On Sunday, the Ohio High School Athletic Association had the draw for its boys basketball tournament, which starts Feb. 6 with sectionals and culminates March 17-19 at the University of Dayton Arena.
Top seeds in Southwest Ohio by division are: Fairfield in Division I, Taft in Division II, Madeira in Division III and Riverview East in Division IV.
Tickets for sectional, district and state basketball tournament games
The OHSAA released information for buying tickets Sunday afternoon.
Tickets for sectional and district tournament games are $6 for students and $8 for adults. Tickets for regional tournament games are $8 for students and $10 for adults. All tickets must be purchased in advance at www.OHSAA.org/tickets.
Girls and boys basketball state tournament all-session tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 6 at www.OHSAA.org/tickets.
Single-session tickets go on sale at noon on Sunday of state tournament week (March 5 for girls, Mach 12 for boys). Student sections and pep bands for participating teams will be behind the baskets and those schools will receive information for the seating areas for their fans. Single-session tickets are $12 for students, $16 for adults and $20 for premium seats.
Girls all-session reserved tickets are $112 each, while premium seat tickets are $144 each.
Boys all-session reserved tickets are $168 each, while premium seat tickets are $216 each. Tickets for the Center Court Club, which include lounge access between games, concession vouchers and seats very near the court are $500 each.
Ticket prices include parking fees. The University of Dayton Arena is a cashless facility. Tailgating and overnight parking are not permitted.
Here are the possible paths for the area's best teams to advance from the sectionals to the district tournament:
Division I
Lakota West 1
Moeller, the No. 3 seed and 14-6 overall, starts Feb. 16 against No. 29 Harrison (9-11) in a game at West Clermont. Moeller is tied for first in the defense-oriented Greater Catholic League South but has lost twice to La Salle. Withrow, 14-4 is the top seed in the other half of the draw, ninth. The sectional final is Feb. 24 or 25, with the winner playing the Fairfield sectional winner March 4 at UD.
Lakota West 2
No. 6 Mason and No. 7 Anderson are favored to meet in the sectional final. The Comets, 14-6, are in fourth place in the GMC. They could face league foe Oak Hills in the semis in a rematch of a game Mason won by 10, 48-38. Anderson, 17-3 overall and 11-3 in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference, is in the hunt for its first league title in 20 years entering the final week of the regular season, and got a boost by beating No. 2 seed Elder Saturday.
The Raptors play No. 27 Northwest (10-10), who is tied for first in the Southwest Ohio Conference, on Feb. 17, then is favored to play No. 12 La Salle (10-9) in the semis. The sectional final is either Feb. 24 or 25, with the winner playing a Dayton sectional winner March 4 at UD Arena.
MORE: WVU football commit Chandler Starks leads Anderson into the postseason.
West Clermont 1
Fairfield, the top seed and GMC champions, are 16-4 overall and ranked seventh in last week’s Associated Press medial poll. They would have to beat West Clermont (1-18) and Winton Woods (9-12) to get to the sectional final, likely against either No. 10 Turpin (15-5) or No. 11 St. Xavier (11-10). Fairfield lost 51-48 to St. X this season. The sectional final is Feb. 24, with the winner playing a Dayton sectional winner March 4 at UD.
West Clermont 2
No. 2 seed Elder (15-4) and No. 4 seed Sycamore (15-5) are favored to reach the sectional final. They have not played each other this season. Elder, ranked ninth in DI in the AP poll, would have to get past No. 13 Middletown (11-9) in the semis, and the Middies got a boost from beating Fairfield last week. The sectional final is Feb. 24, with the winner playing a Dayton sectional champion March 4 at UD.
Fairfield 1
No. 5 seed Princeton (14-6) and No. 8 seed Kings (17-4) are favored to reach the final. Western Brown, 17-3 and champions of the Southern Buckeye Conference American Division, got the No. 20 seed and face No. 16 Western Hills (12-7) Feb. 18. The sectional final is Feb. 24, with the winner playing the Lakota West 1 champion March 4 at UD.
Division II
Mason Middle School 1
Taft, the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference Red champions, are 16-2 and the top seed. The Senators are ranked third in the state in the AP poll. No. 6 seed McNicholas (10-10) and No. 8 seed Taylor (9-12) are favored to reach the semifinals. They did not play each other this year, and Taft didn’t play either one. The sectional final is Feb. 25, with the winner advancing to the district finals at Xavier March 5.
Mason Middle School 2
Wyoming is the top team in this bracket as the No. 3 seed. The Cowboys are 19-2 overall and one game ahead of second-place Madeira in the Cincinnati Hills League. No. 4 seed Fenwick (13-7) and No. 7 Indian Hill (11-9) are favored to reach the semifinals. The final is Feb. 25, with the winner playing in the March 5 district finals at Xavier.
Princeton 1
No. 2 Woodward is 16-3 overall and ranked ninth in the DII by the AP. No. 5 CHCA, 15-4 and leaders of the Miami Valley Conference Scarlet Division, leads the other half with No. 9 New Richmond (12-8). The final Feb. 23 with the winner also playing March 5 in the districts at Xavier.
Division III
Western Brown 1
The top half of the draw features No. 6 seed Clermont Northeastern (15-6) vs. No. 10 Cincinnati Country Day (10-10) meeting in the first round, with the winner facing No. 8 Gamble (13-7) in the semifinals. CNE is a co-leader in the SBAAC-National. CCD beat Gamble 41-39 earlier this season. Clark (5-14) and North College Hill (6-14) are underdogs to No. 3 seed Greeneview (17-3). The sectional final is Feb. 24 with the winner moving on to UD Arena for the district final.
Western Brown 2
No. 4 seed Williamsburg (16-4) and No. 5 Mariemont (12-8) could meet in the semis in what could be one of the closest games in the early rounds of the sectionals. They did not play each other this season. Williamsburg is a co-leader of the SBAAC National. No. 2 seed Summit Country Day (15-6), second place in the MVC-Scarlet, is heavily favored to reach the finals and did not play Williamsburg or Mariemont. The sectional final is Feb. 24 with the winner moving on to UD Arena for the district final.
Princeton 1
No. 1 seed Madeira (17-3) is favored to reach the final. No. 7 Georgetown and No. 9 Seven Hills are both 11-7 and did not play each other. The sectional final is Feb. 23 with the winner advancing to the district finals at UD Arena.
Division IV
Princeton 1
Cincinnati Christian, 17-2 and champions of the MVC-Gray, are the No. 2 seed. They would have to play No. 5 seed Lockland (9-10) or No. 6 Middletown Christian (12-7) in the semis. No. 4 Cincinnati College Prep (12-5) is the top team on the other side. The sectional final is Feb. 22 with the winner advancing to the district tournament at UD Arena.
Princeton 2
Riverview East, AKA “The School on Stilts" on Kellogg Avenue, has ascended to the No. 1 seed in the bracket with an 18-1 record. They are leaders in the CMAC-Blue Division. No. 3 Fayetteville Perry is the leader on the other side of the draw. The sectional final is Feb. 22 with the winner going to UD.
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