The 34th Annual State Girls Basketball Tournaments Preview: Division III

OHSAA staff reports, March 16, 2009 2:49 p.m.

Action tips-off at 1 p.m. Thursday at Value City Arena in the Jerome Schottenstein Center with the Division IV and Division III semifinals, followed at 1 p.m. Friday with the Division II and Division I semis. Championship games start with Division IV playing at 10:45 a.m. Saturday.

In Division III, three of the state’s top-five teams will compete for the title, as will the defending state champs. South Euclid Regina takes on Findlay Liberty-Benton in the first semifinal. Junior point guard Tay’ler Mingo had 21 points, six assists and five steals, and Regina (25-0) went on a 20-0 run to defeat unbeaten Smithville 62-41 in the regional finals. Regina, the second-ranked team in the state, has won its six tournament games by an average of 40 points. The Royals are the only school in the state to win four straight tournaments (2000-03) and they also won in 2005.

For Liberty-Benton (23-1), Amanda Hyde scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and the Eagles drilled seven three-pointers to roll to a 55-35 win over Castalia Margaretta in their regional finals. Liberty-Benton, the state’s fourth-ranked team, has never made it to the state semifinals. Four of the team’s five starters average over nine points per game for the Eagles, led by Hyde (21.4).

Oak Hill and Versailles face off in the other semifinal. The state’s fifth-ranked team, Oak Hill (24-1) fell behind South Point 11-0 in the opening minutes and trailed by nine into the second quarter before recovering in the second half for a 50-45 regional final win. The state runner-up in 2004, the Oaks’ average margin of victory was nearly 28 points per game this season, and they do not have a single senior in their starting five.

Unranked one year removed from their first state championship, the Versailles Tigers (18-8) rolled off runs of 15-3 and 15-4 to seize control over Middletown Madison Senior in their regional final contest, coming away with a 43-31 victory. The Tigers are making their third straight trip and fifth overall to the state tournament, with senior Emily Frey leading the team in scoring (11.6 points per game).