Jim Dabbelt is the author of The Dabbelt Report, considered the premier girls’ basketball online source in Ohio. When the 2024-25 season tips off in November, it will be his 40th year covering girls’ basketball in Ohio which is the longest tenure in Ohio history covering a single womens sport. He is also the senior writer for Prep Girls Hoops Ohio along with the sports editor for the Tippecanoe Gazette.
During the day, Jim also works in a Cancer Center at Premier Health in the Dayton area. He is also a fellow member of the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association.
You can follow Jim on Twitter @JDabbs86 or Facebook, or contact him at [email protected].
Girls Basketball State Tournament Preview
By Jim Dabbelt
Back to the University of Dayton Arena for another memorable Ohio girls basketball state tournament as the 49th annual championship weekend will take place March 14-16 in the Gem CIty. Two of last year's state champions return for another championship opportunity as the games tip off on Thursday morning just south of downtown Dayton.
Division 1
Pickerington Central makes a return trip to the state Final Four after being eliminated in the state semifinals last year in Dayton. The Tigers will bring in 6-1 senior Berry Wallace, who looks to lead her team to the state title before heading to the University of Illinois. She is averaging 17.1 points per game and was honored as the Central District Player of the Year along with a finalist for Ms. Basketball. Rylee Bess is their outstanding point guard as the 5-5 junior scored 13.4 points per game while the defensive side of the ball is highlighted by 6-1 sophomore Blossom Wallace.
It took Springboro a thrilling double overtime regional championship game to get here to UD Arena, only 16 miles from the high school. First-team coach Mike Holweger has a very talented starting five led by a pair of 6-1 juniors Bryn Martin and Anyia Trent, both who have received over 15 major Division One offers. Martin was also the Southwest District Division One Player of the Year and a Ms. Basketball nominee, averaging 20.8 points and 4.5 assists per game and scoring over 1,000 career points to date. Chloe Downing is a senior who is headed to Cedarville and is averaging 7.2 points, while their backcourt of senior Morgan Meek and junior Ada Wade round out a very steady starting lineup.
Olmsted Falls has put together six consecutive Southwestern Conference championships and will bring in a solid 5-9 senior guard Danielle Cameron, averaging 20 points per game. Jesse Simon is a 5-11 sophomore who is also averaging in double figures at a rate of 11 per game. Coach Jordan Eaton brings the Bulldogs to the state Final Four for the second consecutive year after finishing as state runner-up last year.
Making their sixth appearance in the state Final Four is Rocky River Magnificat, who saw their best finish in the 1991 season as state runner-up. Magnificat is known as a defensive oriented team, holding their opponents to just over 43 points per game. Their leader is junior Julia Hall, who comes in averaging 14.5 points per game while junior Reese Roggenburk is close behind at 12.4. Katie Maryo is a senior at just under 10 per game as the Blue Streaks look to bring their first title back to Northeast Ohio
Division 2
Guess who's back again? It’s Purcell Marian from Southwest Ohio going for the coveted three-peat after winning the 2022 Division Three title and moving up to Division Two to repeat last season. The reigning Ohio Ms. Basketball Dee Alexander is back, as the 6-1 junior averages 18.6 points per game and is having another outstanding season. She has plenty of help from the likes of 5-8 senior sharpshooter Jayda Mosley, along with the junior twins Ce'Aira and KAira Miller and the freshman who has established herself among the best in the 2027 class Samaya Wilkins, a 6-3 post who is very solid in the paint. Their bench is deep and they look for their third straight title.
Copley makes their first appearance in the Final Four since 2006, and this team brings in some solid production from a good senior class and some rising younger players. Izzy Callaway is a 5-7 senior who is among the top senior offensive players in Ohio averaging 19.1 points per game and she gets help from fellow senior Kami Ayoup, a 5-9 forward. One to watch on the rise up is 5-8 sophomore Evelyn McKnight, who makes the offense go from the point guard spot.
Proctorville Fairland made the trip to Dayton last season before falling short in the semis. Fairland, who has been to the Final Four three times in the last 10 years, has one of the most explosive starting lineups in Ohio. Senior Bree Allen is a 6-foot guard who has over 1,500 career points and averages 14.6 per game. Also in double figures are senior Kylee Bruce, a 6-footer at 11.0 and their leading scorer Bailey Russell, a 5-9 sophomore scoring at 17.2 per game. Kamryn Barnitz and Addison Godby are nearly in double figures as the Dragons score at a rate of over 70 points per game.
Shaker Heights Laurel will make their second trip to the Final Four in four years, and they will bring in one of the most sought-after recruits in the nation, sophomore Saniyah Hall, a 6-1 guard who can score in bunches and can beat you inside and out. Also for Laurel, watch for 5-9 sophomore Tristan Williams
Division 3
The defending state champions are back for more, as Columbus Africentric makes yet another appearance in the state Final Four. This will be their 13th appearance and they have won eight state titles. They survived a thrilling two-point win over perennial state power Kettering Alter in the Regional Finals to get to Dayton. Kamryn Grant is back after an ACL injury earning the Central District D3 Player of the Year. The Dayton signee averaged 17 points per game, while fellow senior Natiah Nelson sits at 13 and Samairah Thompson scores 10 per game.
The only unbeaten team in the 2024 state tournament is Lagrange Keystone, who comes to Dayton 28-0 on the season. The Lorain County champions are an athletic team, with a lot of varsity experience. They were the first unbeaten team in school history and are the first girls team in Lorain County to go undefeated in the regular season since the 22-game season was initiated in 2013. They are led by junior Brooklyn Barber, a three-point threat averaging 12.8 points per game. Vivian Cassell is a junior who also averages just at 10 points per game.
Portsmouth has really turned things around under head coach Amy Hughes. The former UConn and Xavier athlete has put together a talented squad with several younger rising standouts. Their top player is sophomore Sienna Allen, the Southeast District Division Three Player of the Year as the sophomore averages 15.8 points per game. Junior point guard Daysia Reid is averaging 14.7 points and their fab freshman 5-10 Hayven Carter is close to double figures also. Note that Portsmouth starts no seniors and only has one on the bench. They are young and primed for a solid run.
Making another appearance at the state Final Four is Ottawa-Glandorf, who has been here six times since 2015. They have been state runner-up three of those appearances and look for their first state title in school history. Sophomore Karsyn Erford is their floor general as the point guard averages 13.0 points and 2.3 assists per game while 6-1 senior Katie Kaufman scores at a rate of 12.9 per game and will take her game to Walsh in the fall. Troy Yant’s squad won their third straight Western Buckeye League title this season and made their fifth straight trip to the regionals.
Division 4
Back to championship weekend are the Fort Loramie Redskins, who won both their 30th conference and district titles this year. This will be their 12th trip to the Final Four with state titles in 2021, 2015, and 2013. Coach Carla Siegel brings a very balanced and deep squad to Dayton, led by key juniors Avery Brandewie, a 5-10 forward (10.9 points per game) and Victoria Mescher, a 6-foot forward averaging 10 points per game. Senior guard Skyler Albers is an unsung hero with her steady play, averaging just under 10 per game.
Convoy Crestview makes their sixth appearance in the Final Four and coach Mark Gregory’s squad has a good mix of experience and younger talent making a difference. Cali Gregory is their leader as the 5-10 senior earned the Northwest District Division Two Player of the Year. She is averaging 20.5 points per game while 5-5 junior Ellie Kline is averaging 10.5 points with freshman Kaci Gregory scoring at 9.4 points.
Loudonville brings in the most electrifying player in Ohio in regards to statistics. Senior Corri Vermilya has reached a pinnacle that nobody else in Ohio girls basketball history has. The Ashland University signee is the only player in Ohio history to accumulate 2,200 points, 1,100 rebounds, 300 assists, 500 steals and 100 blocks. Vermilya is averaging 28 points and 12 rebounds per game, but she gets help from senior Sophia Spangler at 10 points per game and rising freshman May Vermilya who is scoring 15 per game.
Since 2015, Waterford has made seven appearances in the state Final Four, earning two state titles and two runner-up finishes. Coach Jerry Close has another good bunch, led by 5-9 junior Kendall Sury at 13.3 points per game. Avery Wagner is a 6-4 junior who scores nearly a double-double per game at 13.7 points and 9.6 rebounds. They only started one senior and earned a tough overtime win against Berlin Hiland in the regional finals to get to Dayton.