With just two weeks left in the Richland County Girls Basketball Power Poll, who takes control?
MANSFIELD — Just two weeks remain in the 2023-24 girls basketball regular season.
And the race for the Richland County Girls Basketball Power Poll championship is as tight as it has been all year long.
Let’s see which teams can make a strong case for the title.
TOURNEY TIME: Tourney Trail: Who, when and where will Richland County teams play in the postseason?
10. Lucas (0-17)
The Cubs continue to battle after a pair of losses last week kept them winless for the season. First, it was a 51-44 loss to Temple Christian before falling to Western Reserve 45-29. They have three games left to try and get win No. 1 and all are at home. They host Cardington on Tuesday before bringing in Mansfield Christian on Saturday and ending the regular season with Buckeye Central on Feb. 15. The Cubs drew No. 1 seed Danbury in the tournament.
9. Crestview (3-17)
The Cougars split their two games since the last power poll beating St. Paul 34-33 to get in the win column for the third time this year. Georgia McFarland had a nice game with 15 points while Tori Kidney had nine. Then, the Cougars fell to Mapleton 44-12 over the weekend. Crestview will look to bounce back on Tuesday at home against Plymouth. Before hosting St. Paul on the 15th in the final regular season game.
8. Ontario (6-13)
The Warriors are struggling offensively without Taylor Counts in the lineup. In two losses last week, they didn’t score more than 40 points with a 66-39 loss to Willard and a 71-36 loss to Shelby. Mackenzie Goodlin had a nice game with 16 points against the Whippets but no other player scored more than six. The Warriors have two winnable games this week at home against Galion on Tuesday and Highland on Thursday before welcoming in Ashland on the 15th to polish off the regular season. They will then have a week off before traveling to Mansfield Senior for a sectional semifinal game.
7. Madison (8-11)
The Rams picked up a solid win in their only game since the last power poll beating New Philadelphia 66-43 behind Morgan Cook’s 20 points, Maddie Berry’s 14 and Chloe Ebeling’s 13. The Rams are inching closer and closer to that .500 mark before the tournament starts and will need to win their next three to get there. They host Norwalk on Tuesday and head to West Holmes on Thursday for two very good tests before the postseason starts.
6. Mansfield Christian (9-6)
The Flames split their two games since the last power poll beating Grove City Christian 60-34 before falling to Genoa Christian 61-52 in a double-overtime thriller. Bailee Nelson had a massive game against Genoa with 18 points as the freshman posted her career high. Raegan Standridge also added 12 points while Adelle Cramer had 11 so different players stepped up in major ways despite the loss. The Flames travel to Monroeville on Tuesday, host Bucyrus on Thursday and head to Lucas on Saturday need just two wins to clinch a winning season.
5. Lexington (10-10)
Lady Lex got back to the .500 mark last week with two very nice wins. First, they beat Tiffin Columbian 55-29 as Cora Palmer had 16 points followed by Makaree Chapman with 13 and Bella Temple with 10. Tatum Stover pulled down 10 rebounds while Chapman had seven board and six assists. Then, it was a 49-44 win over Ashland in Ohio Cardinal Conference play as Chapman led the way with 16 points and Brown posted a monster double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The 10-win season is the first since 2019-20 when they won the Ohio Cardinal Conference championship. And with just one senior seeing major playing time, Lex is looking toward a bright future. Lex travels to Wooster on Thursday before ending the regular season at home against Shelby on Feb. 13.
4. Plymouth (10-8)
The Big Red clinched its first 10-plus win season since 2011-12 thanks to two victories since the last power poll. They beat Mapleton 43-37 as Jaylin Branham scored 20 points and Kendyll Tolbert added 16 and the dynamic duo was at it again in a 54-32 win over St. Paul as Branham scored 19 and Kendyll Tolbert had 11 to nearly outscore the Flyers by themselves. Ten wins is a huge accomplishment for the direction of the program and they will try to add to that total this week at Crestview on Tuesday and at Crestline on Saturday.
3. Clear Fork (14-5)
The Colts earned two very nice wins as the regular season quickly winds down. First, it was a season sweep of Pleasant as the Colts won 36-32 to knock the Spartans out of a tie for first place in the MOAC. Then, Clear Fork celebrated its seniors with a 53-19 win over Highland on Saturday as Annika Labaki had 12 points and Brinley Barnett had 10 in a balanced effort. Now, it is all about tournament prep as they host Cardington on Tuesday and River Valley on Thursday before finishing up at West Holmes on Feb. 15. The Colts have a chance to make a run at a district championship and can take some major steps toward putting the finishing touches on preparation for that run this week.
2. Shelby (15-4)
The Whippets kept the pressure on in the race for the Richland County Girls Basketball Power Poll thanks to two wins last week. First, it was a 52-14 win over Highland as Sophia Long led the way with 11 points and then, it was a 71-36 win over Ontario to help the Whippets clinch at least a share of their sixth straight Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship. Eve Schwemley left no doubt with 21 points while Serena Ramsey had 13 points and eight boards. Charlie Niese flirted with a triple-double with nine points, eight steals and five assists. Six straight league titles are unfathomable, but here they are. The Whippets have quite the dynasty going and with the majority of the roster returning next year, seven is definitely in play. First, the Whippets travel to Pleasant on Thursday for a chance to clinch the outright title before closing the season next week with two rivalry games against Lexington and Willard.
1. Mansfield Senior (18-2)
The Tygers hang onto the top spot for another week thanks to a 61-51 win over Wooster kept them at 18-2 for the year and in the hunt for an Ohio Cardinal Conference championship. Annaleise Norris had a career game in the win with 19 points and 12 rebounds while Kyeona Myers added 13 and Dazi Manns had nine. Myers had six rebounds and six assists as well. The Tygers host Olentangy Orange on Tuesday for senior night before a massive showdown at New Philadelphia on Feb. 15 where the Tygers could clinch at least a share of their second straight OCC title and maybe even a Richland County Girls Basketball Power Poll championship in the process.
jfurr@gannett.com
740-244-9934
X: @JakeFurr11
Last Week’s Rankings
10. Lucas
9. Crestview
8. Ontario
7. Lexington
6. Madison
5. Plymouth
4. Mansfield Christian
3. Clear Fork
2. Shelby
1. Mansfield Senior
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield Senior Tygers No. 1 in Richland County Girls Basketball Power Poll
