Brackets set for girls sectionals/districts

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

At basketball tournament time, girls and boys, there are usually no certainties but this year, it’s safe to safe to say one thing is indeed certain – sectionals and districts will have a distinctly different look than previous years.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s decision to expand from four divisions to seven divisions put a vastly different spin on the postseason. It also reshaped many of the sectional/districts that area fans have become used to.

Girls sectional/district draws were held around Ohio on Sunday. Sectional games will begin the week of February 10, with the higher seed hosting, followed by district games the week of February 17. Regional tournaments will be played the week of February 24, then state semifinals and state finals will be split up over two weeks, a departure from previous years, when the entire state tourament was played over the course of three days at one location, most recently, at the University of Dayton Arena. This year, state semifinal games in all seven divisions will be played at neutral sites around the state the week of March 3, then the state finals will be played March 14-15 at UD Arena in Dayton.

Van Wert, previously in Division II, is now in Division IV and the No. 7 Cougars (3-17) will travel to No. 2 seed Wauseon (16-4) for a sectional championship matchup at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 13. The winner will move on to the Miller City district the following week. There are no sectional semifinal games at that particular district.

Kenton (16-4) is the No. 1 seed at the eight-team Miller City district, followed by Wauseon, Bryan (10-8), Napoleon (11-8), St. Marys Memorial (6-14), Rossford (8-11), Van Wert, and Toledo Woodward (1-8). Seeding was determined by the Martin RPI (Ratings Performance Index) ranking system.

Crestview, formerly in Division IV, is now in Division VI, and the sectional/district is notably more difficult than the previous few years, when it consisted mainly of Buckeye Border Conference teams. The Lady Knights (18-3) earned the No. 1 seed and will host No. 8 seed Antwerp (6-14) in a sectional semifinal game at 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 11. The winner will advance on to play No. 7 seed Delphos Jefferson (9-10) for the sectional championship at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 15. If Crestview beats Antwerp, the sectional title game will be played at Ray Etzler Gymnasium. If Antwerp wins, the game will be played at Delphos Jefferson. The winner of the sectional championship will advance to the Van Wert district the following week and will face Lincolnview (previously Division IV) or Allen East in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Thursday, February 20.

The No. 3 seed Mustangs (16-4) will host the No. 6 seed Lancers (11-9) in the sectional championship game at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 8.

After Crestview, Columbus Grove (19-2) is the No. 2 seed, followed by Allen East. Wayne Trace (15-4) is the No. 4 seed, followed by Riverdale (14-5), Lincolnview, Delphos Jefferson, Antwerp and Ada (2-16). Columbus Grove will host Ada for a sectional championship at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 15, and Wayne Trace will entertain Riverdale for a sectional title at the same time.

MaxPreps RPI rankings and full statewide tournament brackets can be found here.