Here's what to know about this week's Southwest Ohio regional girls basketball tournaments

The Ohio High School Athletic Association girls basketball tournaments are one step closer to the state tournament in Dayton.

Regional tournaments are taking place this week, and Southwest Ohio has a chance to send teams to Dayton in Divisions I, II and III. Here's a breakdown of each team playing this week and predictions for this weekend's regional championship games.

The Division I games will be at Lakota West while the Division II and III tournaments will be at Springfield.

Princeton vs. Mount Notre Dame

When: 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5

Princeton and MND are meeting one game further into the postseason than they did in 2023. The Vikings won 58-48 in the district championship on their way to a third state championship.

Princeton also won earlier this season 64-55 on Dec. 29. Mari Gerton had 28 points in that game, part of the reason she is averaging 21.7 points per game.

There are two things to watch in this game: defense and the matchup in the post.

Princeton's physicality and tenaciousness forced 22 turnovers in a win over Kings and 29 turnovers against Ross on Feb. 26. By contrast, MND turned the ball over 14 times against Wayne. The Cougars, however, held Wayne to 14 percent shooting in the second half, allowing them to pull away from a 7-point halftime lead. The team that takes care of the ball and takes high-quality shots will have the upper hand.

Coming off a career-high 25 points and her first double-double of the season, Cougars center Laila Harrison will have a tough task when she goes up against Princeton's Kali Fortson. The daughter of former Cincinnati Bearcat Danny Fortson is averaging 10.5 points and 7.7 rebounds. Neither is a prolific shot blocker, but their presence is enough to force opposing offenses into alternative options.

The Cougars last beat the Vikings on Dec. 14, 2020, and Dec. 22, 2021. Those wins were part of MND's 98-game winning streak that lasted until March 5, 2022.

Mason vs. Springboro

When: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6

This is one of the more interesting regional semifinal matchups in the state. The Comets are in their fourth straight regional tournament. Behind Bryn Martin and Aniya Trent, the Panthers were the top seed in the north section of the Southwest District brackets and are in their first regional tournament since 2020.

Martin leads the Great Western Ohio Conference with 20.8 points per game while Trent leads the conference in blocks (2.6) and is third in rebounds (7.0). Martin also shoots 42.7 percent from three-point range. She only made one triple against Winton Woods, but it was from about 25 feet, showcasing her range.

The rest of Springboro's top six include Chloe Downing, Ava Wade, Morgan Meek and Brooke Clear. Mason could try face-guarding and double-teaming Martin as Winton Woods did, but that only opens her teammates up for opportunities. Those four combined for 27 points on 7-of-16 shooting last Saturday.

The Comets counter with Madison Parrish and Anna Habra, who are combing for 28 points per game this season. Parrish, a combo guard, can back her way into the lane or shoot from outside. Habra may be the quickest guard on the floor, but she also has elite court vision and can fly in to grab rebounds (she had 11 against Centerville).

Becca Sanders, Addy Gillman and Jazz Johnson are gritty guards who aren't afraid to dive on the floor at either end of the court. Riley Yost may have her hands full against Trent, but her athleticism allows her to space the floor on offense and guard all five positions on defense.

The Comets beat the Panthers twice last season, 44-25 on Nov. 27, 2022, and 55-28 in the district championship on Feb. 25, 2023.

Purcell Marian vs. Bloom-Carroll

When: 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5

The Cavaliers' quest for a third-straight state championship continues when they meet the Bulldogs.

Jamar Mosley's squad has won 25 games for the third consecutive season and 20 games for the sixth consecutive season. It has won four postseason games by an average of by an average of 51 points. The Cavaliers have scored 83.5 points per game in that span.

Reigning Ohio Ms. Basketball Dee Alexander leads the way with 18.6 points and 8.2 rebounds, but Ky'Aira Miller and Jayda Mosley are both shooting 38 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Miller also leads the team in assists, racking up 113 this season alone to set the school's record.

Bloom-Carroll is 20-5 this season and has gone 11-1 since Jan. 13. Emily Bratton leads the team with 22.7 points and seven rebounds per game. Marissa Wilkinson (9.7 points) and Tessa Brooks (7.4 points are also key contributors. Those three are also the Bulldogs' best 3-point shooters, combining for 149 made triples this season.

The last time Bloom-Carroll advanced this far in the postseason was 2022, which ended with a loss to Granville in the district championship game.

Badin vs. Carroll

When: 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5

The Rams will look to make it a clean sweep over the Patriots when they meet on Tuesday night. The Greater Catholic League-Coed foes have already met twice this season with the Rams winning by scores of 67-52 and 61-42.

Gracie Cosgrove, Braelyn Even and Ashley Pate combined for 57 points in the first matchup. Cosgrove made seven 3-pointers and led all scorers with 25 points in the second meeting. The Patriots shot nearly 40 percent from the field in both matchups but twice committed 23 turnovers against a fast-paced Badin squad.

The Rams and Patriots enter the game with identical 19-7 records, including 6-4 league marks. Badin has won 10 of its last 11 games while Carroll has won seven of its last eight.

Cincinnati Country Day vs. Africentric

When: 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6

Africentric is the reigning DIII state champion, winning its first title under head coach Janicia Anderson after winning seven trophies (2007, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019) with Will McKinney at the helm.

This season, the Nubians are 24-2 with their only losses coming against Purcell Marian and Edison Academy. They haven't lost since Dec. 30 and have won four postseason games by an average of 52 points.

Three players score at least 10 points per game for the Nubians: Kamryn Grant (16.2), Natiah Nelson (12.4) and Jeniya Bowers (10.7). They score 70.6 points per game while allowing 25.5 points per game. They have held their opponents to single digits 10 times.

Cincinnati Country Day will have its hands full. Megan Zimmerman had one of the best weeks of her career against Seven Hills and West Liberty-Salem, scoring 62 points in two games. Elizabeth Zimmerman averages 15.3 points, six rebounds, 4.2 steals and 3.7 assists.

The last time the Nighthawks had someone not named Zimmerman score in double figures was when Nichole Hardesty scored 14 in a 62-point win over North College Hill.

There is precedent to this matchup. Africentric beat CCD in last year's regional final, 49-40. The winner of this matchup will face the winner of Versailles and Alter at 1 p.m. on March 9 at Springfield.

Regional final predictions

Division I: Princeton vs. Mason

Division II: Purcell Marian vs. Badin

Division III: Africentric vs. Alter

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: OHSAA basketball: 2024 Southwest girls regional tournament preview