D1 State Tourney Preview
In this article:
Pickerington Central (24-4) Key Players 2023 Madison Greene Madison Greene 5'6" | PG Pickerington Central | 2023 State OH , 5-7 PG – incredible athlete, runs offense. Moves well and can score from anywhere. 2023 Olivia Cooper Olivia Cooper 6'1"…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingPickerington Central (24-4)
Key Players
2023 Madison Greene Madison Greene 5'6" | PG Pickerington Central | 2023 State OH , 5-7 PG – incredible athlete, runs offense. Moves well and can score from anywhere.
2023 Olivia Cooper Olivia Cooper 6'1" | C Pickerington Central | 2023 State OH , 6-1 SF – strong post with good moves in the paint, handles the boards well.
2024 Berry Wallace Berry Wallace 6'1" | SF Pickerington Central | 2024 State OH , 6-1 W – one of top 3 juniors in Ohio, inside/out. Great court sense, good passer and defender.
2024 Jaden Tucker Jaden Tucker 5'6" | PG Pickerington Central | 2024 OH , 5-4 PG – runs the floor well, distributes and can score from the perimeter.
2025 Rylee Bess Rylee Bess 5'6" | PG Pickerington | 2025 State OH , 5-5 PG – recovered from injury earlier in the career. Incredible guard with crazy handles.
2026 Blossom Wallace, 6-1 W – very fundamental freshman, making an impact with this talented team.
Road to Dayton
def Columbus Franklin Heights 83-14
def. Lewis Center Olentangy 68-46
def. Dresden Tri Valley 63-30
def. Dublin Coffman 60-52
def. Marysville 54-39
Storylines
They last won the state title in 2018, it was their seventh state championship in school history.
Pickerington Central has several D1 recruits and a group of younger players like Bess and Blossom Wallace who have all made noise on the D1 recruiting trail.
Princeton (26-2)
Key Players
2023 Sole Williams Sole Williams 5'7" | CG Cincinnati Princeton | 2023 State OH , 5-8 G- top 2023 in Ohio, Sole is headed to Texas A&M.
2023 La’Sonja Hill La’Sonja Hill 5'7" | SG Cincinnati Princeton | 2023 State OH , 5-6 PG- Very active, great hands. Controls tempo and can score inside/out. Excellent senior leader.
2023 Dede Carter-Hartley, 6-1 P- Strong physical kid in the paint, good hands and a big rebounder. Runs the court and is effective.
Road to Dayton
def. Ursuline Academy 59-20
def. Western Hills 76-18
def. Walnut Hills 61-30
def. Mount Notre Dame 58-48
def. Mason 59-55
def. Kings 65-53
Storylines
With many people feeling that Sole Williams Sole Williams 5'7" | CG Cincinnati Princeton | 2023 State OH was snubbed for a Ms. Basketball nomination, she should have extra motivation to finish the job. She is as smooth as they get, can take over a game at anytime. Her athleticism is next-level and can take over a game at anytime.
Princeton is trying to stay perfect on their state championship resume. They won in 1987, won in 2014 now they want to remain perfect on their trips to the final four. Their coach Dee Davis is a former professional basketball player and she is ready to finish the job this weekend.
Grafton Midview (23-4)
Key Players
2023 Mary Meng Mary Meng 6'4" | C Midview | 2023 State OH , 6-5 P- 16.4 points, 17 rebounds per game. Dominates the paint, grabs everything in site, great on the boards.
2024 Olivia DiFranco Olivia DiFranco 5'11" | SF Grafton Midview | 2024 State OH , 6-0 G- averaged 18.3 points and is a great leader. Able to contribute in a variety of ways.
2026 Leah Difranco Leah Difranco 5'4" | PG Midview | 2026 State OH , 5-6 G- rising freshman with a lot of promise with her game. Contributed 4.6 points.
Road to Dayton
def. Amherst Steele 52-34
def. Cleveland St. Joseph Academy 53-34
def. Brunswick 58-24
def. Akron Hoban 70-45
def. Solon 62-59
Storylines
They are the smallest school in the state in Division One, now they are in the final four! They set school record in wins (22), points scored (1,351) and field goals made (533).
Speaking of records, Olivia DeFranco has set the single season scoring record with 477 and other records. She also scored her 1,000th career point.
Mary Meng Mary Meng 6'4" | C Midview | 2023 State OH has grabbed 441 rebounds this season, a new school record. She also had a game with 28 rebounds, a new record.
Olmsted Falls (23-3)
2023 Mia Kalich, 5-11 W – another first-team all-District player, Mia is a great leader and can play well downhill. Handles and good leadership.
2024 Danielle Cameron, 5-9 G – rising junior who had a great season, excited to see her play at the state tournament.
2023 Paige Kohler Paige Kohler 5'8" | PG Olmsted Falls | 2023 State OH , 5-8 G- she is the D1 Player of the Year in the district and a Buffalo signee. Paige is a complete guard who can play fast and score.
Road to Dayton
def. Cleveland John Marshall 78-16
def. Westlake 72-38
def. Avon Lake 55-38
def. Fremont Ross 48-37
def. Holland Springfield 63-21
Storylines
Their first-ever trip to the final four in school history.
Division 1 Schedule
Friday
6:00pm- Cincinnati Princeton v Midview
8:00pm- Pickerington Central v Olmsted Falls
FINALS on Saturday, 8:30pm