Here's what to know about the Northern Kentucky girls basketball district tournaments

This is the final week of regular season high school basketball in Kentucky. That's almost shocking to hear. The season has flown by and has featured exciting games every week.

Next week, half of the teams in the Commonwealth will be eliminated as district tournaments begin on Sunday, Feb. 25, in some parts of the state. Most districts, including the six in Northern Kentucky, open play on Feb. 26 or 27.

Here is a look at the six girls district tournaments in Northern Kentucky. As usual, the two teams that advance to the district championship receive a berth in their respective regional tournament.

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32nd District

What to watch: Grant County is the top seed thanks to wins over Simon Kenton and Walton-Verona in the regular season. Jada Cummins leads the Braves with 18.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. While three-point shots aren't their forte, they do convert 74.5 percent of their free throws. Defending the Braves without fouling will be key to winning the district and possibly the region.

Simon Kenton's Eighth Region title defense has been a storyline many in Northern Kentucky have watched all season. The Lady Pioneers have had an up-and-down season highlighted by wins over Frederick Douglass, Assumption and Anderson County. They have also struggled to close games, blowing leads against Notre Dame and Holy Cross.

Walton-Verona has had its own struggles. The team dealt with the flu early in the season and junior Campbell Christy missed time with an ankle injury. But the Bearcats have won 12 of their last 14. Junior Braylin Terrell recorded her second triple-double of the season against Bracken County. In that same game, freshman Elin Logue recorded a career-high 31 points. They play the Lady Pioneers in the first round on Feb. 26, but it will be a regular must-watch game over the next few years.

District final prediction: Simon Kenton vs. Grant County

33rd District

What to watch: This district has become one of the most competitive in Northern Kentucky, from top to bottom. Ryle and Cooper played a grind-it-out game on Jan. 12 that ended with a 38-32 Jaguars win. Conner got blown out by Cooper on Dec. 15, but that was during a stretch where the Cougars went 2-9. They have since beaten Boone County and were competitive for three and a half quarters against Ryle before falling by 15 points. The Cougars will host the tournament and play the Raiders on Feb. 27.

Despite graduating a program legend in Whitney Lind, Cooper hasn't lost a step. They had a 15-game winning streak for the second straight year and have nine wins over teams that have appeared in the top 15 of the state poll at some point this season.

Ryle has won eight of 10 down the stretch, but its two blemishes were an unusual loss to Campbell County and a blowout loss to Frederick Douglass. Quinn Eubank is a frontrunner for Ninth Region Player of the Year and could win Miss Kentucky Basketball. She is averaging 16.4 points and 10 rebounds per game.

District final prediction: Cooper vs. Ryle

34th District

What to watch: Joel Steczynski has done a heck of a job with Dixie Heights this year. The Colonels graduated Sammy Berman and Ella Steczynski, and lost Hailey Holcomb and Aubrey Elkins as transfers. Leading scorer Catherine Buddenberg was out with an injury and guard Asia Carner suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth game of the season. Yet they are 15-11 and have won 10 of their last 13 games. Dixie will face the winner of Lloyd Memorial and Villa Madonna.

On the other side of the bracket are Ludlow and St. Henry. The Panthers failed to make the district championship after doing so from 2019 to 2022. Ludlow has gotten consistent production from Addy Garrett and Olivia King, but Ava Hoffmeister will have to step up if the Panthers want to advance to the district championship. She had two points in a Feb. 3 loss to St. Henry.

The Crusaders are led by seniors Kayla Unkraut and Taylor Hill. St. Henry has lost five of seven but has a chance to end the season on a high note against Beechwood.

District final prediction: Dixie Heights vs. Ludlow

35th District

What to watch: Holy Cross is on the hunt for its first district championship since 2017. The Indians are on a 12-game winning streak, the longest in the state. That streak started with a gritty 39-30 win over Notre Dame, the other contender for the district title. Holy Cross is led by Julia Hunt's 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds. Fellow seniors Aaliyah Hayes and Miyah Wimzie are both averaging at least nine points and four rebounds per game. The Indians will face Holmes (3-26) in the semifinals at Beechwood.

The Pandas will face Beechwood in the other semifinal. Junior center Sophia Gibson essentially mirrors Hunt's numbers with 13 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Only five Notre Dame players are scoring more than four points per game as they average 50 points per game, but their length on defense is what bothers other teams; they allow just 39.7 points per game.

Beechwood has had to rely on many of its underclassmen since lone senior Riley Boyd missed more than half of the season with an injury. Eighth-grader Gia Jones is the only player to appear in all 27 games. She is scoring 9.5 points per game on 36.1 percent three-point shooting.

District final prediction: Holy Cross vs. Notre Dame

36th District

What to watch: Highlands started the season 4-5 before ripping off 10 straight wins. It was undefeated in the district for the second straight year, beating its opponents by 16, 24, 38 and 42 points. Junior center Marissa Green leads the Bluebirds with 15.7 and 9.6 rebounds per game. They will play the winner of Newport and Dayton on Feb. 27 at Newport.

Newport Central Catholic and Bellevue are in the other semifinal. The Thoroughbreds beat the Tigers 67-54 on Feb. 3, but there is potential for revenge here. Caroline Eaglin leads the Ninth Region in scoring at 22 points per game, but no other NCC player is averaging more than 8.2 points.

Bellevue doesn't have any seniors on their roster, but their core of Jayda and Jaylah Dowell, Ali MacPherson, Sydni Massey and Paulina Long led the Tigers to a Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference DIII championship. It has also won 20 games for the first time in the 21st century. The Tigers may not advance to the regional tournament this year, but they have a great chance to do so in 2025; it would be their first appearance since 2010.

District final prediction: Highlands vs. Newport Central Catholic

37th District

What to watch: When Campbell County, Scott and Bishop Brossart played each other during the regular season, the three games were decided by a total of 10 points. The tournament should feature two must-watch contests.

Campbell County received a bye into the district final thanks to a blind draw to determine seeding. The Camels are led by Isabella Juyasuriya's 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. She was named to the All-10th Region first team by the region's coaches.

Scott and Bishop Brossart will be an exciting semifinal between two young teams. The Mustangs don't have any seniors on the roster but are 17-8, including a 41-37 win over Scott on Feb. 7. Their top four scorers are Zoee Meyers (junior), Rachel Shewmaker (sophomore), Greylee Kramer (freshman) and Kylie Smith (eighth grade). Scott started the season 10-2 but is currently 16-11. The Eagles are one of the youngest teams in the state; they have two seniors and nine underclassmen on the roster.

District final prediction: Campbell County vs. Bishop Brossart

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: KHSAA basketball: District tournament preview for 6 NKY districts