The Ohio High School Athletic Association

OHSAA
News Release
March 21, 2004

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OHIO HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
WINTER SPORTS TOURNAMENTS NEWS RELEASE #7
(March 21, 2004)

Click here to view Winter Tournament Calendar

OHSAA BOYS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENTS
WHAT: 82nd Annual Boys State Basketball Tournaments
WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus (555 Borror Dr., corner of Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Rd.)
TIMES/EVENTS: Semifinals—Thursday: 11:00-Division III; 2:00-Division III; 6:00-Division II; 9:00-Division II; Friday: 11:00-Division IV; 2:00-Division IV; 6:00-Division I; 9:00-Division I; Finals—Saturday: 11:00-Division III; 2:00-Division II; 5:00-Division IV; 8:30-Division I (complete schedule listed above).
TICKETS: $7.00 tickets remain for each game 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 Ronnie Stokes will team up to describe the Division I and II games, with Marty Bannister and Jay Burson teaming up for the Divisions III and IV games. Arica Robbins will provide sideline commentary. ONN will also provide updates during the semifinals and will have highlight shows at 11:30. 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: The following 11 stations are scheduled to cover all 12 state semifinal and final games live: WBNO-FM, Bryan; WKKI-FM, Celina; WDOH-FM, Delphos; WFIN-AM, Findlay; WFOB-AM, Fostoria; WIMA-AM, Lima; WMOA-AM/WJAW-FM, Marietta/McConnelsville; ESPN 990 (WTIG-AM), Massillon; WNDH-FM, Napoleon; WKSD-FM, Van Wert; and WQKT-FM, Wooster. 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-Boys.”
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.
RETURNING TO VALUE CITY ARENA: For the sixth straight year, the state tournaments return Ohio State’s Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The OHSAA is in the third of a three-year contract  with the Schottenstein Center, and the Association holds an option to extend that contract for three more years.
          Of the 81 state boys basketball tournaments held prior to this year, all but nine have been held in Columbus. Between 1957 and 1998, 40 of the 42 state tournaments were played at Ohio State’s St. John Arena. The exceptions during that period were in 1986 and ‘87 when the University of Dayton hosted the event at the UD 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.                 
          Total attendance at the 12-session 2003 tournament set an all-time record with 193,880, and average of 16,073 per game. The Division II final game between Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and Kettering Archbishop Alter set a state tournament single-game attendance record of 18,541.
PREVIEW: Seven former state champions, including one from last year, comprise the field for the 82nd annual OHSAA Boys State Basketball Tournaments, the fifth to be held in Ohio State’s Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The lone returning champ is Maria Stein Marion Local, which won the 2003 Division IV title. Also back is Columbus Brookhaven, which is making its fourth straight appearance in the Division I field. Four of the qualifiers are making their first state tournament appearances.
          Division I: Friday night’s first semifinal features fifth-ranked Columbus Brookhaven (24-2) and unranked Toledo St. John’s Jesuit (22-4), two teams that met in last year’s semis that Brookhaven won 59-53. Brookhaven, making its fourth consecutive trip to the state tournament, won the state title in 2002 and finished second last year. The Bearcats avenged last year’s championship game loss by knocking off second-ranked Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller in last week’s regional finals. Brookhaven is led by first-year coach Hali Robinson, who took over following the death of Bruce Howard. St. John’s is looking for its first state championship after finishing second in 1993 and ‘96. The Titans stopped Olmsted Falls in last weekís regional finals. The second semi on Friday matches No. 9 Canton McKinley (22-3) against No. 8 Hamilton (23-2). McKinley has made the most state tournament appearances of any Ohio school (26) and won its only state title in 1984. The Bulldogs won their only state championship in 1984 and defeated Cleveland Collinwood in last week’s regional finals. Hamilton has not been to the state tournament in 50 years and was state champion that year along with 1937 and ‘49. When Hamilton broke off into Taft and Garfield high schools for a period before consolidating back to Hamilton, Taft won a state title in 1962. The Big Blue stopped Cincinnati LaSalle (top-ranked for most of the year) in last week’s regional semifinals and Springfield South in the regional finals.
          Division II: Thirteenth-ranked Canal Fulton Northwest (24-1) meets No. 9 Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (18-7) in the first semifinal Thursday night. This is Northwest’s first state tournament appearance, although old Canal Fulton High made three straight state tournament appearances from 1936-38 and won a state title in ‘38. The Indians defeated Chesterland West Geauga in last week’s regional finals. C-J was state champion in 1966 and ‘70 and was runner-up in its last appearance in the final four in 1991. The Eagles, whose girls team was a state runner-up last weekend, stopped Columbus Bishop Watterson in last week’s regional championship. The last game Thursday night features No. 3 Ottawa-Glandorf (25-1) against No. 7 Dover (22-3). Ottawa-Glandorf is making its fourth state tournament appearance, and the school was state runner-up in its last showing in 1996. The Titans defeated second-ranked and defending state champion Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in last week’s regional finals 54-52 after falling to the Fighting Irish in the regional finals the last two years. Dover is making its seventh state tournament appearance and first since finishing as runners-up in 1998. The Tornadoes, state champs in 1927 and 1933, stopped Columbus Beechcroft in last week’s regional finals.
          Division III: Thursday’s first game features fourth-ranked Loudonville (23-2) versus No. 15 St. Henry (20-5). Loudonville is making its second state tourney appearance and first since 1941. The Redbirds defeated Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas in last week’s regional finals. St. Henry is making its fifth state tournament appearance, and the Redskins were state champs in 1979, 1990 and 1991 and runners-up in their last appearance in 2000. St. Henry defeated Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in last week’s regional finals. In the second game Thursday, No. 9 Bellaire (22-4) meets second-ranked Versailles (26-0). Bellaire is making its first state tournament appearance, and the Big Reds knocked off Chesapeake in last week’s regional finals. The Tigers, state champs for the sixth time in football this past fall, defeated defending state champion Reading in the regional finals last week.
          Division IV: Defending champion Maria Stein Marion Local (17-9) returns to the state tournament and will take on third-ranked Sebring McKinley (24-1) in Friday’s first semifinal. The Flyers, unranked in the final Associated Press state poll, also won the state title in 1975. They stopped Dayton Jefferson Twp. in last week’s regional finals. Sebring has not been in the state tournament since 1973, and the Trojans were state runners-up in their other state appearance in 1970. Sebring stopped Kidron Central Christian in last week’s regional finals. The other semifinal features two unranked teams in South Webster (22-3) and Holgate (19-6). South Webster is making its first state tournament appearance, and the Jeeps stopped No. 5 Mansfield St. Peter’s in last week’s regional finals in overtime. Holgate is making its first trip to Columbus in 51 years. The Tigers, who also reached the state tournament in 1940, were 35-33 winners over Fort Jennings in the regional finals.
          See page 7 of this news releases for additional information on the 16 state semifinalists.
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 advanced to this year’s regional tournament before losing to Columbus Brookhaven in the finals.
          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 advanced to this year’s regional tournament before falling to Ottawa-Glandorf in the finals.
          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 advanced to this year’s regional tournament before losing to Versailles in the finals.
          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 state tournament and meets Sebring McKinley in the semifinals Friday. A win advances the school to the state finals against South Webster or Holgate Saturday.
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.
RETURNING STATE CHAMPIONS: Seven of the 16 semifinalists are former state champions, including Maria Stein Marion Local, which won the Division IV crown last year. Combined, the seven schools have won 14 state championships. The following shows the schools that have won state titles along with the championship years:

TOURNAMENT CLASSES/DIVISIONS: As mentioned, this is the 81st year for the OHSAA state boys basketball tournaments. The following is a divisional breakdown of the tournament over the years: 
          1909-22 — One-class state tournaments held at Ohio Wesleyan University not sponsored by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
          1923-56 — OHSAA two-class tournament format (Class A—large schools; Class B—small schools)
          1957-70 — OHSAA two-class tournament format (Class AA—large schools; Class A—small schools)
          1971-87 — OHSAA three-class tournament format (Class AAA—large schools; Class AA—mid-sized schools; Class A—small schools)
          1988-04 — OHSAA four-division tournament format (Division I—large schools; Division II—mid-sized schools; Division III—mid-sized schools; Division IV—small schools)
TOURNAMENT SPECIAL ANNIVERSARIES: Listed below are the results of special anniversary tournaments:
          1st Tournament (1923) — Class A: Lorain 15, Bellevue 14 at Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum (Ben Garrett led the winners with 10 points); Class B: Plattsburg 16, Bellpoint 15 at Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum (Dick Faris led the winners with 9 points)
          25th Tournament (1947) — Class A: Middletown 47, East Liverpool 29 at Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum (Shelby Linville led the winners with 18 points); Class B: Columbiana 43, New Knoxville 34 at Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum (Don Esenwein and Dick Perkins led the winners with 14 points apiece)
          50th Tournament (1972) — Class AAA: Cleveland East Tech 78, Cincinnati Princeton 67 at Ohio State’s St. John Arena (Larry Bolden led the winners with 16 points); Class AA: Columbus Ready 59, Lexington 47 at Ohio State’s St. John Arena (Robert Taylor led the winners with 19 points); Class A: Gnadenhutten Indian Valley South 59, Morral Ridgedale 41 at Ohio State’s St. John Arena (Bob Huggins led the winners with 23 points; current OHSAA Commissioner Clair Muscaro was an official in the game)
          75th Tournament (1997) — Division I: Cleveland Heights 60, Zanesville 52 (first state title for Heights; Zanesville was top-ranked); Division II: Cleveland Benedictine 71, Akron Buchtel 68 (first state tourney appearance for Benedictine); Division III: Hamler Patrick Henry 63, Cleveland Villa-Angela/St. Joseph 61  (Kris Gerken 24 points, Todd Smith basket with 48.8 seconds broke 60-all tie); Division IV: Van Wert Lincolnview 76, Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans 60 (No. 1 team defeated No. 2 behind Frank Kill’s 23 points, 11 rebounds).
5 Years Ago (1999):

10 Years Ago (1994):

25 Years Ago (1979):

50 Years Ago (1954):

75 Years Ago (1929):

TOURNAMENT LOCATIONS: Listed below are the locations of the state tournaments:

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONSHIPS: One-hundred thirty-six schools have won 211 state championships since 1923. The number of titles won and the schools: (7 titles/1 school)—Middletown; (5 titles/1 school)—Columbus East; (4 titles/5 schools)—Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Cleveland Villa-Angela/St. Joseph, Columbus Bishop Wehrle, Dayton Stivers, Portsmouth; (3 titles/12 schools)—Cincinnati Elder, Cleveland East Tech, Columbus Linden McKinley, Dayton Roth, Delphos St. John’s, Fort Loramie, Hamilton, Kettering Archbishop Alter, Newark, Orrville, St. Henry, Zanesville; (2 titles/25 schools)—Akron Central-Hower, Akron North, Arcanum, Bellpoint, Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, Cleveland Benedictine, Columbus Bishop Ready, Dayton Chaminade, Dayton Jefferson Twp. Dayton Roosevelt, Defiance Ayersville, Dover, Dresden, Gnadenhutten Indian Valley South, Lexington, Lockland Wayne, Mansfield St. Peter’s, Maria Stein Marion Local, New Lebanon Dixie, Oberlin, St. Bernard Roger Bacon, Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic, Springfield, Waterloo, West Salem Northwestern; (1 title/93 schools)—Akron Archbishop Hoban, Akron Ellet, Akron Manchester, Akron St. Mary’s, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Akron West, Austintown-Fitch, Barberton, Bedford St. Peter Chanel, Bellevue, Bellville Clear Fork, Berlin Hiland, Campbell Memorial, Canal Fulton, Canton Lehman, Canton McKinley, Casstown Miami East, Castalia Margaretta, Cincinnati LaSalle, Cincinnati Lincoln Heights, Cincinnati Mariemont, Cincinnati Purcell Marian, Cincinnati St. Xavier, Cincinnati Woodward, Cleveland Cathedral Latin, Cleveland Heights, Cleveland St. Ignatius, Columbiana, Columbus Bexley, Columbus Brookhaven, Columbus South, Columbus St. Francis DeSales, Columbus Walnut Ridge, Dayton Belmont, Dayton Colonel White, Dayton Dunbar, Dayton Northridge, Eaton, Edgerton, Farmer, Findlay, Findlay Liberty-Benton, Fort Jennings, Fort Recovery, Girard, Glenford, Grand Rapids, Hamilton Badin, Hamilton Ross, Hamilton Taft, Hamler Patrick Henry, Haviland Wayne Trace, Hillsboro Marshall, Jackson Center, Kalida, Kent State, Lakewood St. Edward, Lancaster St. Mary’s, Lawrenceville, Lorain, Lorain Clearview, Marion Pleasant, Martins Ferry, McGuffey Upper Scioto Valley, Middletown Bishop Fenwick, Miller City, Monroeville, Napoleon, New Carlisle, New Lexington St. Aloysius, New Philadelphia, North Canton, Plattsburg, Reading, Salem Local, Somerset, Sparta Highland, Springfield Catholic Central, Strasburg, Tipp City Bethel, Toledo Macomber-Whitney, Toledo Scott, Toledo St. Francis DeSales, Upper Arlington, Van Wert Lincolnview, Warrensville Heights, Warsaw River View, Westerville North, West Chester Lakota, Worthington Christian, Xenia Central, Yorkville, Youngstown Rayen, Youngstown Ursuline.
MORE STATE TOURNAMENT NOTES: 498 different schools have participated in the OHSAA basketball tournaments in its 82 years, including four new qualifiers in 2004 . . . Canton McKinley has made the most state tournament appearances with 26. The school has one state title and eight runners-up . . . McKinley and Middletown hold the record for most state championship game appearances with nine each . . . Cleveland East Tech holds the record for most consecutive state tournament appearances and state championship game appearances with six (1958-63) . . . Columbus Wehrle (1988-90) and Dayton Stivers (1928-30) hold the record for most consecutive state championships with three, while Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (2000-01), Bellpoint (1924-25), Cincinnati Elder (1973-74), Cleveland Benedictine (1997-98), Cleveland East Tech (1958-59), Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (1991-92 and 1994-95), Columbus Bishop Ready (1972-73), Columbus East (1968-69), Dresden (1963-64), Middletown (1946-47, 1952-53 and 1956-57), Orrville (1995-96), St. Henry (1990-91) and Waterloo (1934-35) have all won back-to-back state crowns . . . In the 1990s, Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph won four state championships and Orrville three . . . There have been nine schools that have been state runners-up one year and come back to win the championship the next: Akron Central-Hower (1979-80), Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (2002-03), Columbus Wehrle (1985-86), Gnadenhutten Indian Valley South (1975-76), Mansfield St. Peter’s (1977-78), Middletown (1945-46), Springfield Catholic Central (1995-96), Van Wert Lincolnview (1996-97) and West Chester Lakota (1991-92) . . . Dayton Roth (1976, ‘81 and ‘82) is the only school that has made three state tournament appearances and won titles each year, while Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (1999 and ‘03), Columbus Bishop Ready (1972 and ‘73) and Dresden (1963 and ‘64) are the only schools that have made two state tournament appearances and won state titles both times.

GIRLS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENTS
REVIEW: 29th Annual State Tournaments, March 18, 19 and 20, Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, The Ohio State University.
          Division I: Second-ranked Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame (28-0) jumped out to a 24-10 halftime lead and went on to defeat top-ranked Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (26-1), 59-44. It was the first state title for the Cougars, who were led by Ohio’s Ms. Basketball, senior guard Mel Thomas, who had 21 points, and sophomore guard Lee Stephens, who added 20. Mt. Notre Dame became the 10th Ohio big school to finish the season unbeaten. C-J was attempting to win its second straight championship and become the first Ohio girls school to win the second crown in a higher division. The Eagles were led by junior forward Aisha Jefferson’s 21 points.
          In the semifinals, Sylvania Northview battled back from a 13-point second-half deficit and gained a 45-44 lead with 3:57 to play before Mt. Notre Dame scored 10 of the game’s final 12 points to win 54-47. Thomas led the Cougars with 23 points and senior guard Nikki Smith had 20 to pace Northview. Barberton cut Chaminade-Julienne’s lead to six points early in the third quarter but the Eagles went on a 19-5 run the rest of the stanza en route to its 56-38 semifinal win. Jefferson led C-J with 20 points, while Barberton was paced by junior forward Shana Andrus’ 18.
          Division II: Third-ranked Beloit West Branch (26-1) took the lead late in the first quarter and never trailed again in winning its first state championship, 42-39 over Hamilton Badin. The Warriors, who never led by more than seven points, were paced by junior center Tori Arndt’s 18 points and 14 rebounds and senior guard Ashley Armstrong’s 12 points. Senior forward Jenni Horvath paced Badin with 15 points and 10 boards. Badin was looking for its second state championship and finished as runners-up for the second time.
          In the semifinals, West Branch overcame a sluggish start but outscored Thornville Sheridan 18-7 in the second quarter to carry it to a 57-44 win. Armstrong led the scoring with 18 points. Salem erased a 12-point second-half deficit and forced overtime before losing to Hamilton Badin, 54-50. Senior forward Lindsay Reigert led three scorers in double figures with 14 points.
          Division III: Seventh-ranked Youngstown Ursuline (26-2) outscored No. 3 Oak Hill 39-21 in the second half and went on to win its first state championship, 66-52. Sophomore forward Tyra Grant had 22 points and senior guard Courtney Davidson 21 points and eight assists for the Fighting Irish. Senior forward Whitney Hale had 22 points and junior forward Alyssa Hammond 18 for Oak Hill, which was also in its first state tournament.
          Ursuline outscored Plain City Jonathan Alder 11-2 in the final 2:55 of the first half to expand a one-point lead to 10 and went on to post a 59-43 semifinal win. Senior forward Rebecca Slattery had 17 points and Davidson 16 for the Fighting Irish. Freshman Lauren Prochaska led Alder with 21 points despite picking up her fourth foul before halftime. Oak Hill tied a state tournament record for points in a quarter when in jumped on Smithville 30-17 after the first stanza and went on to win 70-50. The Oaks made 8-of-9 three-point field goals in the period and their nine three-pointers set a state semifinal record for the division. Hammond led Oak Hill with 25 points.
          Division IV: Sixth-ranked Minster (25-2) held No. 4 Mansfield St. Peter’s to 19 points through three quarters and went on to win the state championship, 44-33. Senior center Robyn Hoying’s 16 points led Minster, which held a 34-25 rebounding advantage despite starting a smaller lineup. Senior post Paula Bartlett’s 12 points led St. Peter’s, which lost in the state semifinals the past two seasons and was looking for its second state championship. It was the second title for the Wildcats, who won their other crown in 1998, and Minster became the third different school from the Midwest Athletic Conference to win the Division IV title in three years (Delphos St. John’s won in 2002 and Maria Stein Marion Local last year).
          Senior guard Bridget Slonkosky scored all eight of Minster’s fourth-quarter points, including six straight free throws, to lead the Wildcats past Berlin Hiland in the semifinals, 48-43. Top-ranked and previously unbeaten Miller City went on a 15-0 third-quarter run to gain the lead but St. Peter’s regained its composure to take a 54-45 semifinal victory. Senior wing Diana Reindl led the Spartans with 19 points, while senior center Lynn Schroeder had 17 points and 15 rebounds for Miller City.
BOX SCORES AVAILABLE ON WEB SITE: State tournament box scores are posted on the OHSAA web site (www.ohsaa.org). Once you access the web site (www.ohsaa.org), go to “Sports & Tournaments” followed by “ Basketball-Girls.”

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