OHSAA Girls Basketball State Semifinal Pairings

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OHSAA Girls Basketball State Semifinal Pairings
Sites around Ohio will host state semifinals March 7-9, with winners advancing to Dayton March 14-15

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association has announced the pairings and host sites for this week’s girls basketball state semifinals. The winners will advance to the state championship games March 14-15 hosted at the University of Dayton Arena.

Girls basketball tournament information and statewide brackets are available at: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports-Tourna...024-25/2025-Girls-Basketball-State-Tournament

2025 OHSAA Girls Basketball State Semifinal Pairings
Home team listed first.

Division I
Rocky River Magnificat (20-5) vs. Pickerington Central (23-3), Sunday, March 9, at Mansfield Senior High School, 1 p.m.
Springboro (22-4) vs. Cincinnati Princeton (20-6), Sunday, March 9, at Fairfield High School, 5 p.m.
State Championship: Saturday, March 15, at University of Dayton Arena, 8:30 p.m.

Division II
Olmsted Falls (21-5) vs. Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (23-2), Sunday, March 9, at Mansfield Senior High School, 4 p.m.
Sunbury Big Walnut (24-3) vs. Cincinnati Winton Woods (26-0), Sunday, March 9, at Vandalia Butler High School, 3 p.m.
State Championship: Friday, March 14, at University of Dayton Arena, 7:30 p.m.

Division III
Lyndhurst Brush (24-2) vs. Avon Lake (22-5), Sunday, March 9, at Canton Field House, 3 p.m.
Toledo Notre Dame Academy (21-6) vs. Cincinnati Purcell Marian (21-6), Sunday, March 9, at St. Marys Memorial High School, 3 p.m.
State Championship: Friday, March 14, at University of Dayton Arena, 1 p.m.

Division IV
Shaker Heights Laurel (14-13) vs. Bellevue (26-1), Saturday, March 8, at Elyria Catholic High School, 3 p.m.
Lancaster Fairfield Union (27-0) vs. Kettering Archbishop Alter (18-8), Saturday, March 8, at Ohio Dominican University, 1 p.m.
State Championship: Friday, March 14, at University of Dayton Arena, 4:15 p.m.

Division V
Creston Norwayne (24-3) vs. Columbus Africentric Early College (21-7), Saturday, March 8, at Mansfield Senior High School, 2 p.m.
Portsmouth (25-1) vs. Proctorville Fairland (21-5), Saturday, March 8, at Logan High School, 4 p.m.
State Championship: Saturday, March 15, at University of Dayton Arena, 10:45 a.m.

Division VI
Rootstown (27-1) vs. Beverly Fort Frye (21-4), Friday, March 7, at Claymont High School, 7 p.m.
Columbus Grove (25-2) vs. Minster (22-5), Friday, March 7, at Elida High School, 6 p.m.
State Championship: Saturday, March 15, at University of Dayton Arena, 2 p.m.

Division VII
Mogadore (23-4) vs. Waterford (25-1), Friday, March 7, at Dover High School, 7 p.m.
Ottoville (25-2) vs. Fort Loramie (24-3), Friday, March 7, at Elida High School, 8:30 p.m.
State Championship: Saturday, March 15, at University of Dayton Arena, 5:15 p.m.
 
 
OHSAA should NOT have made changes to # of Basketball Divisions so fast
Should have waited until UD contract with Final 4 was up
With increase to 7 Divisions the Final 4s could then be in 2 locations
(1 thru 3 or 4) and (3 or 4 thru 7)

The removal of an ACTUAL Final 4 by immediately switching to 7 Divisions may be the most short sighted knee jerk reaction the OHSAA has ever done and they’ve made a few. Even in VB they made some teams play SF games away from Nutter Center. STUPID!

First thing in this case would be realizing Basketball and Football seasons/playoffs/scheduling are intrinsically and historically very very different.
OHSAA, teams at EVERY level play more than 1 basketball game a week!!!!!!!! It’s not football.

Semi Final Day in NCAA Basketball is one of the most vibrant, exciting, exhilarating, special and memorable days in kids lives and an important day on the annual Sports Calendar. The same can be said about Basketball State Semi Finals in every state.

If location is so important, and logistics are hard have the games in 2 locations in the same cities on the same weekend or use 2 different cities
Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus, Dayton/Fairborn, Cincinnati all have 2 capable arenas

EMBARASSING for OSHAA to take the opportunity for a FINAL 4 game in a big time college arena from the kids.

SO SO DUMB!!
 
OHSAA should NOT have made changes to # of Basketball Divisions so fast
Should have waited until UD contract with Final 4 was up
With increase to 7 Divisions the Final 4s could then be in 2 locations
(1 thru 3 or 4) and (3 or 4 thru 7)

The removal of an ACTUAL Final 4 by immediately switching to 7 Divisions may be the most short sighted knee jerk reaction the OHSAA has ever done and they’ve made a few. Even in VB they made some teams play SF games away from Nutter Center. STUPID!

First thing in this case would be realizing Basketball and Football seasons/playoffs/scheduling are intrinsically and historically very very different.
OHSAA, teams at EVERY level play more than 1 basketball game a week!!!!!!!! It’s not football.

Semi Final Day in NCAA Basketball is one of the most vibrant, exciting, exhilarating, special and memorable days in kids lives and an important day on the annual Sports Calendar. The same can be said about Basketball State Semi Finals in every state.

If location is so important, and logistics are hard have the games in 2 locations in the same cities on the same weekend or use 2 different cities
Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus, Dayton/Fairborn, Cincinnati all have 2 capable arenas

EMBARASSING for OSHAA to take the opportunity for a FINAL 4 game in a big time college arena from the kids.

SO SO DUMB!!
All of these points were made to OHSAA. They do not care.

The coaches all said how special it was for the 16 teams that made the final four. What a special weekend that was for all of those teams.

OHSAA countered that now 14 teams get to play in a state championship game. When one of the districts brought up that was 2 less teams were getting the experience, they got pissed and basically told them to shut up.

What special experience do you think OHSAA will have for the kids at Vandalia High School, or Dover High School? My guess is nothing.

And Doug Ute told the coaches ALL semi finals would be played at small colleges. ONE game at Ohio Dominican. All others are at high schools.

This is pathetic. I already rarely went, even as a SW Ohio guy who loves UD Arena. Not sure how many more games I will attend. A few if I know someone playing or coaching.

And $15 for a single game. That used to get you in to both semis for a division.

Enjoy your money OHSAA.
 
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Look how special this is for a D6 state semifinal Friday night.
 
If they had to expand, 6 divisions would have made so much more sense. They could have had the semifinals Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and championships on Saturday and Sunday.
Of course that schedule would have precluded the boys championships from being held at UD Arena because of the First Four, but the overall atmosphere would have been retained.
 
All of these points were made to OHSAA. They do not care.

The coaches all said how special it was for the 16 teams that made the final four. What a special weekend that was for all of those teams.

OHSAA countered that now 14 teams get to play in a state championship game. When one of the districts brought up that was 2 less teams were getting the experience, they got pissed and basically told them to shut up.

What special experience do you think OHSAA will have for the kids at Vandalia High School, or Dover High School? My guess is nothing.

And Doug Ute told the coaches ALL semi finals would be played at small colleges. ONE game at Ohio Dominican. All others are at high schools.

This is pathetic. I already rarely went, even as a SW Ohio guy who loves UD Arena. Not sure how many more games I will attend. A few if I know someone playing or coaching.

And $15 for a single game. That used to get you in to both semis for a division.

Enjoy your money OHSAA.
As long as that investment account at the OHSAA keeps going up. They don't give a crap about the athletes.
 
Not only that, but even the lower levels have been cheapened. Some teams had buys until the district final. It literally took NOTHING to even make a district title game. OHSAA also increased their expenses at the same time as they now have more trophies and individual awards to give out w/more districts AND they've started giving individual awards to the regional finalists as well, which also increases their expenses. I know one of the OHSAA board members and told her last year when the announcement was made that I thought it was a terrible idea. She countered that they'd be giving more teams a chance to compete for titles. Seem to be on a "everyone gets a trophy" trip.

I'd actually prefer for basketball to go back to the AAA, AA & A that it was before what, 1988 or so?
 
Not only that, but even the lower levels have been cheapened. Some teams had buys until the district final. It literally took NOTHING to even make a district title game. OHSAA also increased their expenses at the same time as they now have more trophies and individual awards to give out w/more districts AND they've started giving individual awards to the regional finalists as well, which also increases their expenses. I know one of the OHSAA board members and told her last year when the announcement was made that I thought it was a terrible idea. She countered that they'd be giving more teams a chance to compete for titles. Seem to be on a "everyone gets a trophy" trip.

I'd actually prefer for basketball to go back to the AAA, AA & A that it was before what, 1988 or so?
Expanding divisions was the wrong move.
 
So if you believe this was the wrong move would you propose reducing football to four classes. Given that there are more teams playing boy’s and girl’s basketball maybe they should have eight classes in bb. It is not about where you play the games but it is about the opportunity to compete for a state title.
 
So if you believe this was the wrong move would you propose reducing football to four classes. Given that there are more teams playing boy’s and girl’s basketball maybe they should have eight classes in bb. It is not about where you play the games but it is about the opportunity to compete for a state title.
Comparing football to basketball is not a good comparison. That’s a straw man argument. And the allure of the final four IS final four weekend. Played all at one site. Not playing a semi final at Mansfield Senior high school. So we will definitely agree to disagree.
 
OHSAA should NOT have made changes to # of Basketball Divisions so fast


EMBARASSING for OSHAA to take the opportunity for a FINAL 4 game in a big time college arena from the kids.

SO SO DUMB!!
Your "solution" is to deny six teams the opportunity to play for a state championship every year until a new contract with UD.

SO SO EXTREMELY DUMB!!!

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
 
Although I agree with all parties that the girls state semifinal games were "cheapened" by not being held at colleges or a weekend experience, we tried to give the girls the state tournament feel at Mansfield Sr. The crowds were electric, especially the Olmsted Falls/Anthony Wayne game. Pete Henry Gym, which seats more than 2,400 was not a sell out for any of the 3 games we held there. Best of luck to Norwayne, Pickerington Central, and Anthony Wayne in your Finals.
 
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