League title droughts snapped, records broken as high school basketball postseason nears
It's an exciting time in high school basketball in both Ohio and Kentucky.
In the Buckeye state, the boys' statewide tournament draw was conducted on Sunday. South of the river, the state tournament brackets were revealed via ping pong ball draw.
This week's roundup focuses on all the latest developments, both on the court and off, as high school basketball barrels toward the postseason.
The postseason is near: KHSAA conducts Sweet 16 draws. See where Northern Kentucky teams stand.
More: See who merits a spot in the Associated Press high school hoops polls
Mason flexes muscles in final week
The Mason Lady Comets were in first place in the Greater Miami Conference all season but stared down a gauntlet in the final week.
Mason won its fourth straight league title by winning games at Princeton and Lakota West, and at home against Lakota East. Madison Parrish averaged 19.3 points in the final three games and Anna Habra scored 16 per contest. The defense held Princeton's Mari Gerton and Lakota West's Katie Fox to 16 points and nine points, respectively. Lakota East's Celina Blount scored 13 points in the first half of the regular season finale but did not score in the final 16 minutes.
The final victory carried a little extra meaning as Mason honored head coach Rob Matula for his 19-year career. Had the Thunderhawks won, the two would have split the league title.
"I told the kids, 'They're gonna put (a) 2024 (banner) up there for your league championship. What we don't want is that little asterisk or star next to it because that means you shared it with somebody.' That was our mantra over the last couple of days," Matula said after the win.
League title droughts snapped
Taylor girls: The Yellowjackets beat Deer Park 72-48 to finish with an 11-3 league record and win a share of their first Cincinnati Hills League title since 1998. Taylor started its league slate with a loss to Wyoming on Dec. 2 before rattling off nine straight league wins to move into the title conversation. The Yellowjackets begin postseason play on Feb. 20 at Loveland against either McNicholas or Woodward.
Williamsburg boys: The Wildcats beat Clermont Northeastern 47-45 to win the SBAAC-National division outright for the first time since 2011. Led by Alex Irvin, J.J. Miller, Kaleb Bogan and Brody Fisher, the Wildcats are back on top just three years after going 2-10 in the league and finishing in last place.
The Lady Wildcats won their sixth title in the last eight years. They also went undefeated in league play for the fifth time in the same span.
Woodward girls: Led by Terrah Adams and Arielle Gee, the Bulldogs finished 10-0 in the CMAC-Red to win the division for the first time since 2008. The final victory was a 28-5 result over Withrow, a shortened affair due to the Tigers' injury-depleted roster.
Woodward faces McNicholas at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 at Indian Hill in the first round of the Division II sectional tournament.
Ohio sectional draws are set
The Ohio High School Athletic Association set its postseason draws for boys basketball on Sunday.
The Southwest District brackets start Monday, Feb. 19. There are a handful of games early in the week with the action picking up later in the week and during the weekend.
In Division I, the top five seeds, in order are Moeller, Elder, Winton Woods, Goshen and St. Xavier.
In Division II, they are Wyoming, Woodward, Fenwick, Taft and Indian Hill.
In Division III, they are Williamsburg, Gamble Montessori, Mariemont, Cincinnati Country Day and Clermont Northeastern.
In Division IV, they are Cincinnati College Prep Academy, Miami Valley Christian Academy, Fayetteville-Perry, Dayton Christian and St. Bernard-Elmwood Place.
The Enquirer will publish a closer look at the brackets later this week.
Northern Kentucky district tournament seeding
Boys
32nd District: Walton-Verona (19-8) won the top seed. Simon Kenton is the two seed. Grant County and Williamstown are the three and the four but the order has not been settled yet. W-V will play the four seed and SK the three.
33rd: Cooper (17-7), Boone County (16-6) and Ryle (16-9) tied for the top seed and all went 2-1 against each other. The tie will be broken by the Ratings Percentage Index computer rankings. Cooper has a solid lead over the other two in those numbers with two weeks to go. Conner (8-15) is the four seed and will play the No. 1 seed, with two and three playing each other in the semifinal.
34th: Lloyd Memorial (18-6) is the top seed after going 4-0 against its district foes. Dixie Heights (15-9) is the two seed and will play three-seed St. Henry (8-14) in the semis. Ludlow (15-11) and Villa Madonna (10-13) are the four and the five and will play a quarterfinal game, with the winner playing Lloyd in the semifinals.
35th: Covington Catholic (20-5) is the top seed and will play Holmes (1-15) in one semi. Holy Cross (14-10) and Beechwood (12-12) will play the other semi after going triple-overtime Friday, with Beechwood winning.
36th: Reigning Ninth Region champion Newport (24-3) is the top seed and will play the 4 vs. 5 winner between Bellevue (14-11) and Dayton (5-20). Highlands (15-11) and Newport Central Catholic (7-18) will play the other semifinal.
37th: Campbell County (18-6) is the top seed and will play four-seed Calvary Christian (8-18) in one semifinal. Bishop Brossart (3-21) and Scott (11-15) will play in the other.
Girls
32nd District: Grant County is the top seed thanks to a 3-0 record in seeding games. The Braves will face Williamstown in the district tournament. Simon Kenton is the second seed and will face Walton-Verona.
33rd: For the third straight year, Cooper is the top seed and will face Boone County. Ryle will play third-seeded Conner in the other district semifinal.
34th: Despite graduating two 1,000-point scorers, the Dixie Heights Colonels went undefeated to claim the top seed. They'll play the winner of Lloyd Memorial and Villa Madonna, while St. Henry and Ludlow will meet in the other semifinal.
35th: Holy Cross is the top seed for the second straight year. The Indians will play Holmes in the semifinals and are looking to win their first district tournament since 2017. Notre Dame, which has won the district six years running, will play Beechwood.
36th: Highlands went undefeated to claim the top seed. The Bluebirds will face the winner of Dayton and Newport. Newport Central Catholic and Bellevue will play in the semifinals, a rematch of the Thoroughbreds' 67-54 win on Feb. 3.
37th: A blind draw determined tournament seeding after Campbell County, Bishop Brossart and Scott all went 1-1 in their seeding games. The Camels received the top seed and an automatic bye into the district championship and the 10th Region tournament. The Mustangs and Eagles will play for the second spot in the championship.
Winton Woods closing out a big season with McKinley
Winton Woods clinched its first-ever Eastern Cincinnati Conference championship last week and the Warriors are 16-2 with ECC games to go against Milford (10-11) and second-place Anderson (13-7). WW has one loss in ECC play, to Little Miami.
Tyler McKinley, a senior post player and Cincinnati Bearcats commit, is averaging 18.3 points, 3.4 assists and nine rebounds. Senior guard Sean Harmon Jr. averages 14.2 points with 58 made 3-pointers.
Winton Woods has the three seed in the DI Southwest District and is the favorite in its sectional bracket.
GMC boys race goes down to the wire
Three teams are in contention in the Greater Miami Conference with two games to go.
Sycamore (15-5, 11-3) is in first place, one game ahead of Lakota West (12-6, 10-4) and two ahead of Hamilton (12-8, 9-5).
Sycamore plays at Lakota West Tuesday. If the Aviators win, they clinch the championship outright. If the Firebirds win, they are tied heading into Friday’s action. Sycamore hosts Lakota East (10-10, 7-7) and one of the city’s leading scorers, Trey Perry. Lakota West plays at Hamilton.
Hamilton plays at Fairfield (9-11, 7-7) Tuesday and can forge a three-way tie for the title by winning both of its games combined with West beating Sycamore.
Hamilton has not won the GMC title since 2007. Sycamore tied for the title in 2022 but has not won it outright since 1997. Lakota West finished in a four-way tie for the crown in 2013 and has not won it outright since 2006.
History
Alli Robertson, Harrison: She became the Wildcats' all-time leading scorer, boys or girls, when she scored 18 points in a win over Hamilton to take the title from 2022 graduate Krissy Kowalski. Robertson currently has 1,386 points as Harrison begins the postseason on Feb. 12 against Western Brown at Middletown.
Hudson Blank, Dixie Heights: The senior scored his 1,000th career point as part of a 21-point performance in a win over Scott. Blank is scoring 16.5 points per game this season on 54.5 percent shooting from the floor and 39.7 percent from three-point range.
Lanie Lipps, Ross: She became the Rams' all-time leader in made three-pointers on Feb. 5. She drained three triples against Seton to give her 92 for her career. She is currently at 95 makes after a win over Turpin and has one year left to stretch the record as far as she can.
Nathan Vinson, Highlands: He entered the Bluebirds' game against Lloyd on Feb. 9 with 967 career points. Even though Highlands lost, he scored 42 of his team's 55 points to break the 1,000-point barrier. Vinson is averaging 17.4 points per game as a senior.
Terrah Adams, Woodward: She set the school record for single-game rebounds with 29 on Jan. 31, then one-upped herself with 31 boards on Feb. 5. That number is good for 12th-most in a single game in OHSAA history. Adams has four games this season with 20 or more rebounds.
Tom Sunderman, Badin: His 300th coaching win didn't come easily as the Rams needed a furious comeback to beat Seton, 59-56. Badin trailed by 10 points early in the fourth quarter before Gracie Cosgrove tied the score at 54 with less than three minutes left in regulation, and the Rams iced the victory at the free-throw line.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Greater Cincinnati high school basketball roundup, Feb. 3-10
