16-02-2025
Which Southwest Ohio girls basketball players stood out in first week of postseason play?
The Ohio High School Athletic Association girls basketball postseason is underway for Division III through VII.
While the early rounds of the sectional tournaments can produce lopsided scores, there are always a few adrenaline inducing results.
From the first week of tournament play, here are eight players who had a significant role in their team's win.
The sophomore had an all-around consistent game in a 58-38 win over Cincinnati Christian. She was one of four Silver Knights to score at least four points in the first half, and one of three players to pull down multiple rebounds in that same time frame. Her second-half defense helped SCD keep Cincinnati Christian at arm's length. She finished with eight points, eight rebounds, three steals and an assist.
Summit Country Day will play Mariemont at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19 at Mason.
She has increased her production ever since Miya Nance, the Hurricane's leading scorer, was sidelined with an injury. She was a key factor in Saturday's postseason win over Mount Healthy with eight points, two rebounds and a steal in the first half.
Wilmington has now won a postseason game in three straight seasons and will face Purcell Marian at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 19 at Princeton.
The sophomore can provide a bucket or two when the Mohawks need it, but it was her defense that helped her team pull away for a first round win over Carlisle. She had seven points, grabbed seven rebounds, had a season-high four assists and tied a season-high with four steals as the Mohawks expanded a 16-13 halftime lead to a 38-21 final score.
Middletown Madison will face top-seeded Alter at 6 p.m. on Feb. 18 at Troy.
She had just two double-figure scoring performances in the Spartans' first 10 games of the season. She has broken out in the second half, scoring 10 or more points nine times in the last 13 games. In a 54-44 win over Clinton-Massie, the senior had 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Roger Bacon will now play top-seeded Indian Hill in the second round of the DIV tournament. That game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 18 at Middletown.
A sign of a great player is someone who impacts the game without scoring. Kline did that in a 29-27 win over Goshen. While her only two points came at the free throw line, the senior had five rebounds and two assists in the second half, including the pass that set up Maria Garza's four-point play at the end of the third quarter. She finished with nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Ursuline will now play Ross at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19 at Princeton.
The Wolves received an all-around performance to beat from Gamble Montessori, 62-17, in the first round of the Division IV tournament. Kreimer was the catalyst in the first half, contributing nine points on 43 percent shooting, three rebounds and two steals. She finished the game with 15 points, six rebounds, five steals and two blocks.
Mercy McAuley will now face another Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference opponent, DePaul Cristo Rey, at 6 p.m. on Feb. 18 at Middletown.
The Rams beat Edgewood twice in the regular season. Both contests had margins of victory over 30 points. But the score of Saturday's game at Princeton was 27-12 in favor of Ross at halftime. Loudermilk split her stats evenly throughout the game with seven points and two assists in the first half and four rebounds, an assist and a steal in the second half to help the Rams pull away for a 53-21 win.
She posted her sixth double-double of the season (and third in the last four games) to help the Bruins to a 38-26 win over Shroder. Of her 21 rebounds, 11 were on the defensive end and 10 were on offense. Two of those offensive rebounds came with less than three minutes left, helping DPCR to hold off a rally from their Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference foes. Tubbs's final stat line was 11 points, 21 rebounds, five blocks, one steal and one assist.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Southwest Ohio GBB players give key contributions in postseason wins
