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Ohio high school girls basketball brackets | 5 Akron-area teams set for OHSAA tournament run

brad bournival, akron beacon journal
·5 min read

The girls basketball postseason starts Saturday and thanks to the MaxPreps RPI ranking system there are some clear paths to immortality among Greater Akron area programs.

Five of which shouldn’t come as a surprise as Hoban and Stow have a good chance at Sweet 16 greatness in Division I, as do Copley, St. Vincent-St. Mary and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in Division II.

Here’s the way we see it:

Stow girls basketball in Division I, Northeast 2 District

Stow has all the pieces to make a strong tournament run in the playoffs.
Stow has all the pieces to make a strong tournament run in the playoffs.

First tournament game: The fourth-seeded Bulldogs (17-5) open at home against No. 73 Lakeside (1-20) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

District site, dates: Perry High School, Semifinal: Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.; Final: March 1, 7 p.m.

Regional site, dates: Medina High School, Semifinal: March 5, 8 p.m. vs. Northeast 3 winner; Final: March 8, 7 p.m. vs. Northeast 1/Northeast 4 winner

Why Stow: This district looks very much like it’s going to be Stow vs. No. 2 Lake (19-2).

The Bulldogs have a three-headed attack in Kennady Dodds (12. 4 points per game), Aliana Ray (9.0) and Anna Hurst (9.1), while the Blue Streaks have an absolute matchup monster in Serenitee Johnson (15.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg).

There are two like opponents between the two with Stow and Lake both holding wins over Perry. Stow has two wins over Wadsworth. Lake lost 27-26 to the Grizzlies.

Hoban girls basketball in Division I, Northeast 3 District

Niera Stevens has taken her game to another level this year for Hoban.
Niera Stevens has taken her game to another level this year for Hoban.

First tournament game: No. 1 Hoban (16-3) opens at home against No 70 Barberton (3-19) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a sectional semifinal.

District site, dates: Ravenna High School, Semifinal: Feb. 28, 6 p.m.; Final: March 2, 7 p.m.

Regional site, dates: Medina High School, Semifinal: March 5, 8 p.m. vs. Northeast 2 winner; Final: March 8, 7 p.m. vs. Northeast 1/Northeast 4 winner

Why Hoban: As you might expect, everyone ran away from the Knights, who have played in three straight regional semifinals. The most intriguing game should come in a district final against No. 20 Ellet (16-6). The two met on Dec. 13 with Hoban eking out a 49-45 victory.

Should the Knights get past the Orangemen, No. 8 Medina (18-4) should be waiting on the other side.

The Bees have a standout in Olivia Klanac (19.7 points per game). The Knights rely on Mackenzie Edingburgh (10.5 ppg, 2.3 assists) and Niera Stevens (12.0 ppg, 5.2 rebounds).

Copley girls basketball in Division II, Northeast 4 District

Copley knows what it takes to get to the next level and hop to do it under second-year coach Julie Solis.
Copley knows what it takes to get to the next level and hop to do it under second-year coach Julie Solis.

First tournament game: No. 2 Copley (19-3) opens at home against No. 63 Buckeye (2-20) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a sectional semifinal.

District site, dates: Elyria High School, Semifinal: Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.; Final: March 2, 7 p.m.

Regional site, dates: Mansfield High School, Semifinal: March 5, 8 p.m. vs. Northwest 2 winner; Final: March 8, 7 p.m. vs. Northwest 1/Central 1 winner

Why Copley: For one, Copley hasn’t forgotten about its district final loss last season.

Add Kami Ayoup (10.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Izzy Callaway (20.5 ppg, 2.5 apg) should help clear the squad to the district final with relative ease.

Once there, Geneva (17-4) should be the biggest hurdle with Mansfield Senior (19-2) waiting in a Region 6 semifinal.

St. Vincent-St. Mary girls basketball in Division II, Northeast 3 District

STVM guard Erica King, right, drives to the basket against Brush guard Brooklynn Vickers during the first half of a high school basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.
STVM guard Erica King, right, drives to the basket against Brush guard Brooklynn Vickers during the first half of a high school basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.

First tournament game: The No. 1 Fighting Irish (16-5) open at home against No. 61 Shaw (2-15) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a sectional semifinal.

District site, dates: Normandy High School, Semifinal: Feb. 28, 7 p.m.; Final: March 2, 7 p.m.

Regional site, dates: Barberton High School, Semifinal: March 5, 8:30 p.m. vs. Northeast 5 winner; Final: March 8, 7 p.m. vs. Northeast 1/Northeast 2 winner

Why STVM: The Irish have played in the last three district finals and are reigning district champions.

The highest seed Erica King (11.5 ppg), Kendal Bathcik (10.5) and STVM could see before the district final would be No. 21 Girard (12-10). No. 12 Canfield (14-7) should clear the bottom.

After that, either CVCA (18-4) or Streetsboro (17-4) should be waiting in a Region 5 semifinal.

CVCA girls basketball in Division II, Northeast 5 District

CVCA junior Joi Williams, right, is congratulated by Hathaway Brown’s Emily Morgan after scoring her 1,000th career point during the first half of a high school basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
CVCA junior Joi Williams, right, is congratulated by Hathaway Brown’s Emily Morgan after scoring her 1,000th career point during the first half of a high school basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

First tournament game: The No. 7 Royals (18-4) open at home Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a sectional semifinal.

District site, dates: Normandy High School, Semifinal: Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m.; Final: March 2, 7 p.m.

Regional site, dates: Barberton High School, Semifinal: March 5, 8:30 p.m. vs. Northeast 3 winner; Final: March 8, 7 p.m. vs. Northeast 1/Northeast 2 winner

Why CVCA: With Joi Williams (22.6 ppg) anything is possible for the Principals Athletic Conference co-champions. They’ve beaten their sectional final opponent Northwest twice by a combined 33 points.

No. 11 Beaumont (16-6) or No. 17 Norton (14-7) is the hurdle in the district semifinal with No. 9 Streetsboro (17-4) and phenom Naomi Benson (16.7 points, 11.7 rebounds) standing in the way.

St. Vincent-St. Mary should be waiting for CVCA in the regional semifinal.

Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 5 Akron-area girls basketball teams who can make OHSAA tournament run