game. That’s where it starts. That’s where we have built the program the last two years. Now we’re putting some points on the board as well, so it’s a good spot to be in, but we have challenges ahead.”
Seeded second in the Division II district tournament, Buckeye Valley hosts No. 18 Hamilton Township on Wednesday. No. 4 Bloom-Carroll and No. 5 Jonathan Alder are possible district final opponents March 2.
Buckeye Valley is seeking its first district title since 1993. Its league title is the program’s first since 2007.
Junior forward/guard Ella Hazelrigg averages team highs of 13.2 points and 7.1 rebounds. Other top scorers are senior guards Carlie Osborne (9.4 points) and Emily Huston (8.6 points).
6. Amanda-Clearcreek hopes to regain first-half form
Seeded third in the Division III district tournament, Amanda-Clearcreek (15-7, 9-5 MSL-Buckeye) must overcome a sluggish second half of the regular season.
The Aces, who have split their last 12 games, open postseason play Tuesday at home against No. 23 Northridge. They could see No. 4 Marion Pleasant or No. 8 Harvest Prep in a semifinal Feb. 26 and No. 1 Mechanicsburg or No. 7 Johnstown in a district final Feb. 29.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” coach Tim Leist said. “We’re excited about where we are. The girls put themselves in this position. Now we just have to take advantage of it.”
Amanda-Clearcreek is seeking its first district title since 2019.
Sophomore guard Taylor Evans leads the Aces in scoring (13.1 points), assists (3.0) and steals (2.5). Sophomore forward Kaylie Wilson averages 11.0 points, and senior forward Grace Davis averages 9.0 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds.
7. Fisher Catholic aims for upset-proof run
No sooner had Irish coach Ben Bethel broken down a season that, considering injuries, has met his expectations than he invoked memories of last year’s surprising Division IV district tournament.
Undefeated Berne Union lost in a semifinal, and No. 2 seed Newark Catholic – this year’s top seed – fell one round earlier. With that in mind, Bethel was hesitant to say his second-seeded team (17-3) and NC are on a collision course for the March 1 district final and a rematch of NC’s 56-52 win Dec. 17.
“The only teams that have beaten us (Newark Catholic, Portsmouth Notre Dame and Waterford) have been very good teams,” Bethel said. “Without injuries, we might be even better. But I’m proud of where we are. I am proud of the way we’ve battled.”
A foot injury has sidelined senior guard Ava Albert for much of the regular season, but Bethel is hopeful for her return in the next week or two.
Senior guard Voni Bethel (16.9 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 steals) and senior forward Ellie Bruce (16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds) lead the way.
8. Madison Christian enjoys breakthrough year
The third-seeded Eagles (17-3) enter the Division IV district tournament coming off their first Mid-Ohio Christian Athletic League championship, and first-year coach Mike Crabtree credits balance and a stingy defense allowing 26.2 points per game.
Senior forward Joy Freeman (9.8 points), freshman guard Lexi Wray (9.6 points) and senior guard Kiley Wray (9.4 points) lead the offense, and Kiley Wray is first in rebounds (8.9), steals (5.5) and assists (4.2).
“This group has really bought into sharing the ball and wanting to see each other succeed,” said Crabtree, an assistant the past six seasons. “Our assists this year are up from previous seasons by about four per game and turnovers are down from previous years. I feel that our defense, though, is where they buy in and work hard.”
Madison Christian’s other starters are sophomore Lena Lesko and freshman Lily Scholz, both guards. After a first-round home game Wednesday against No. 6 Mount Gilead, fourth-seeded Wellington likely awaits Feb. 24.
9. What are the most intriguing early matchups?
Without a rooting interest but wanting to watch a good tournament game?
In Division I, Canal Winchester hosts resurgent No. 17 Groveport (11-10) in a first-round game between rivals. Non-league opponents since 2020, they will be reunited in the realigned OCC-Buckeye next school year.
No. 24 Grove City (9-12) will travel to 23rd-seeded Newark (9-13) in another first-round game.
In Division III, No. 18 Columbus Academy (7-15) will visit 10th-seeded Worthington Christian (11-11) for a matchup between Central Buckeye League foes. No. 14 International (12-8), led by sensational sophomore Leila Carter, should get a stiff first-round test at seventh-seeded Johnstown (15-6).
10. Who has the best chance to bring home a trophy?
Pickerington Central and Africentric are the easy answers, considering they made state last year and the Nubians won it all with almost an identical cast to this season. But whoever gets there in any division will have traveled a grueling road through district and especially regional gauntlets.
Undefeated Circleville probably will have to get through Thornville Sheridan to win a Southeast District title and Proctorville Fairland in the Zanesville regional to reach state in Division II. Granville is taking the other regional route, through Mansfield. Both are complete enough to get to Dayton.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Postseason storylines for Greater Columbus girls basketball
