CINCINNATI — Mount Notre Dame senior combo guard KK Bransford, Winton Woods senior point guard Chance Gray and Mason senior center Kyla Oldacre were selected Tuesday afternoon to the McDonald's All-American Girls Game March 29 in Chicago.

The 2022 all-star game roster was announced during ESPN's "NBA Today" show. The game is at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on March 29 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Bransford, Oldacre and Gray are three of only 24 players selected nationally to compete in the McDonald's All-American Girls Game. This is the first time Greater Cincinnati has had three players selected for the prestigious all-star game in a single year.

Bransford, a University of Notre Dame signee, is on the MaxPreps national player of the year watch list this month.

Bransford, who won the 2021 Ohio Ms. Basketball award, has helped to lead the Cougars (17-0) to 89 consecutive wins - the second most in Ohio High School Athletic Association history.

Bransford enters Tuesday night's game at St. Ursula with 1,984 career points which is 16 points away from joining the OHSAA record book for most career points (2,000 points minimum).

Gray, who is signed with the University of Oregon, is ranked the nation's No. 7 player overall in the 2022 class by ESPN.

Gray was a Division I first-team all-state selection as a junior. Gray has led Winton Woods to a 17-1 record including 15 consecutive wins.

Gray averages 25.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 3.2 assists. Gray is 27 points away from reaching the 2,000 points milestone.

Oldacre, a University of Miami (Fla.) signee, averages 13.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 1.9 steals and 1.4 assists this season for Mason (15-2).

Oldacre averaged 14.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks as a junior at Mason and was very impressive at Nike Nationals last year. The center totaled four double-digit games, including two 20-point outings in Augusta, Ga.

This is the first time a Greater Cincinnati player has been selected for the McDonald's All American Game since former Mason star Sammie Puisis was selected for the 2019 contest.

CINCINNATI — While there might not be "a ton to do in Cincinnati," the city has had some great sports moments in 2021.

The Bearcats smashed college football’s glass ceiling by becoming the first school from a so-called “Group of Five” conference to advance to the sport's four-team playoff.

While in many ways it was the year of the Bearcat, several other highlights happened in Cincinnati sports this year.

Joe Burrow returned from a knee injury earlier than most believed possible. He and former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase have the Bengals in the hunt for the postseason for the first time since 2015. Chase, defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Joe Mixon were named to the Pro Bowl (with Burrow and four others named alternates).

The Bengals also debuted new stripes for the franchise’s first new look since 2004.

Despite a renaissance season from Joey Votto and all-star nods for outfielders Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker, the Reds failed to make the postseason, running out of gas in September.

The sport shut down in December as the owners locked out the players. The strike season of 1994 was the last time baseball has experienced a work stoppage.

While it may feel like the year of the Bearcat, it was not Cincinnati's day at Cintas Center earlier this month. Xavier beat UC 83-63 in the Crosstown Shootout.

FC Cincinnati opened TQL Stadium this year, but only won once in the West End. The new stadium did welcome back Cincinnati native Rose Lavelle, who scored in the fourth minute in the USWNT's game against Paraguay this September. The Mount Notre Dame graduate also assisted two goals in the 8-0 win.

The Western and Southern Open returned to Mason after a year away due to the pandemic.

Three Tri-state football teams celebrated state championships — Winton Woods, Beechwood and Clinton-Massie. The Warriors routed Akron Archbishop Hoban to capture their second championship ever, while the Tigers and Falcons won close games to earn their hardware.

Mount Notre Dame basketball brought home its eighth state title, while the school's soccer team won its first state championship ever in November.

Trenton native Zach Apple won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics while swimming the anchor leg on the United States men's 4x100m freestyle relay team. Apple, Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni and Becker won the race in 3 minutes, 8.97 seconds, the third-fastest time in history.

The year isn’t over. UC football continues its run to a national title on New Year’s Eve against Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two Tri-State teams were victorious Friday, as the Mount Notre Dame and Waynesville girls soccer teams won their first state championships Friday.

The Mount Notre Dame Cougars defeated Walsh Jesuit 4-1 at Lower.com Field to win the 2021 Division I girls state championship final. While MND is no stranger to athletics success, this season marked the Cougars' first ever state championship game. Before the game, head coach Kiersten Roof said their success comes from the revamped program's shift in team culture.

"You're putting the team first and the program first — and you are going to fight together, be there for each other, encourage each other, pick each other up, and you're going to do everything together, because it's the only way we're ever going to get anything through,” Roof said. “And that seems to have made a difference for us.”

Team captain Emma Frey said making it to the championship has been the goal from the start of the season

“We've kind of just had Nov. 12 in the back of our mind.” Frey said. “So just kind of been that thing we come into every practice every day to keep going.”

According to MND Athletics' Twitter, Frey gave the team a 2-0 lead before Walsh was able to score one goal. The Cougars responded with two unanswered goals, making MND the 2021 Division I girls soccer champions.

Though the team had not made it to the state championship game before, the program does have an esteemed alumna who kept up with their success. Olympian and United States Women’s National Team star Rose Lavelle played for the Cougars when she attended MND, retweeting the athletic department with her congratulations after Friday's win.

Lavelle tweeted, "Yay cougars!!!!! "

Waynesville, the No. 6 seed in Division III play, defeated Ottawa-Glandorf to win the first girls soccer state championship in school history.

The Lady Spartans reacted to the win on Twitter, saying, "So this happened."

Both Mount Notre Dame and Waynesville are part of Ohio High School Athletic Association's Southwest District. Wyoming also made the Division II state championship game, but lost to Chagrin Falls.

READING, Ohio — Mount Notre Dame High School senior guard KK Bransford - the 2021 Ohio Ms. Basketball recipient - has chosen Notre Dame as the next stop on her journey for college.

Bransford's had also considered UCLA, according to a school news release.

Bransford, a four-star recruit, helped to lead the undefeated Cougars (28-0) to the Division I girls basketball state title in March 2021.

MND, which was ranked No. 1 nationally by Blue Star Media and No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps this past spring, has won 72 consecutive games entering the start of this season in November.

The win streak is third in Ohio High School Athletic Association girls basketball history. MND is two wins away from tying Pickerington (1991-94) for second place all-time.

Bransford, who was also part of the 2019 state championship team, averaged 21.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.0 steals for the Cougars this past season.

"KK is special," MND coach Dr. Scott Rogers said this past spring. "A great player and a great person. She is more concerned about her team getting better than anything else. She is constantly working on the little things. That separates her."

Bransford had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in MND's 57-55 double overtime win over Newark in the Division I state final March 13.

"KK Bransford is an electric player,” Centerville coach Adam Priefer said in a media release this past spring. “She’s a long, active defender, a great rebounder, dynamic scorer, good passer. She can do it all.”

Bransford is ranked No. 29 nationally on the ESPN girls basketball player rankings for the 2022 class, including the nation's seventh-best guard in her class.

Bransford, who has 1,600 career points, was named the Gatorade Ohio player of the year, MaxPreps Ohio player of the year and a MaxPreps All-America first team selection as a junior.

MND is scheduled to open its season against Sheridan High School Nov. 20 at the Reynoldsburg Showcase at Reynoldsburg High School, according to MND assistant athletic director Keith Schenkel.

MND has won eighth state girls basketball championships overall - the most in OHSAA history.