News Release: March 14, 2004 - Winter Sports Release #6

GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENTS
WHAT: 29th Annual Girls State Basketball Tournaments
WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, The Ohio State University (555 Borror Dr., corner of Lane Ave. and Olentangy River Rd., Columbus)
TIME/EVENTS: Semifinals—Thursday: 1:00-Division III; 3:00-Division III; 6:00-Division II; 8:00-Division II; Friday: 1:00-Division IV; 3:00-Division IV; 6:00-Division I; 8:00-Division I; Finals—Saturday: 11:00-Division III; 2:00-Division II; 5:00-Division IV; 8:30-Division I The complete schedule is listed above.
TICKETS: $7.00 tickets remain for each session (both semifinal games in the same division each day
          equals one session; each final equals one session) and are currently on sale at the Ohio State Athletic Ticket Office in the southeast corner of the Schottenstein Center (1-800-GO-BUCKS or 614-292-2624).
MEDIA CREDENTIALS: Fax requests to Bob Goldring, OHSAA Director of Information, at 614-267-1677 prior to noon Tuesday. If not already received, all credentials will be held at the Fred Taylor Room, located just off the Northeast Rotunda entrance (corner facing Olentangy River Road and the Fawcett Center).
        A confirmation that your request was received will NOT be faxed back to you. Instead, information will be posted on the OHSAA web site (www.ohsaa.org) regarding the status of your application. Once on the home page of the web site, go to “Media/News Releases” in the left-hand column, and the information will be available on that page. A list will also be posted of those media members who have been approved for credentials. The approved list will be posted by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
MEDIA PARKING: If not already received, parking passes will be held for media members at an area hotel. Information is posted on the OHSAA web site. Parking is at a premium this year and not all requests will be honored.
FAN PARKING: Parking is available for $5.00 a day at the lots around the Schottenstein Center, including the Buckeye lots, which are located at the north end of Fred Taylor Drive just off of Ackerman Rd. Free shuttles will transport fans who park in those lots to and from the arena. Additional information on spectator parking is posted on The Ohio State University Transporation and Parking Services web site (www.tp.ohio-state.edu). Once on the site, go to the “Visitors/Sports & Event Parking” area.
DIRECTIONS: To get to Value City Arena, take State Route 315 to the Lane Avenue exit. If coming from the north, turn left (east) onto Lane Avenue; if coming from the south, turn right (east) onto Lane Avenue. At the first intersection, turn left (north) onto Fred Taylor Drive and you will see the arena on the right. A second route is to take State Route 315 to the Ackerman Road exit, located just north of the Lane Avenue exit. If coming from the north, turn left (east) onto Ackerman Road; if coming from the south, turn right (east) onto Ackerman. At the first main intersection, turn right (south) onto Fred Taylor Drive and you will see the arena on the left. The Lane Avenue bridge over the Olentangy River (immediately east of Olentangy River Road) is now open.
HOTELS: A list of Columbus-area hotels along with telephone numbers is posted on the OHSAA web site (www.ohsaa.org).
TELEVISION: The Ohio News Network will cablecast all four championship games live on Saturday. Tim Bray and Jeff Phelps will serve as play-by-play announcers and Kristen Watt and Toni Roesch will provide analysis. ONN will also provide updates during the semifinals and will have highlight shows at 11:30 Thursday and Friday. The Ohio News Network is Ohio’s 24-hour cable news, weather and sports channel. For a complete ONN channel listing, visit the ONN web site at www.OhioNewsNow.com.
          Various stations throughout the state may telecast the semifinal games on a tape-delay basis. Check local listings for coverage details.
RADIO: WQKT in Wooster (104.5 FM) will carry all four championship games live on Saturday. Other stations around the state will also cover selected teams from their area on a game-by-game basis. Check local listings for coverage details.
WEB SITE: The OHSAA will post box scores from the tournament immediately following each game. Once you access the web site (www.ohsaa.org), go to “Sports & Tournaments” followed by “ Basketball-Girls.”
RADIO SCORE LINE: The OHSAA will provide a telephone score line at courtside again this year, allowing radio stations to call in for score updates and request post-game reports. Contact the OHSAA office by the end of the day Wednesday if your station is interested in this service.
TV STATIONS PLANNING LIVE SHOTS: Regulations at the Jerome Schottenstein Center do not allow stations to run cable in the arena since the arena has been prewired. Therefore, stations who plan to go live either must pay a connection fee to use one of the open connector positions, or you must be self-supporting (no connections into the arena) and go live from the parking lot west of the arena where a special area has been reserved for satellite trucks and there are production pedestals. A third option is that the Schottenstein Center has baseband fiber routing to two Satellite Teleports in the Columbus area for “C-Band” uplinking. Contant UNITS A/V Chief Engineer Chris Pezzutti (614-292-6990) for rates and scheduling details. If you plan on going live, please call Mark Smith, video coordinator at the Schottenstein Center, at 614-688-5359, to finalize ALL plans.
PREVIEW: Five former state champions, including one from last year, comprise the field for the 29th annual OHSAA Girls State Basketball Tournaments, the fifth to be held in Ohio State’s Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The returning champ is Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, which won the Division II state title last year and is looking to become the first Ohio girls school to win consecutive state championships with the second one coming in a higher division since the Eagles are in Division I in 2004 (Orrville is the only boys school to accomplish that feat, winning the Division III title in 1995 and the Division II crown in ‘96). The other former titlists are Hamilton Badin in Division II and Mansfield St. Peter’s, Minster and Berlin Hiland in Division IV.
          Division I: Top-ranked Chaminade-Julienne (25-0) meets No. 6 Barberton (25-1) in the first semifinal. C-J is looking for its third title overall (the school won the 1999 Division II championship) and is making its fifth state tournament appearance, all since 1998. The Eagles were 15-point winners over Cincinnati Princeton in the regional finals. Barberton has been runner-up in Class AAA in its other two state tournament appearances, falling to local rival Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in the 1979 finals and to Shelby in 1983. The Magics stopped 8th-ranked Mentor 62-54 in last week’s regional finals. The other state semifinal matches second-ranked Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame (26-0) against Sylvania Northview (26-0). Both schools are making their second state tournament appearances, with Mt. Notre Dame falling to Pataskala Watkins Memorial in the 1989 Division II semifinals and Northview losing to Middletown in the 1978 Class AAA semis. Mt. Notre Dame, a 53-48 winner over No. 4 Pickerington North in the regional semifinals, almost reached the state tournament last year but fell to eventual state champion Beavercreek in the regional finals, 59-55. Northview, a five-point winner over Elyria in the regional finals, had tough luck in the regionals the two years prior to this one, falling to Wooster by a point in the 2002 semifinals and to Mansfield Senior by four points in last year’s regional finals.
          Division II: Like Division I, three of the four qualifiers are seeking their first state championship. The exception is unranked Hamilton Badin (21-5), which captured the 1998 championship and was runner-up in 2000. The Rams, who upset top-ranked Springfield Kenton Ridge in this year’s district finals, meet No. 8 Salem (25-1) in the division’s second semifinal Thursday. The Quakers, who fell to St. Bernard Roger Bacon in their only other state appearance in the 1994 semifinals, were 19-point winners over Bay Village Bay in the regional finals. The first semifinal has No. 3 Beloit West Branch (24-1) meeting No. 6 Thornville Sheridan (24-1). Like Salem, both schools are making their second state tournament appearance with West Branch falling to Vincent Warren in the 1997 semis and Sheridan doing the same to Byesville Meadowbrook in 1988. Sheridan defeated Dresden Tri-Valley in the regional finals and West Branch stopped Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit. Should Salem and West Branch meet in the finals, it would match two schools located roughly 10 miles apart. West Branch handed Salem its only loss this year in the season opener (57-52) and defeated the Quakers in last year’s regional semifinals (40-37).
          Division III: For the first time in four years, a new champion will be crowned in Division III after seventh-ranked Youngstown Ursuline (24-2) stopped four-time defending state champion and No. 5-ranked South Euclid Regina 65-52 in last week’s regional finals. No other Ohio school — girls or boys — had won four straight state basketball championships. Ursuline is making its first trip to the state tournament and will take on another state tourney newcomer in No. 11 Plain City Jonathan Alder (25-1). Alder reached the state tournament by knocking off top-ranked and previously unbeaten Cincinnati Madeira in last week’s regional finals. Another first-time state tournament participant will be third-ranked Oak Hill (24-1), which will take on No. 10 Smithville (24-2) in Thursday’s second semifinal. Oak Hill had reached the regional championship game three times since 1997 and finally captured its first regional crown last weekend when it stopped Worthington Christian. Smithville is returning to Columbus for the first time since the third OHSAA state tournament in 1978. The Smithies, who lost to Old Washington Buckeye Trail in the ‘78 semifinal, defeated Oregon Cardinal Stritch in last week’s regional finals.
          Division IV: Three of the four Division IV state semifinalists have captured state titles in the past, while the fourth school won this year’s Associated Press state poll crown. The first semifinal matches top-ranked Miller City (25-0) against No. 4 Mansfield St. Peter’s (23-2). Miller City is making its first state tournament appearance and defeated Stryker in the regional finals, 51-28. St. Peter’s is making its 10th appearance in Columbus, and the Spartans were state champions in 1980, runners-up in 1977 and 1983 and have lost in the semifinals in each of the past two years to the eventual state champions (Dephos St. John’s in 2002, Maria Stein Marion Local last year). St. Peter’s defeated Lowellville 72-36 in last week’s regional finals. The other semifinals has 6th-ranked Minster (22-3) facing No. 2 Berlin Hiland (25-1). Minster, a nine-point regional final winner over Fort Loramie, won a state championship in overtime over Bascom Hopewell-Loudon its only other state appearance in 1998. A Wildcat state title would mean consecutive Division IV crowns for three different schools from the Midwest Athletic Conference. Hiland is making its sixth appearance in the state tournament and won its first championship in its last appearance in 2000 when it defeated Marion Local. The Hawks, 49-26 winners over Morral Ridgedale in last week’s regional finals, were also state runners-up in 1989.
          See page 6 of this news releases for additional information on the 16 state semifinalists.
2003 IN REVIEW: 28th Annual State Tournaments, Mar. 13, 14 and 15, Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, The Ohio State University.
          Division I: No. 2 Beavercreek (27-1) held fourth-ranked Hudson to 11.6 percent field goal shooting (5-of-43) and went on to win its third state championship, 58-21. Senior guard Kim Ingle scored 17 points, senior center Alison Bales had 10 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots and junior forward Leah Zimmerman added 13 points for the Battling Beavers, who won their other titles in 1995 and 2001. The 21 points were the fewest scored in state tournament history, the 37-point margin of victory set a Division I championship game mark and Hudson was 0-for-15 on three-point field goal attempts.                                   Beavercreek pulled out a 68-62 overtime win over No. 11 Columbus Brookhaven in the semis. Ingle had 26 points and Bales 20 points and 11 rebounds. Ohio’s Ms. Basketball, Brookhaven senior center Brittany Hunter, topped all scorers with 27. Hudson overcame a 24-21 deficit after one quarter and went on to defeat Mansfield Senior in the semifinals, 77-60. White set a Division I semifinal record with 32 points and senior guard Canea Williams had 29 for Mansfield Senior. Hudson’s 77 points and Mansfield Senior’s nine three-point field goals both set state tournament records for all Division I games.
          Beavercreek saw its 2003-04 season end when it fell to Kettering Fairmont in the district semifinals.
          Division II: Top-ranked Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (26-2) expanded a six-point lead early in the third quarter to 18 in the fourth and went on to defeat No. 5 Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, 60-46. It was the second state title for the Eagles, who won their other crown in 1999. Senior forward Brandie Hoskins had 21 points and sophomore center Aisha Jefferson had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead C-J. Senior guard Molly Patterson led VASJ with 21 points.
          Chaminade-Julienne held Lexington to a tournament-low seven first-half points and went on post a 48-29 semifinal win. Hoskins led the way with 14 points. Villa Angela-St. Joseph jumped out to a 31-16 halftime lead and never looked back in defeating New Albany in the semifinals, 67-41. Patterson led four Lady Vikings in double figures with 19 points. New Albany had 29 turnovers and missed all nine three-pointers.
          Chaminade-Julienne is in Division I this year and has advanced to the state tournament where it will meet Barberton in the semifinals Friday. A win advances the school to the state finals against Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame or Sylvania Northview Saturday.
          Division III: Top-ranked South Euclid Regina (24-2) held Chillicothe Huntington to 14 second-half points and went on to record a 65-35 victory. The Royals became the first Ohio girls or boys school to win four straight titles and Head Coach Pat Diulus became the leader in Ohio state basketball coaching championships with seven (he won three while at Garfield Heights Trinity and entered the weekend tied with Pickerington’s Dave Butcher with six crowns). Junior guard Simone Redd (15 points), senior center Siedah Williams (14) and freshman guard Carla Jacobs (12) paced the Royals. No player reached double figures in scoring for unranked Huntington, which had 35 turnovers. The margin of victory was the largest in a Division III state tournament game.
          Regina defeated Cincinnati North College Hill in the semifinals, 58-41, behind 14 points apiece from Williams and Redd and 12 from sophomore forward Reecy Mitchell. Huntington outscored second-ranked and previously unbeaten Bucyrus Wynford 28-19 in the second half in recording a 55-50 victory. Senior center Nicole Depugh had 28 points and 18 rebounds and Wynford connected on just 1-of-11 free throws.
          Regina advanced to this year’s regional finals before losing to Youngstown Ursuline.
          Division IV: Maria Stein Marion Local (22-6) broke open a close game by outscoring Holgate 19-6 in the fourth quarter and went on to win its first state championship, 46-28. Freshman guard Maria Moeller led the way with 15 points. Holgate, which finished as state runners-up for the third time, shot 27 percent from the field. Marion Local and Holgate were both unranked in the final Associated Press state poll.
          In the semifinals, Marion Local held top-ranked Mansfield St. Peter’s to 23 percent field goal shooting and recorded a 52-36 win. Senior guard Vanessa Rothman’s 30-foot three-point bankshot basket as time expired broke a 50-all tie with Shadyside and sent Holgate into the finals. The game was tied 12 times and there were 11 lead changes. Rothman led the way with 28 points.
          Marion Local advanced to the district finals in this year’s tournament before falling to Minster.
2004 TOP-RANKED TEAMS (Associated Press Final Statewide Media Poll):
          Division I: Dayton Chaminade-Julienne. See 2004 tournament information above.
          Division II: Springfield Kenton Ridge advanced to the district finals before losing to Hamilton Badin.
          Division III: Cincinnati Madeira advanced to the regional finals before falling to Plain City Jonathan Alder.
          Division IV: Miller City has advanced to the state tournament and faces Mansfield St. Peter’s in the semifinals Friday. A win advances the school to the state finals against Minster or Berlin Hiland Saturday.
RETURNING STATE CHAMPIONS: As mentioned, five of the 16 semifinalists are former state champions, including Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, which won the Division II state title last year and has moved up to Division I this year. Combined, the five schools have won six state crowns. The following shows the schools that have won state titles along with championship years:

RETURNING TO THE SCHOTT: This will be the fifth consecutive year that the state tournaments will be held at The Ohio State University’s Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The OHSAA is in the third of a three-year contract for the arena to serve as host, and the OHSAA holds an option to extend that contract for three more years.
          From 1976 through 1987, championships were held in three classes. Championships in four divisions began in 1988. Prior to 2000, every state tournament had been held at Ohio State’s St. John Arena (243 games) with the exception of 1986, when the finals were played at the University of Akron’s James A. Rhodes Arena.
          The $105 million Schottenstein Center was named after the late Jerome Schottenstein, a Columbus native whose leadership as chairman was the source of the growth and success of the Schottenstein Stores Corporation, Value City Department Stores and Value City Furniture. The arena, which is the largest in the Big Ten Conference, has a capacity of approximately 19,230 for the OHSAA state tournaments.
ST. JOHN ARENA, VALUE CITY TIDBITS: The first state tournament game at St. John Arena saw future Olympian Cindy Noble score 22 points to lead Frankfort Adena to a 35-33 win over Convoy Crestview. The Class A semifinal game was played on April 2, 1976. The last game saw Pickerington defeat Mason 46-30 in the Division I final on March 20, 1999. Pickerington senior forward Jennifer Harrison made a layup with 1:17 remaining to score the last basket in the girls state tournament in St. John Arena.
          The first state tournament game at Value City Arena saw Maria Stein Marion Local record a 43-42 win over previously unbeaten and second-ranked Delphos St. John’s in a Division IV semifinal March 16, 2000. Marion Local junior forward Kelly Pohlman scored the first basket just 35 seconds into that game.
STATE CHAMPIONS 5 YEARS AGO (1999):
        Division I: Pickerington def. Mason, 46-30

Division III: Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph def. Casstown Miami East, 67-52

Division IV: Bascom Hopewell-Loudon def. South Charleston Southeastern, 61-51

STATE CHAMPIONS 10 YEARS AGO (1994):
Division I: Garfield Heights Trinity def. Pickerington, 59-54

STATE CHAMPIONS 20 YEARS AGO (1984):
Class AAA: Cincinnati Forest Park def. Canton McKinley, 44-41 (overtime)

STATE CHAMPIONS 25 YEARS AGO (1979):
Class AAA: Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary def. Barberton, 35-27

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONSHIPS: Sixty-six schools have won 100 state championships since 1976. The number of titles won and the schools: (6 titles/1 school): Pickerington (1999-98-93-92-90-85); (5 titles/1 school)—Delphos St. John’s (2002-87-80-79-77); (4 titles/1 school)—South Euclid Regina (2003-02-01-00); (3 titles/7 schools)—Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (1995-80-75), Beavercreek (2003-01-95), Columbus Bishop Hartley (2000-78-76), Garfield Heights Trinity (1996-94-90), Kalida (1997-89-88), Millersburg West Holmes (1986-85-84), Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans (1992-83-82); (2 titles/8 schools)—Coldwater (1992-90), Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (2003-99), Fort Recovery (1991-90), Frankfort Adena (1994-76), Jackson Center (2001-95), McGuffey Upper Scioto Valley (1994-93), Urbana (1993-92), Warsaw River View (1982-77); (1 title/48 schools)—Ada (1978), Akron Archbishop Archbishop Hoban (1988), Anna (1981), Avon Lake (1994), Baltimore Liberty Union-Thurston (1993), Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (1999), Berlin Hiland (2000), Byesville Meadowbrook (1989), Canton GlenOak (1989), Celina (1991), Chagrin Falls (1998), Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas (2001), Cincinnati Forest Park (1984), Cincinnati Princeton (1987), Cincinnati Wyoming (1996), Cleveland East Tech (2002), Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (1999), Columbus Brookhaven (1996), Columbus Northland (1982), Columbus South (1986), Dayton Dunbar (1991), Elida (1997), Hamilton Badin (1998), Heath (1991), Huron (1983), Lima Bath (1987), Mansfield St. Peter’s (1980), Maria Stein Marion Local (2003), Mason (2000), Minster (1998), Newark Catholic (1984), New Washington Buckeye Central (1985), North Canton Hoover (2002), Old Washington Buckeye Trail (1979), St. Bernard Roger Bacon (1995), Shelby (1983), Sherwood Fairview (1989), South Charleston Southeastern (1996), Springfield North (1977), Struthers (1978), Tipp City Bethel (1986), Toledo Libbey (1981), Toledo Woodward (1976), Uhrichsville Claymont (1981), Upper Arlington (1988), Vienna Mathews (1988), Wadsworth (1997), Wauseon (1997).
MORE STATE TOURNAMENT NOTES: 199 different schools have participated in the OHSAA state tournaments in 29 years, including four new qualifiers in 2004 . . . Pickerington holds the record for most state championships with six, while South Euclid Regina (2000-01-02-03) holds the mark for most consecutive state championships with four and Millersburg West Holmes is second with three (1984-85-86) . . . Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans and Pickerington have made the most state tournament appearances with 10 . . . Pickerington holds the record for most state championship game appearances with eight . . . Danville (1992-96) holds the record for most consecutive state tournament appearances with five, while Regina (2000-03) and Old Washington Buckeye Trail (1978-81) hold the record for most consecutive state championship game appearances with four.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE 2004 BASKETBALL STATE SEMIFINALISTS:
click for printable copy - pdf fomat

BOYS BASKETBALL REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS
PREVIEW: Regional tournaments in all four divisions will be held this week at numerous sites throughout the state (see pairings, sites and times later in this news release) in preparation for the 82nd annual state tournaments, which will be held March 25, 26 and 27 at The Ohio State University’s Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
2003 IN REVIEW: 81st Annual State Tournaments, Mar. 20, 21 and 22, 2003, Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, The Ohio State University.
          Division I: No. 9 Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (23-4) and top-ranked Columbus Brookhaven were tied at 65 with 2:19 to play, but Moeller scored the game’s final eight points to pull out the championship, 73-65. It was the second state title for the Fighting Crusaders, who won their other crown in 1999. Junior forward Josh Duncan had 23 points and 12 rebounds, junior guard Bubba Walther added 19 points and junior forward Andrew Brackman had 18 points for Moeller, while senior guard Andrew Lavender led Brookhaven with 23 points. The Bearcats were trying to become the first Ohio big school to win back-to-back championships since Cincinnati Elder in 1973 and ‘74.
          Cleveland Heights overcame a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game at 66 and force overtime before Moeller pulled out an 85-74 semifinal decision. Duncan had 27 points and 16 rebounds and Brackman added 25 points for Moeller. Brookhaven could never shake Toledo St. John’s Jesuit in the semifinals but hung on to win, 59-53. Lavender had 22 points, including five three-point field goals, and senior forward Branden Foust added 16. Junior guard Brian Roberts led St. John’s with 21 points.
          Moeller has advanced to this year’s regional tournament and meets Columbus Mifflin in the semifinals Thursday at the Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum. A win advances the school to the regional finals against Columbus Brookhaven or Dublin Coffman Saturday.
          Division II: Top-ranked Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (25-1) trailed Kettering Archbishop Alter 19-14 at halftime but rallied to capture its third state title in four years, 40-36. Senior LeBron James, Ohio’s three-time Mr. Basketball, led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds. The Fighting Irish, who also won the state title in 1984, had just four turnovers. Alter lost to St. Vincent-St. Mary by 33 points earlier in the season. Division II state finals records were set by both teams for the fewest points (winning team, losing team and combined points). James finished his career with 2,646 points to rank third on Ohio’s all-time scoring list.
          St. Vincent-St. Mary had little trouble with Canton South in the semifinals, winning 71-46 after building the lead as high as 35 points. James led the way with 19 points. Alter held Columbus Beechcroft to 23 points through three quarters on its way to its 53-45 semifinal win.
          St. Vincent-St. Mary has advanced to this year’s regional tournament and meets Willard in the semifinals Wednesday at the University of Toledo. A win advances the school to the regional finals against Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit or Ottawa-Glandorf Saturday.
          Division III: Cincinnati Reading (24-3) outscored top-ranked Sugarcreek Garaway 12-6 in the final 3:26 and went on to post a 50-44 win. It was the first state title for the unranked Blue Devils. Senior forward Derek Aden was Reading’s only double figure scorer with 17 points.
          In the semis, Reading outscored Bedford St. Peter Chanel 41-31 in the second half to win 70-61. Senior center Eric Clemons had 19 points and seven blocked shots. Senior forward Tyler Renner scored 36 points to lead Garaway to a 70-59 semifinal win over Archbold. His point total was three away from the division’s state semifinal record and his 13 field goals tied the division’s state semifinal mark.
          Reading has advanced to this year’s regional tournament and faces Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington in the semifinals Thursday at Wright State. A win advances the school to the regional finals against Versailles or Carroll Bloom-Carroll Saturday.
          Division IV: Maria Stein Marion Local (24-2) trailed Convoy Crestview in the early going but pulled away to win the state title, 62-46. It was the second state championship for the second-ranked Flyers, who won the Class A crown in 1975. Senior forward Craig Wolters had 19 points and senior center Kevin Garman added 13. The Flyers forced 20 turnovers while committing just six themselves. Senior center Kory Lichtensteiger led 14th-ranked Crestview with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Marion Local became the third school to win both a girls and boys state basketball championship in the same year. League-rival Delphos St. John’s won both titles in 2002 and McGuffey Upper Scioto Valley won both in 1994.
          In the semifinals, Marion Local outscored Elyria Open Door Christian 19-5 in the first quarter and went on to post a 72-47 win. Crestview trailed by a point after one period before it outscored Columbus Wellington School 60-26 the rest of the way en route to a 73-40 semifinal win.
          Marion Local has advanced to this year’s regional tournament and meets Yellow Springs in the semifinals Tuesday at Miami University. A win advances the school to the regional finals against Sidney Fairlawn or Dayton Jefferson Friday.
2004 AP TOP-RANKED TEAMS (Associated Press Statewide Final Media Poll):
          Division I: North Canton Hoover advanced to the district semifinals before losing to Austintown-Fitch.
          Division II: LaGrange Keystone advanced to the district semifinals before falling to Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit in double overtime.
          Division III: Cincinnati North College Hill advanced to the district semifinals before losing to Reading.
          Division IV: Arlington advanced to the district finals before falling to Fort Jennings.
COMPLETE STATEWIDE BRACKETS AVAILABLE: Complete statewide brackets for all divisions — beginning at the sectional tournament level — are available on the OHSAA web site (www.ohsaa.org) by going to the “Sports & Tournaments” dropdown box in the left-hand corner of the home page followed by the “Basketball-Boys.” The web site will also include score updates the day following each game.
MEDIA CREDENTIALS FOR REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS: Contact the specific tournament manager. Names and telephone numbers are listed on the following page of this news release.
MEDIA CREDENTIALS FOR STATE TOURNAMENT: Fax requests to Bob Goldring, OHSAA Director of Information, at (614) 267-1677. A confirmation that your request was received will NOT be faxed back to you. Instead, information will be posted on the OHSAA web site (www.ohsaa.org) regarding the status of your application. Once on the home page of the web site, go to “Media/News Releases” in the left-hand column, and the information will be available on that page. Those APPROVED for credentials will also NOT receive a fax back. Instead, the OHSAA will post a list on its web site of those media members who have been approved for credentials. The approved boys basketball list will be posted by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 23. Some credentials will be mailed ahead of time to those media outlets who normally cover the entire state tournament. Those who do not have their credentials mailed will pick them up at the media entrance to the arena. The deadline for submitting a request is 12 noon on Tuesday, Mar. 23.
STATE TOURNAMENT PARKING: Parking information for the media at the state tournaments will be posted on the OHSAA web site soon. Please continue to review the web site for the latest information.
2004 BOYS BASKETBALL REGIONAL PAIRINGS:

DIVISION I
TOLEDO, University of Toledo Savage Hall (Grant Burcham, media coordinator: 419-530-4925; fax: 419-530-8429)
	Thu., 6:15-Olmsted Falls (21-2) vs. Mansfield Senior (17-6); Thu., 8:00-Toledo St. John’s Jesuit (20-4) vs. Cleveland Rhodes (16-8); Finals-Sat., 7:30.
COLUMBUS, Fairgrounds Coliseum (Mgr. Ralph Young: 740-363-2387—radio play-by-play; Asst. Mgr. Bill Ruoff: 614-279-7016 a.m./614-487-5240, ext. 170 afternoons—all other requests)
	Wed., 7:00-Columbus Brookhaven (22-2) vs. Dublin Coffman (14-9); Thu., 7:00-Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (21-2) vs. Columbus Mifflin (20-3); Finals-Sat., 7:30.
AKRON, University of Akron Rhodes Arena (Mgr. Paul Hammond: 330-972-6489)
	Wed., 7:00-Canton McKinley (20-3) vs. Medina (16-8); Thu., 7:00-Cleveland Collinwood (20-3) vs. Bedford (14-9); Finals-Sat., 7:30.
DAYTON, University of Dayton Arena (Mgr. Rob Durkle: 937-229-2007)
	Thu., 6:15-Cincinnati Sycamore (13-10) vs. Hamilton Senior (21-2); Thu., 8:00-Cincinnati LaSalle (23-1) vs. Springfield South (22-2); Finals-Sat., 7:30.
(State Tournament Pairings: Toledo vs. Columbus; Akron vs. Dayton)

DIVISION II
CANTON, Memorial Civic Center (Mgr. David Behner: 330-455-9653)
	Wed.,7:00-Chesterland West Geauga (21-2) vs. Youngstown Liberty (19-4); Thu., 7:00-Warrensville Heights (11-12) vs. Canal Fulton Northwest (21-1); Finals-Sat., 3:00.
FAIRBORN, Wright State University Nutter Center (Mgr. Max Benton: 937-775-3498)
	Tue., 6:15-Dayton Dunbar (14-9) vs. Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (16-7); Tue., 8:00-Columbus Bishop Watterson (18-5) vs. Cincinnati Taft (22-2); Finals-Sat., 11:00.
TOLEDO, University of Toledo Savage Hall (Grant Burcham, media coordinator: 419-530-4925; fax: 419-530-8429)
	Wed.,6:15-Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (17-6) vs. Ottawa-Glandorf (23-1); Wed., 8:00-Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (19-4) vs. Willard (20-4); Finals-Sat., 3:00.
ATHENS, Ohio University Convocation Center (Mgr. Wayne Horsley: 740-593-2736)
	Wed., 6:15-Columbus Beechcroft (16-7) vs. Cambridge (19-5); Wed., 8:00-Greenfield McClain (19-5) vs. Dover (20-3); Finals-Sat., 11:30.
(State Tournament Pairings: Canton vs. Fairborn; Toledo vs. Athens)

DIVISION III
CANTON, Memorial Field House (Mgr. Dan Brooks: 330-454-4736)
	Thu., 6:15-Leavittsburg LaBrae (19-4) vs. Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas (21-2); Thu., 8:00-Loudonville (21-2) vs. Bedford St. Peter Chanel (20-3); Finals-Sat., 7:30.
BOWLING GREEN, Bowling Green State University (Mgr. Jim Elsasser: 419-372-7054)
	Thu., 6:30-Findlay Liberty-Benton (20-2) vs. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (20-3); Thu., 8:15-Bellville Clear Fork (17-6) vs. St. Henry (18-5); Finals-Sat., 7:30.
ATHENS, Ohio University Convocation Center (Mgr. Wayne Horsley: 740-593-2736)
	Thu., 6:15-Bellaire (20-4) vs. Ironton (20-3); Thu., 8:00-Johnstown-Monroe (24-0) vs. Chesapeake (21-2); Finals-Sat., 7:30.
FAIRBORN, Wright State University Nutter Center (Mgr. Max Benton: 937-775-3498)
	Thu., 6:15-Reading (18-6) vs. Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington (20-3); Thu., 8:00-Versailles (24-0) vs. Carroll Bloom-Carroll (16-8); Finals-Sat., 1:15.
(State Tournament Pairings: Canton vs. Bowling Green; Athens vs. Fairborn)

DIVISION IV
OXFORD, Miami University (Mgr. Rob Durkle: 937-229-2007)
	Tue., 6:15-Maria Stein Marion Local (15-9) vs. Yellow Springs (21-3); Tue., 8:00-Sidney Fairlawn (17-7) vs. Dayton Jefferson Twp. (18-6); Finals-Fri., 7:30.
CANTON, Memorial Field House (Mgr. Dan Brooks: 330-454-4736)
	Tue., 6:15-Windham (16-8) vs. Sebring McKinley (22-1); Tue., 8:00-Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans (18-6) vs. Kidron Central Christian (16-7); Finals-Fri., 7:30.
COLUMBUS, Fairgrounds Coliseum (Mgr. Ralph Young: 740-363-2387—radio play-by-play); Asst. Mgr. Bill Ruoff: 614-279-7016 a.m./614-487-5240, ext. 170 afternoons—all other requests)
	Tue., 6:15-South Webster (20-3) vs. Reedsville Eastern (16-7); Tue., 8:00-Columbus Africentric Secondary School (11-13) vs. Mansfield St. Peter’s (19-4); Finals-Fri., 7:30.
BOWLING GREEN, Bowling Green State University (Mgr. Jim Elsasser: 419-372-7054)
	Tue., 6:30-Tiffin Calvert (15-8) vs. Holgate (16-7); Tue., 8:15-Fort Jennings (19-4) vs. Van Buren (18-4); Finals-Fri., 7:30.
(State Tournament Pairings: Oxford vs. Canton; Columbus vs. Bowling Green)