Mar. 11—High school girls basketball programs from across Ohio will descend on the Miami Valley this week with one goal — bringing home a state championship trophy.
The 51st annual Ohio High School Athletic Association girls basketball state tournament tips off Thursday at three Dayton area sites.
Four local teams — Fairmont in Division I, Chaminade Julienne in D-III, St. Henry in D-VI and Russia in D-VII — are among the 28 programs seeking state titles.
For the sixth consecutive year, the University of Dayton Arena will host the state tournament, while state semifinal games will also be hosted at the Nutter Center at Wright State University and the Vandalia Butler High School Student Activity Center.
All 21 games of the state tournament will be streamed live by Spectrum at OHSAA.tv and http://SpectrumNewsApp.com, with the seven championship games televised live on Spectrum News 1. The OHSAA Radio Network will have live radio coverage of every game.
Here's a look at each state tournament game taking place in Dayton this week:
Division I State Semifinals
Wadsworth (24-2) vs. Cincinnati Princeton (22-4)
6 p.m., Thursday at UD Arena
How they got here: Wadsworth beat Mentor 64-55; Princeton beat Lakota West 65-47.
Ones to watch: Vikings sophomore guard Erin Thomas is averaging 19.7 points and 2.9 steals per game and is shooting 84.3 percent from the free throw line.
Notable: Wadsworth is making its seventh trip to the state tournament and first since 2018.
Pickerington Central (22-3) vs. Kettering Fairmont (26-0)
6 p.m., Thursday at UD Arena
How they got here: Pickerington Central beat New Albany 59-28; Fairmont beat Olentangy 66-45.
Ones to watch: The Firebirds are led by do-it-all senior Kaylah Thornton, a Ms. Basketball candidate and Akron commit, who is averaging 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 2.4 assists per game
Notable: Fairmont, which beat both Pickerington Central and Princeton in the regular season, is seeking its first state championship appearance since 2013. ... Pickerington Central is the defending state champion. They beat Princeton 47-44 in last year's state title game.
D-I State Championship: 8:30 p.m., Saturday at UD Arena
Division II State Semifinals
Akron Archbishop Hoban (20-4) vs. Olmsted Falls (22-4)
6 p.m., Friday at Vandalia Butler
How they got here: Hoban beat Twinsburg 76-50; Olmsted Falls beat Hudson 40-29.
Ones to watch: Hoban has five senior starters led by guard Nierra Stevens (17.6 points per game).
Notable: Hoban is seeking its first state title since 1988. ... Olmsted Falls is making its fourth straight trip to the state tournament.
Sunbury Big Walnut (23-4) vs. Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (25-0)
8 p.m., Friday at Vandalia Butler
How they got here: Mount Notre Dame beat Seton 61-51; Big Walnut beat Worthington Kilbourne 67-54.
Ones to watch: Big Walnut junior Sydney Mobley, one of the most coveted recruits in the country, is averaging 20.5 points and nine rebounds this season.
Notable: Mount Notre Dame is making its 12th trip to the state tournament. They're seeking their eighth state title in school history. ... Big Walnut is making its second state championship appearance.
D-II State Championship: 5:15 p.m. Saturday, at UD Arena
Division III State Semifinals
Dayton Chaminade Julienne (22-4) vs. Copley (21-5)
11 a.m., Thursday at Nutter Center
How they got here: CJ beat Carroll 49-45; Copley beat Lyndhurst Brush 67-51.
Ones to watch: Copley are led by senior Evelyn McKnight, a Ms. Basketball candidate and Youngstown State commit, who is averaging 24 points, six rebounds and six steals; CJ freshman guard Ja'Kyiah Cook averaged 20 points per game in regional victories over Tippecanoe and Carroll.
Notable: CJ is back in the state tournament for the first time since 2013. ... Copley last advanced in 2024.
Chillicothe Unioto (25-2) vs. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (21-5)
1 p.m., Thursday at Nutter Center
How they got here: Unioto beat Col. Bishop Hartley 66-44; SVSM beat Toledo Notre Dame 46-36.
Ones to watch: Unioto senior Milee Smith, who averages nearly 24 points per game, signed to play at the University of Dayton next season.
Notable: Unioto is making its first state appearance since 1995, where it fell to Akron SVSM 47-43 in a state semifinal game. SVSM beat Sherwood Fairview to claim the state title.
D-III State Championship: Friday, March 13 at UD Arena at 3:45 p.m.
Division IV State Semifinals
Cincinnati Purcell Marian (22-6) vs. Shaker Heights Laurel (20-4)
Noon, Thursday at UD Arena
How they got here: Purcell Marian beat Alter 50-34; Laurel beat Beloit West Branch 53-41.
Ones to watch: Purcell Marian junior Samaya Wilkins is averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds per game.
Notable: Purcell Marian has won four straight state championships and advanced to the semifinals for the sixth consecutive season. ... Laurel is playing in its third straight state tournament and fourth in the last six years. ... Purcell beat Laurel 79-52 to win the D-II state title in 2024.
Circleville (23-4) vs. Bellevue (28-0)
2 p.m. Thursday at UD Arena
How they got here: Circleville beat Wintersville Indian Creek 40-26; Bellevue beat Genoa Area 59-31.
Ones to watch: Bellevue's Kaitlyn Turinsky, a 6-foot-3 Youngstown State commit and Northwest District POY, will battle Circleville junior Addison Edgington, the Southeast District POY.
Notable: Circleville is making its first-ever trip to the state tournament.
State Championship: Friday, March 13 at UD Arena at 12:30 p.m.
Division V State Semifinals
Ottawa-Glandorf (27-0) vs. Proctorville Fairland (23-4), Friday, March 13 at Nutter Center at 5 p.m.
How they got here: Fairland beat Anna 60-38; Ottawa-Glandorf beat Col. Africentric 54-40.
Ones to watch: Fairland senior guard Bailey Russell recently became the program's all-time leading scorer with more than 1,700 career points. ... Ottawa Glandorf's Karsyn Erford, a Ms. Basketball candidate averaging 19.5 points per game, is committed to Findlay.
Notable: Fairland is making its fourth straight trip to the state finals and fifth overall, but they've yet to advance to the state title game.
Semifinal #2: Creston Norwayne (24-2) vs. Portsmouth (22-4)
7 p.m., Friday at Nutter Center
How they got here: Portsmouth beat Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley 66-48; Norwayne beat Doylestown Chippewa 52-33.
Ones to watch: Portsmouth senior guard Sienna Allen (17.1 ppg) is headed to Ohio University.
Notable: Portsmouth is the defending state champion and split the season series with Ohio Valley Conference rival Fairland.
State Championship: 2 p.m., Saturday at UD Arena
Division VI State Semifinals
St. Henry (25-1) vs. Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (22-3)
5 p.m., Thursday at Nutter Center
How they got here: St. Henry beat Fayetteville-Perry 38-36; Harvest Prep beat Sarahsville Shenandoah 52-42.
Ones to watch: Harvest Prep sophomore guard Janay Carter (14.7 ppg) has multiple Division I offers.
Notable: St. Henry is making its first-ever Final Four appearance. The Redskins' lone loss came at Parkway 37-28 on Feb. 5.
Castalia Margaretta (26-1) vs. Canton Central Catholic (22-5)
7 p.m., Thursday at Nutter Center
How they got here: Margaretta beat Hamler Patrick Henry 37-31; CCC beat Smithville 35-30.
Ones to watch: Margaretta senior Cassidy Lane, a 6-foot post, is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Notable: Margaretta advanced to the state tournament for the sixth time, but has yet to win a semifinal game. ... CCC is back at the state tournament for the first time since 1981.
State Championship: 7 p.m., Friday at UD Arena
Division VII State Semifinals
Ottoville (25-4) vs. Strasburg-Franklin (23-5)
11 a.m., Friday at Nutter Center
How they got here: Ottoville beat Stryker 44-39 in a game that was played over two days due to condensation on the floor at Bluffton University's Sommer Center; Strasburg-Franklin beat Reedsville Eastern 50-33.
Ones to watch: Ottoville junior guard Brooklyn Koester is averaging 19.6 ppg.
Notable: Ottoville is making its 10th trip overall. They trailed Stryker by six points in the fourth quarter when the game was called; the following day they went on a 13-2 run to end the game and advanced to Dayton.
Attica Seneca East (18-7) vs. Russia (24-3)
1 p.m., Friday at Nutter Center
How they got here: Seneca East beat Cortland Maplewood 31-25; Russia beat Cedarville 40-32.
Ones to watch: Russia junior Hazel Francis is averaging 10.3 ppg.; Seniors Izzy Stockmaster and Alexa Snay each average over 13 ppg.
Notable: Both teams advanced to the state tournament for the first time in school history.
State Championship: 10:45 p.m., Saturday at UD Arena