D3 State Tourney Preview

Wheelersburg (25-2)   Key Players   2023 Madison Whittaker, 5-5 G- Madison is their leading scorer at 115 points per game, and is one of five seniors who start for the Pirates. She was named as a second-team All-Southeast District player.   2023 Makenna Walker, 5-6 G- Averaging 11.3 points and a team leading 2.2 assists per game. She was also honored as a first-team all-Southeast District selection.   2023 Lexie Rucker, 5-9 F- A third player in double figures for Wheelersburg adds to their attack.   Road to Dayton   def. South Point 50-37   def. Chesapeake 48-26   def. Nelsonville-York 51-31   def. Belmont Union Local 49-47   def. Portsmouth West 50-41   Storylines   This is the first ever trip to the state final four in school history, and it is now a hat trick for this group of seniors. Thet have now made it to the Final Four in basketball, volleyball and softball which included a 2022 state title in softball.   They have won the district title four of the last five years and are conference champs during the same time period.     Columbus Africentric (22-4)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/09/Ariel_Grace_3-scaled.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-205824" /></figure>   Key Players   2024 [player_tooltip player_id='360842' first='Natiah' last='Nelson'], 5-10 W- can play either inside or outside equally strong and has taken over the leadership role in the absence of Kam Grant. Natiah has good footwork and is a strong player who is always active around the ball.   2023 [player_tooltip player_id='402619' first='Ariel' last='Grace'], 5-5 G- A solid player who plays with good maturity and experience. Ariel is a solid on-ball defender and has good quickness with the ball. (pictured above)   2026 [player_tooltip player_id='537542' first='Jeniya' last='Bowers'], 5-8 G- love her explosiveness and work ethic. She doesn't give up on a play, and has worked on her game throughout her freshman year. A bigtime prospect with a high ceiling.   Road to Dayton   def. Columbus Horizon Science Academy 83-7   def. London Madison Plains 65-13   def. Baltimore Liberty Union 48-38   def. Milford Center Fairbanks 48-26   def. Cincinnati Country Day 49-40   def. Versailles 44-35   Storylines   Africentric has played without their top player Kam Grant nearly all season after she injured her ACL early in the season. Other players have stepped up in her absence to allow them to advance to this point.   They are making their 12th appearance in the final four with seven state titles in their rich history.     Castalia Margaretta (22-6)   Key Players   2024 Eden Palomo, 5-5 G- she has been their most consistent player all season long, and was named to First-team all-district. Averaging 11.7 points per game, she looks to continue her strong season in the final four.   2023 [player_tooltip player_id='214498' first='Jaelle' last='Keller'], 5-5 G- another all-district player who was honored for her success this season. Averaging 8.4 points per game with 2.8 assists per game.   2023 [player_tooltip player_id='157706' first='Kylie' last='Leibacher'], 5-11 F- Kylie missed most of the season with a broken fibula, sitting out 17 games. But she is back and picking up where she left off. She is averaging 13.6 per hame.   Road to Dayton   def. Galion 72-17   def. Ashland Crestview 62-23   def. Bucyrus Wynford 37-25   def. Upper Sandusky 38-24   def. Canal Winchester Harvest Prep 53-52   def. Ottawa Glandorf 36-30   Storylines   [player_tooltip player_id='157706' first='Kylie' last='Leibacher'] is back and she scored her 1,000th career point as a junior. Eden Palomo also set a new school record for three's in a game.   They have won five straight league titles and have four regional appearances in the past five years.     Doylestown Chippewa (24-4)   Key Players   2023 Bel Rodriguez, 5-9 G- leading the way for the Chipps is Rodriguez who is averaging 12.7 points per game. She is a fantastic guard who missed some games with injury this season bur returned to lead them to the final four. Good rebounder and a playmaker.   2023 Abby Henager, 5-8 G-another double figure scorer at 10.4 points per game, she is another senior who looks to be a strong leader on the biggest stage of her life.   Road to Dayton   def. Akron Manchester 65-31   def. Garfield Heights Trinity 78-40   def. LaGrange Keystone 49-42   def. Apple Creek Waynedale 53-43   def. Warrensville Heights 69-60   def. Shaker Heights Laurel 54-50   Storylines   This is the fourth trip to the state final four for the Chipps under coach Dennis Schrock, who first led them to the state finals in 1994 under standout Charbea Haller.

Wheelersburg (25-2)