Four teams earn No. 2 tournament seeds

The path to the girls basketball state championships has been set. The tournament draw for Divisions III through VII was held on Feb. 8, with three area teams earning No. 2 seeds in their respective groups. This season marked the third year that the MaxPreps Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) data rankings are being used to determine seeding for the district tournaments. 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 school groupings are determined by the Northwest District Athletic Board, which divides its schools into smaller groups. New this season, similar to soccer and volleyball in the fall, teams put into groups had their choice between two district sites. In Div. III, Norwalk (15-6) is a No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 Mansfield Senior (0-19) at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19 in a sectional championship game. With a win, the Truckers will likely rematch with No. 1 Ashland (19-1) in a district semifinal at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 24 at Buckeye Central High School. The Arrows are ranked 11th in Div. III by MaxPreps. They will host No. 6 Sandusky (3-15) in their sectional title game on Feb. 19. If the matchup happens, it would come one year and two days later from last season's 58-44 win by Ashland in the district title game, also played at Buckeye Central. The other four teams on the opposite side of Norwalk's bracket include No. 4 Elida (11-8), No. 5 Defiance (8-11), No. 6 Wapakoneta (8-12), and No. 7 Lima Senior (9-9). The district title game is set for 3 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Columbus Grove High School. In Div. V, Willard (16-4) is also a No. 2 seed and has a potential district title rematch against a top-seeded team, but also in a district semifinal. First, the Crimson Flashes host No. 7 Huron (7-14) at 2 p.m. Feb. 21 in a sectional title game. Willard won both regular season matchups in SBC Bay Division play by 42 and 20 points, respectively. With a win, the Flashes advance to a 6 p.m. district semifinal at Lakota High School against the winner of No. 8 Galion (6-14) and No. 1 Clear Fork (17-3). The Colts beat the Flashes, 61-39, in a district title game last season at Shelby High School. The other half of Willard's bracket features No. 2 Delta (16-4), No. 3 Archbold (17-4), No. 4 Paulding (19-2), and No. 5 Bluffton (11-10). The district title game will be played at 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at Lakota High School. At the Div. V Defiance district, Edison (8-12) is a No. 5 seed and visits No. 4 Eastwood (10-8) at 2 p.m. Feb. 21 for a sectional title game. The winner draws the victor between Ottawa County rivals, No. 6 Port Clinton (8-11) and No. 3 Oak Harbor (15-4), in a 7:30 p.m. district semifinal on Feb. 24 at Lakota. That district title game is at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at Defiance High School. The No. 1-ranked team in Div. VI, Ottawa-Glandorf (21-0), is on the other side of the bracket along with No. 6 Elmwood (8-11), No. 7 Swanton (4-15), and No. 8 Otsego (3-16). Firelands Conference champion New London (18-3) is the No. 2 seed in the Napoleon district. The Wildcats will host nearby rival Western Reserve (11-8), the No. 5 seed, at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 in a sectional title game. During the regular season, NL beat the Roughriders by 10 and 14 points, respectively. The winner of that game will face the winner of No. 4 Woodmore (14-5) and No. 3 Gibsonburg (14-4) in a district semifinal at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 at Fremont Ross. The SBC River champion Bears won both regular season meetings by five and seven points, respectively. The other half of the bracket has No. 2 Ottawa Hills (14-6), No. 3 Evergreen (9-10), No. 5 Liberty Center (9-10), and No. 7 Montpelier (1-18). The district title game is at 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at Napoleon High School. Meanwhile, South Central (5-16) is the No. 6 seed in Fremont and visits No. 2 Bucyrus Wynford (15-5) in a sectional title game at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19. At the same date and time, No. 7 Monroeville (6-14) heads to top-seeded Margaretta (19-1). The Margaretha-Monroeville winner will face No. 6 Lakota (7-12) in a 6 p.m. district semifinal on Feb. 25 at Fremont Ross. Also on the other side of the bracket are No. 4 Mansfield Christian (12-7) and No. 5 Buckeye Central (4-15). That district title game is at 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at Fremont Ross High School. Lastly, in Div. VII, St. Paul (10-11), earned the No. 3 seed and is in the Gibsonburg district. The Flyers will host No. 4 Old Fort (10-11) at 2 p.m. Feb. 21 in a sectional championship game. On the same side of the bracket, No. 6 Maumee Valley Country Day (7-14) heads to No. 5 St. Mary Central Catholic (9-10) at 6 p.m. Feb. 18 in a sectional semifinal. The winner then heads to No. 2 Danbury (10-9) at 2 p.m. Feb. 21 in the sectional title game. The two sectional winners will then meet at 6 p.m. Feb. 25 in a district semifinal at Gibsonburg. St. Paul defeated both SMCC and Danbury during the regular season but has not faced the Stockaders. Opposite that side of the bracket are No. 1 Seneca East (15-6), No. 5 Hopewell-Loudon (7-13), No. 6 Lucas (9-11), and No. 9 New Riegel (0-19). The district title game is at 3 p.m. Feb. 28 back at Gibsonburg. At the Div. VII Willard district, No. 8 Plymouth (2-18) visits No. 7 Crestline (4-16) in a sectional semifinal at 6 p.m. on Feb. 18. The two teams will meet Tuesday night in a non-league regular season game, also at Crestline. The winner makes the trip to No. 2 Arcadia (15-5) for a 2 p.m. sectional final on Feb. 21. --------------------------- GIRLS BASKETBALLAREA TOURNAMENT GLANCEDIVISION IIIColumbus Grove DistrictFeb. 19Sectional championships (6 p.m.)No. 7 Lima Senior at No. 4 ElidaNo. 6 Wapakoneta at No. 5 DefianceNo. 6 Sandusky at No. 1 AshlandNo. 7 Mansfield Senior at No. 2 NorwalkFeb. 24District semifinal at Columbus GroveLima Senior-Elida winner vs. Wapakoneta-Defiance winner, 6 p.m.District semifinal at Buckeye CentralSandusky-Ashland winner vs. Mansfield-Norwalk winner, 7:30 p.m.Feb. 28District championship at Columbus GroveTeams TBD, 3 p.m. DIVISION VLakota DistrictFeb. 21Sectional championships (2 p.m.)No. 8 Galion at No. 1 Clear ForkNo.7 Huron at No. 2 WillardNo. 5 Bluffton at No. 3 ArchboldNo. 4 Paulding at No. 2 DeltaFeb. 24District semifinal at LakotaGalion-Clear Fork winner vs. Huron-Willard winner, 6 p.m.District semifinal at DefianceBluffton-Archbold winner vs. Paulding-Delta winner, 7:30 p.m.Feb. 28District championship at LakotaTeams TBD, 3 p.m. Defiance DistrictFeb. 21Sectional championships (2 p.m.)No. 8 Tontogany Otsego at No. 1 Ottawa-GlandorfNo. 7 Swanton at No. 6 Bloomdale ElmwoodNo. 6 Port Clinton at No. 3 Oak HarborNo. 5 Edison at No. 4 EastwoodFeb. 24District semifinals at DefianceOtsego-Glandorf winner vs. Elmwood-Swanton winner, 6 p.m.District semifinals at LakotaPort Clinton-Oak Harbor winner vs. Edison-Eastwood winner, 7:30 p.m.Feb. 28District championship at DefianceTeams TBD, 7 p.m. DIVISION VIFremont DistrictFeb. 19Sectional championships (6 p.m.)No. 7 Monroeville at No. 1 MargarettaNo. 6 South Central at No. 2 Bucyrus WynfordNo. 5 Buckeye Central at No. 4 Mansfield ChristianFeb. 25District semifinal at Fremont RossMonroeville-Margaretta winner vs. No. 6 Lakota, 6 p.m.District semifinal at ShelbyS. Central-Wynford winner vs. B. Central-M. Christian winner, 7:30 p.m.Feb. 28District championship at Fremont RossTeams TBD, 3 p.m. Napoleon DistrictFeb. 19Sectional championships (6 p.m.)No. 7 Montpelier at No. 2 Ottawa HillsNo. 5 Liberty Center at No. 3 EvergreenNo. 4 Woodmore at No. 3 GibsonburgNo. 5 Western Reserve at No. 2 New LondonFeb. 25District semifinal at NapoleonMontpelier-Hills winner vs. LC-Evergreen winner, 6 p.m.District semifinal at Fremont RossWoodmore-Gibsonburg winner vs. Western-NL winner, 7:30 p.m.Feb. 28District championship at NapoleonTeams TBD, 3 p.m. DIVISION VIIGibsonburg DistrictFeb. 18Sectional semifinalNo. 6 Maumee Valley Country Day at No. 5 St. Mary Central Catholic, 6 p.m.Feb. 21Sectional championships (2 p.m.)MVCD-SMCC winner at No. 2 DanburyNo. 4 Old Fort at No. 3 St. PaulNo. 9 New Riegel at No. 1 Seneca EastNo. 6 Lucas at No. 5 Hopewell-LoudonFeb. 25District semifinal at GibsnburgMVCD-SMCC-Danbury winner vs. Old Fort-St. Paul winner, 6 p.m.District semifinal at WillardNew Riegel-Seneca East winner vs. Lucas-HL winner, 7:30 p.m.Feb. 28District championship at Gibsonburg, 3 p.m.