Eight Greater Cincinnati girls basketball teams remain in the hunt for an Ohio High School Athletic Association state title. Starting Tuesday evening, those teams will play in regional basketball games throughout the week.
The four remaining Division I teams square off Tuesday, March 1, at Lakota West. These games were originally scheduled at Princeton, but with the Vikings advancing, the location was changed Sunday for neutral-site purposes.
Winton Woods and Mason begin the night at 6 p.m., followed by Princeton and Mount Notre Dame at 8 p.m.
Also Tuesday, in Division II, Badin will travel to Springfield to play Eaton at 8 p.m.
On Wednesday, Purcell Marian returns to the Division III regional with a semifinal matchup against Waynesville. Tip-off will also be at 8 p.m.
It's Cincinnati Country Day in the Division IV regional semifinal against Fort Loramie at 8 p.m., Thursday, at Vandalia Butler High School.
Here's a preview of the upcoming contests.
Mason vs. Winton Woods Division I regional semifinal
Winton Woods coach Carlton Gray won his first district championship last Saturday at Princeton, while Mason's Rob Matula won his eighth. The Comets eliminated Springboro and have won 11 straight games since falling on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to Indiana's South Bend Washington 38-37. They are 24-2 overall.
McDonald's All-American Kyla Oldacre was a force in the district final with 27 points and 16 rebounds using her 6-foot-6-inch frame to block four shots. Once she moves on to the Miami Hurricanes, Matula will still have four starters returning including 5-foot-11 inch freshman Madison Parrish, who chips in just under 11 points per game. Also adding experience to Mason's starting five are juniors Amanda Barnes, Joy Resig and Gabby Razzano.
Winton Woods has reeled off 23 straight wins and is 25-1. They've not lost since late November against Turpin. They also have a McDonald's All-American in Chance Gray who tops the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in scoring at 26.7 per game. She's surpassed 30 points four times, including pouring in 31 against top seed Centerville in the district final.
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Freshman center Daniah Trammell added 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Warriors but will have her hands full giving up seven inches to Mason's Oldacre.
For motivation, the district title was a first for senior Gray who will next play at Oregon. Playing for Lakota West last year, she was eliminated by Mason 55-25 when her former AAU teammate Oldacre had 18 points and 11 boards in a 55-25 win. The Comets held Gray to 7 in that game, but to be fair the only players back from that contest are Oldacre and Gray.
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"Chance, I have so much respect for her," Mason's Matula said. "Obviously when she was at (Lakota) West, we played each other and Carlton and Amber (father and older sister of Chance). I know it'll be a great game."
Either way, there will be at least one area McDonald's All-American heading to state based on the matchups. Mason made it to the state semifinals in 2016 under Matula and last won in 2000 under Gerry Lackey. Winton Woods is seeking its first girls appearance.
"We still have a long way to go," Carlton Gray said. "This is the foundation for hopefully something we maybe build long term."
Mount Notre Dame vs. Princeton, Division I regional semifinal
This is the rematch everyone was hoping for.
Technically, Mount Notre Dame has won 97 straight games and hasn't lost since Jan. 14, 2019, against Centerville. That includes their district triumph over Bellbrook.
Their Dec. 22 contest at home with Princeton is officially listed as a 2-0 forfeit. MND coach Dr. Scott Rogers was ill, but the score at the end of the night was Princeton 86, MND 59. Greater Miami Conference top scorer Solé Williams had 33 points, while current Ohio Ms. Basketball K.K. Bransford scored 34 and pulled down 10 rebounds.
It was later found that a Princeton player who had also played in the junior varsity game went over the number of quarters the OHSAA permits. The Vikings self-reported and the game is in the record books as their first loss. Princeton is now 23-3, having also lost to Mason and Pickerington Central.
It's far from a secret that both teams have looked forward to meeting again. Princeton coach Dee Davis has had a solid year coaching where she also was a McDonald's All-American.
"Yes, I'm back at my alma mater and I'm happy to be here," Davis said. "More importantly, I want these young ladies to experience success at the highest level. It means a lot for me to be able to lead them, but I'm more excited about the opportunity for them to attain this goal."
Princeton last won a state title in 2014 under previous coach Jill Phillips and another McDonald's All-American, Kelsey Mitchell. Bransford will join Gray and Oldacre in that game, heading to Notre Dame after graduation. She'd like to add a third state title, which would be the ninth for MND and the sixth for Rogers.
To do that, they'll have to overcome the asterisk on their record.
"A lot of teams have great players and we're going to see one on Tuesday (Solé Williams)," Rogers said. "Unfortunately, I missed the last one (December game vs. Princeton). I'm glad I get to be here for this one. I'm looking forward to it. They're a great team. We've got a lot of respect for them. We'll see what happens."
The Mason/Winton Woods vs. MND/Princeton regional final will be 7 p.m. Saturday night at Lakota West.
Badin vs. Easton, Division II regional semifinal
The Rams are 20-6 and winners of six straight. Their last defeat came against Division I Winton Woods Jan. 31. A year ago, Badin made a run to the Division II regional final before falling to Carroll.
Back are seniors Mahya Lindensmith and Jada Pohlen, averaging 14 and 13.8 points, respectively. Pohlen also is the Greater Catholic League-Coed Division rebounding leader with 7.8 per game and topped the league in shooting percentage at 49.4%.
Their opponent is Eaton (11-9), which won the district title over Summit Country Day 43-35. Eaton last lost on Feb. 5 to Edgewood, a team that also owns a win over Badin.
Should Badin prevail, they'll get the winner of Tuesday's Granville/Kettering Alter game in a regional final Friday night at 7 p.m. back at Springfield. Alter defeated the Rams twice this season in GCL-Coed play.
Purcell Marian vs. Waynesville, Division III regional semifinal
Coach Jamar Mosley lost everyone on the court from last season's Division III state semifinal with the exception of sophomore Jayda Mosley (no relation). A rebuilding year turned into a 23-1 campaign with the Cavaliers last losing on Dec. 4 to Division II Summit Country Day 57-55.
The youth movement is on in East Walnut Hills as 6-foot-1-inch Dee Alexander is on everyone's radar with averages of 25.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 4.2 steals and 4.6 assists. Three other freshmen chime in with Mosley as Trinity Small and twins, Ky'Aira and Cy'Aira Miller, team up to average nearly 26 points per contest.
Senior Jermyrha Behanen is a veteran in the mix who had 10 points in their district final victory over Greenon.
Waynesville at 16-3 eliminated Mariemont 52-41 last Saturday for a district crown. Their last loss came Feb. 3 against Division I Bellbrook 69-30.
If Purcell Marian wins Wednesday, they return to Springfield for the Division III regional final at 1 p.m. Saturday against the East Clinton/Marion Pleasant winner.
Cincinnati Country Day vs. Fort Loramie, Division IV regional semifinal
Coach John Snell's Nighthawks are 19-5 after their district win over Russia 47-42. CCD's last loss came against Division III Purcell Marian Feb. 2, 61-53. They have played schools in all divisions.
CCD offers a "3-Z" attack as senior Sarah Zimmerman leads with 13.5 points per game and 7.8 rebounds. Her sophomore sisters, Megan and Elizabeth, team up for about 17 more points. Leading the way for the Nighthawks is junior Gracie Barnes at 14.7.
The Zimmermans are all standouts on CCD's noted soccer squad along with senior Jada Moorman, who rounds out the starting five.
Their big issue is Fort Loramie, which has found a way to send CCD home the last two seasons. They beat them at the district level 50-16 in 2021 and in the regional final 50-34 in 2020.
Fort Loramie is 24-1 with their only blemish coming against Liberty-Benton Feb. 5.
Should the Nighthawks advance, they will return to Vandalia Butler for the 1 p.m. Division IV final Saturday.
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