Four area teams No. 2 in RPI rankings

The Ohio High School Athletic Association's girls basketball MaxPreps Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rankings are now live on the OHSAA website. The RPI rankings update daily as final scores are entered into the MaxPreps database. The 2025-26 season is the third in which RPI data is being used to determine seeding for the statewide tournament draws. This year's tournament draws are Feb. 8 (Divisions III-VII) for area teams. The RPI formula was recommended by the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association, adopted by the OHSAA, and is calculated using scores entered into MaxPreps. The formula is comprised of 40 percent winning percentage, 40 percent opponent's winning percentage, and 20 percent opponent's opponent's winning percentage. The winning team is required to enter the score into MaxPreps, or for out-of-state opponents, the Ohio school must enter the score if it is not entered by the out-of-state school. The school groupings are determined by the Northwest District Athletic Board, which divides its schools into smaller groups. The deadline for reporting scores is 11:59 p.m. Feb. 8. Final RPI data for all divisions will be available on the day following the reporting deadline. New this season, similar to soccer and volleyball in the fall, teams put into groups will have their choice between two districts. In Div. III, Norwalk (8-4) is currently second behind Ashland (11-1), which it faced in a district title game last season at Buckeye Central High School. Other teams in the group in order of current rankings include Tiffin Columbian (10-4), Mansfield Madison (8-6), Ontario (6-8), Sandusky (2-9), and Mansfield Senior (0-13). Sectional final games are set for Feb. 19. District games will be played on Feb. 24 and Feb. 28. The Truckers will have the option of returning to Buckeye Central or making the long trek to Columbus Grove. The other group of schools Norwalk could potentially face includes the Toledo teams: Bowsher, Notre Dame, Rogers, St. Ursula, Central Catholic, Waite, and Holland Springfield. The Div. V sectional finals are set for Feb. 21, with district games again on Feb. 24 and Feb. 28. In Group B, Willard (9-3) is second behind Clear Fork (12-2), which it lost to in the district championship last season. The rest of the group includes Oak Harbor (11-4), Eastwood (7-5), Port Clinton (7-8), Huron (4-10), Edison (5-8), and Galion (4-9). The Crimson Flashes are designated for either Defiance or Lakota for the district round. The other group will include Archbold, Bluffton, Delta, Elmwood, Otsego, Ottawa-Glandorf, Paulding, and Swanton. In Div. VI, New London (12-3) is second behind Margaretta (13-1) in Group B. Other teams include Gibsonburg (9-4), Woodmore (8-3), Western Reserve (6-7), Lakota (5-7), and Monroeville (4-9). Potential district sites include Napoleon or Fremont Ross. The other groups eligible for the Napoleon site include Evergreen, Liberty Center, Northwood, Ottawa Hills, Patrick Henry, and Defiance Tinora. At Fremont, the other group would include Buckeye Central, Bucyrus, Colonel Crawford, Crestview, Mansfield Christian, South Central, and Bucyrus Wynford. In Div. VII, sectional games are on Feb. 18 and Feb. 21, with district games slated for Feb. 25 and Feb. 28. Group E has St. Paul (8-6) currently in the second position behind North Baltimore (13-2) and ahead of St. Mary Central Catholic (7-6). The rest of the group includes Old Fort (5-8), Danbury (5-8), Maumee Valley Country Day (4-8), Cardinal Stritch (4-10), Fremont SJCC (2-11), and Toledo Horizon Science Academy (0-2). The Flyers can choose between Archbold and Gibsonburg for district sites. The other group eligible for Gibsonburg includes Arcadia (10-2), Seneca East (10-5), Calvert (7-3), Mohawk (5-9), Lucas (6-7), Hopewell-Loudon (4-9), Crestline (4-10), Plymouth (2-11), and New Riegel (0-12). At Archbold, the other eligible group includes Defiance Ayersville, Edgerton, Edon, Fayette, Hilltop, Colgate, North Central, Pettisville, and Stryker.