The OHSAA State Tournament girls basketball sectionals begin Saturday, Feb. 18. We already took a look at the districts involving Northeast Ohio schools in Division I.
Let’s take a look at Divisions II, III, and IV.
Division II
Region 5 Barberton
Ashtabula District
Div. II Ashtabula District girls basketball pairings pic.twitter.com/Me2whsY3Vs
— Nathaniel Cline (@nathanielcline) February 5, 2017
Perry (20-2) is the favorite in the Ashtabula District. Geneva and Harvey will likely face off for the chance to face Perry in the district final. Geneva was the only team in the Chagrin Valley Conference to hand Perry a loss in the regular season.
Nordonia District
Division II Nordonia pic.twitter.com/aebaa3BZYb
— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) February 6, 2017
This district will likely come down to Laurel vs. Hathaway Brown. Laurel (19-3) might feel a bit underrated as the two seed, as Hathaway Brown (12-10) was voted the number one seed in the district.
The two teams did not meet in the regular season and the district final could be a chance for Laurel to show if those rankings were accurate.
Elyria District
Division II Elyria pic.twitter.com/HC5CH8kwgD
— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) February 6, 2017
This might be the most evenly matched district in Northeast Ohio. It appears to be a four team race with Elyria Catholic and Padua as slight favorites to reach the district final.
However, Keystone already played a nail biter against Elyria Catholic and will likely run into the Panthers in the district semifinal.
Bay defeated Keystone this season and has a good chance to face Padua in the other semifinal.
Elyria Catholic has the most well-balanced team of any in the district. Padua has a senior-laden starting lineup with one of the best scorers in Northeast Ohio. Bay plays arguably the toughest defense of any team in the district. Keystone has the leading scorer in the district.
Any of those four teams has a legitimate chance to win the district.
Region 6 Ada
Uniontown District
Division II Uniontown Lake pic.twitter.com/77xF0Czcfd
— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) February 6, 2017
The Uniontown District appears to be a battle between No. 1 Tallmadge (16-5), No. 3 Hoban (14-8) and No. 2 Norton (16-5).
The semifinal will likely come down to Tallmadge vs. Hoban. Hoban might have the most talent in the district, but the Knights are a young team, and it’ll be interesting to see how they handle a tournament run.
The winner of that Tallmadge vs. Hoban game will more than likely face Norton in the district final.
Division III
Region 9 Cuyahoga Falls
North Ridgeville District
Division III North Ridgeville pic.twitter.com/pwbAqCx5Eg
— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) February 6, 2017
Gilmour is the team to beat in the North Ridgeville District. The other side of the bracket appears to be headed for a showdown between Lutheran West (17-3) and Kirtland (16-6). Neither team would be the favorite against Gilmour in the district final, but both have put together impressive seasons and should not be counted out.
Division IV
Region 13 Massillon
Norwayne District
Division 4 Norwayne pic.twitter.com/C0XVPhot16
— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) February 6, 2017
Lake Ridge Academy had an up and down season, going 13-8, but the record is deceiving because of injuries to key players. Lake Ridge won its first seven games, dealt with the injury bug and dropped seven of its next nine. The Royals appear to be back on track, as LRA closed out the regular season winning four of the last five.
It won’t be an easy run, but the district appears to be theirs to lose.
The games for most districts begin on Saturday! Be sure to follow along with our coverage throughout the tournament, as we’ll be posting updated scores each day of action and previewing/recapping marquee matchups throughout the tournament.
NEO Sports Insiders will be live from North Ridgeville for a Division I sectional on Saturday, as the Rangers host the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs in the opening round at 1 pm.
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