Top 10 games to watch this week in the Ohio high school girls basketball playoffs

By Sam Houseworth | Photo by Ben Jackson

Each division is down to 64 teams. Though in reality, all divisions are below 60 teams, as nearly all of the Southwest teams played their district semifinals on Monday.

So technically, between the four divisions combined, 240 teams remain.

In the sectionals, we witnessed a metric ton of lopsided games. But with district semifinals and finals being played this week, the number of blowouts will be greatly reduced, and we are in for significantly more competitive contests — especially the 10 games listed below.

10. South Webster vs. Trimble at Piketon, D-IV Southeast District Final, 6:30 p.m. Friday

First off, the South Webster Jeeps is one of the best team names in the state of Ohio. It's right up there with the Philo Electrics. South Webster and Trimble are coming off incredible regular seasons, but fell just short of conference titles. South Webster finished runner-up in the Southern Ohio II Division while Trimble finished runner-up in the Tri-Valley Hocking Division. A district title would be an excellent way to cap off either team's season.

9. Fairland vs. Winchester Eastern at Waverly, D-III Southeast District Final, 9 p.m. Friday

Two teams that already have had banner-worthy seasons will meet in Waverly to add district champion to their resume. The Eastern Warriors opened the season by taking D-I Sycamore to the brink in a 45-43 losing effort. They would then go a perfect 13-0 through SHAC Division I, led by junior guard Rylee Leonard, who averaged 16.6 points per game. Fairland finished a perfect 14-0 in the OVC, part of an ongoing 19-game win streak. The winner of this contest will be the favorite in the upcoming Logan Regional.

8. Bellbrook vs. Mount Notre Dame at Princeton, D-I Cincinnati District Final, 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Didn't we just talk about two teams who went undefeated through conference play? The Mount Notre Dame Cougars have won the last three state championships, but this game is for the Southwestern Buckeye East Champions to prove they belong. The Golden Eagles went a perfect 13-0 through SWBL play, finishing the regular season with a 23-2 record. They are quarterbacked by junior Kelley Griffin, who averages 8.3 assists per game and has some of the best court vision in southwest Ohio.

7. Chippewa vs. Elyria Catholic, D-III North Ridgeville District Semifinal, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

After mowing through their respective sectionals, both teams are going to be happy to face some stiff competition in the district semifinals. Chippewa outscored its opponents 145-17 in their two sectional games after finishing runner-up in the Wayne County Athletic League. As for Elyria Catholic, the Panthers outscored their opponents 138-30 in the sectionals after winning the Great Lakes West Division.

6. Napoleon vs. Toledo Central Catholic, D-II Paulding District Semifinal, 5:30 p.m. Thursday

In fairness, the entire Paulding district is loaded. All four teams have a real chance at advancing to the Mansfield Regional, which includes Bath and Lima Shawnee. But the focus, for now, is the early game Thursday. TCC comes in with only one blemish on its resume, an early-February loss to Holland Springfield 55-53. Napoleon is a battle-tested team that is 18-5, but has played one of the toughest schedules in northwest Ohio, holding wins over Holland Springfield, Bryan and St. Ursula Academy.

5. Olentangy Liberty vs. Gahanna Lincoln at Worthington Christian, D-I Columbus District Semifinal, 7 p.m. Wednesday

In talent, Olentangy Liberty and Gahanna are two of the deepest teams in central Ohio. OLHS comes into this district semifinal after finishing runner-up in the OCC Central to Dublin Coffman, which has a fast pass to the state semifinals in D-I. On the other bench is Gahanna Lincoln, which won the OCC Ohio Division with four players averaging more than nine points per game. Expect an aggressive game, as both teams can afford to get into foul trouble more than most.

4. Springboro vs. Mason at Princeton, D-I Cincinnati District Final, Saturday

This game is going to come down to the battle inside between Springboro's Aniya Trent and Mason's Kyla Oldacre. Trent is the best freshman in the state who doesn't play for Purcell Marian. The center led the GWOC in blocks and field-goal percentage and finished second in rebounds. University of Miami commit Kyla Oldacre needs no introduction. In the conversation of best post players in the country, Oldacre has created mismatch issues throughout her career.

3. Minster vs. New Knoxville, D-IV Wapakoneta District Semifinal, 5:30 p.m. Thursday

Finishing first and second in the Midwest Athletic Conference, the rematch between these Auglaize County rivals will set the pace for how the rest of the district and regional will play out. In their first meeting on Jan. 13, New Knoxville took a 20-9 lead into halftime and coasted to a 36-23 win. However, this is a different Minster team, as the Wildcats have won seven of their last eight games including a huge win over rival St. Marys.

2. Ottawa-Glandorf vs. Delphos Jefferson, D-III Elida District Semifinal, 5:30 p.m. Thursday

It is borderline criminal that only one of these teams will make it to the district finals. O-G comes in as a mainstay in the SBLive Top 25, having won the Western Buckeye League where they are the smallest school in the conference. Delphos Jefferson won the Northwest Conference, going a perfect 8-0 with a regular-season record of 22-1. The Wildcats are led by NWC Player of the Year sophomore Alyvia Lindeman. Of course, there will be no breaks, as the winner will likely face SBLive top 15 team Liberty-Benton in the district final.

1. Russia vs. Cincinnati Country Day, D-IV Troy District Final, 1 p.m. Saturday

The only scheduled game this week between two teams that finished the season in the SBLive Top 25 and, go figure, it's in the smallest division in Ohio. Cincinnati Country Day comes into this contest as the runner-up in the MVC Gray Division to D-III state favorite Purcell Marian. CCD is led by forward Sarah Zimmerman, who recorded five double-doubles on the season. Russia also finished runner-up, being swept by D-IV state favorite Fort Loramie. Russia is led by junior Kate Sherman, the only underclassman to make first-team all-SCAL. With no conference title banners to honor two top 25 teams, it comes down to a district title banner to celebrate the season.