Division I Girls Basketball Tournament Preview

By Mike Parris

February 18, 2008, 3:54PM

The final AP poll in the state has been released and Dublin Coffman is your regular season poll champions. But will the Shamrocks parlay their momentum into a district championship?

District semifinals and finals across the state will be played over the next few days with teams vying to continue their seasons and reach regional action.

We take a look at some of the most competitive districts in Division I across the state where the competition should be fierce and action-packed.

Parma

Valley Forge High School should be rocking as the host of the Parma District. All of the top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals to be played Thursday. Solon (18-3), ranked tenth in the final AP poll, is the top seed in the district and advanced to the semifinals with a 59-40 win over Normandy. They will take on Strongsville (13-8), 15-point winners over Magnificat in quarterfinal play. Solon must be able to contain Strongsville standout Brittany Reddy, who is back from injury.

The other side of the bracket has Olmsted Falls (16-5) taking on North Royalton (13-8). Each were big winners in their respective quarterfinal affairs. The Bulldogs rolled to a 61-37 win over St. Joseph Academy while North Royalton slaughtered John Marshall 75-22. The marquee player in this matchup will be North Royalton junior Jessie Tamerlano, who eclipsed the 1,000 point plateau for her career earlier this month.

The winner will advance to the Norwalk Region semifinal as one of the top 16 teams in Division I.

Alliance

North Canton Hoover is the cream of the crop in this district, but will have their work cut out for them the rest of the way. The fifth-ranked team in the state has dismantled its competition thus far in postseason play, winning both games by 50+ points. They now face a tough Canton GlenOak team that rolled to a 37-point victory over Youngstown Boardman in quarterfinal action.

The bottom of the bracket will feature two teams who have gotten it done defensively. Canton McKinley has won both of their games, holding their opponents to 44 and 36 points, respectively. They now take on Massillon Perry, who won a 48-47 double overtime thriller over Uniontown Lake to advance.

Harrison 5

The district final matchup has already been set and it should be a dandy. Both Chaminade-Julienne and Lakota West are among the best teams in the state yet only one will advance to regional play. Chaminade-Julienne, ranked sixth in the final AP poll, has won three straight district games and will now tangle with Lakota West, ranked third in the state poll.

Lakota West (22-1) has won each of their playoff contests by 20 or more points, including a 49-point opening round win.

Firebirds' senior Amber Gray has been dominant in the postseason. She followed up a 26-point effort in first round action with 18 points, nine boards, six blocks, five assists and three steals in a 83-33 quarterfinal win over Hamilton. The Tennessee recruit was recently selected to participate in the WCBA High School All-American Game.

The two teams will battle Saturday night at 7:00pm.

Lewis Center 3

The top-ranked team in the state, Dublin Coffman, has been simply dominant this season. The Shamrocks (22-0) are also ranked in ESPN's national top 25 poll.

So far so good for Dublin Coffman, as they have easily won their first two district matchups. They followed a 28-point victory over Teays Valley with a stunning 88-14 point drubbing of Walnut Ridge in the quarterfinals. The Shamrocks have been led by post Kaitlyn Nelson, who has been filling up the stat sheets recently, especially on the glass.

Standing in their way will be Westerville Central, 56-49 winners over Hilliard Darby. On the other side of the bracket, Hilliard Davidson and Gahanna Lincoln will battle to advance the district final Saturday night.