The 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association girls basketball district finals are officially in the books.
Across Southwest Ohio, Cincinnati girls basketball teams battled it out in the district finals on Feb. 28. From Loveland winning its first title in school history in the morning to Princeton securing its sixth straight district championship at night, it was a full day of high school hoops drama.
The Enquirer was at all four Division I district final games in Cincinnati while monitoring every game across Southwest Ohio. Here’s what you missed from the Feb. 28 girls basketball district finals.
Loveland, Seton, Milford snap title droughts
While a district title is always worth celebrating, for three Cincinnati schools the 2026 district championship held special significance. For Loveland, Seton and Milford, the win ended decades of heartbreak.
Loveland secured its first-ever district championship in the first game of the day, beating Stebbins 45-38. The Tigers took down the No. 1 seed in the north with tremendous defense, continuing what is now a four-game winning streak. In just the second season under coach Jon Unruh, Loveland is reaching new heights. The Tigers will have another huge test ahead of them in undefeated Mount Notre Dame in the regional semifinal.
Seton crushed Miamisburg, 60-29, for its first district championship since 1988. The 38-year drought came to a close, thanks to senior leaders Aubri Korfhagen and Lauren Bain, who dropped 16 points and 11 points, respectively. In 1988, Seton marched all the way to the state semifinal match. If this year’s squad wants to match Saints of the past, they’ll first need to get through Winton Woods in the regional semifinals.
Milford also snapped a drought over three decades long with its 42-31 win over Beavercreek. A defensive showdown and coaching chess match went the Eagles way as they pulled away in the second half. The Eagles hadn’t won a district title since 1992, a fact of which coach Matt Tolliver and his players were well aware heading into the matchup. For Milford to continue its historic season, they’ll next have to face the Princeton Lady Vikings in the regional semifinals.
Princeton outpaces Walnut Hills for sixth straight district title, 57-38
It’s been more than half a decade since the Lady Vikings didn’t reach the regional tournament. With a 57-38 win over Walnut Hills, Princeton will continue that streak for another year.
The clash between the Vikings and Eagles was a physical, hard-fought affair from the very beginning. Princeton took control early with a 7-0 run, but then Walnut Hills stormed back with a 6-0 run of their own. But the Vikings came out on top at the end of the first, closing on a 9-1 scoring run to take a critical 16-7 lead.
Princeton sophomore Erin Thomas dropped 15 points in the first half, fighting to the rim and finding open space to lead all scorers. Her explosive first-half scoring helped Princeton slowly but surely press their advantage, taking a 33-22 lead into the locker room.
The Vikings continued to snowball into an unstoppable force in the second half. On seemingly every offensive possession, Princeton found ways to drive or feed the ball inside and finish through contact. Even with Thomas more subdued in the second half, finishing with 19 total points, other Vikings like Kiara Harris (12 points) and Kamryn Lowe (9 points) stepped up. By the end of the third, the Vikings led by 20 points and that was too big a margin for Walnut Hills to overcome.
Walnut Hills senior Jasia Ross paced the Eagles’ offense, scoring 13 points. The Eagles finish the season with an 18-6 record as district runners-up. Walnut Hills will graduate five seniors at the end of the year: Sanei Partridge, Juliana Nouv, Jasia Ross, Onyx O’Neil, and Zamari Baker.
Princeton improves to 20-4 overall and advances to the regional semifinal to take on another flock of Eagles in Milford.
Milford wins first district title in 32 years over Beavercreek, 42-31
With just two minutes to go until halftime, Milford’s offense was bogged down by the Beavers. They had managed just 6 points, down 12-6.
Then the Eagles unlocked the Beavercreek zone. Milford went on a 10-2 run over two minutes but still trailed 17-16, thanks to a Beavercreek half-court heave finding the bottom of the net.
Thought still down 1 point, positive momentum revealed that the Beaver defense was not impenetrable. With the die firmly cast that this would be a defensive battle of attrition every possession became a chess match between opposing coaches to find the best matchups.
Milford’s Matt Toliver came away on top of the coaching battle. As Tolliver called out rapid-fire adjustments to the offensive scheme as the Beavers changed looks, the Eagles found the open looks they were waiting for.
Junior Ava Pappas splashed home two 3-pointers back-to-back, then sophomore Maddie Rockey nailed a triple as time expired on the third quarter. The Eagles had transformed a 1-point deficit into a seven-point lead.
Down starting guard Gabby Chadwell, who suffered an injury in the regular-season finale, the Eagles still found the offense they needed to break out of the defensive quagmire. Rockey led the team with 13 points while junior center Kylie Perone scored 12 points with clean post play.
Milford improves to 22-2 on the season with the district final win. The Eagles are headed to the regional semifinals to take on the winner of Princeton and Walnut Hills.
Lakota West takes down West Clermont, 53-40
When shots are falling, everything gets easier.
The Firebirds were hot right from the get-go, hitting 6 of 13 3-pointers in the first half. Senior Caroline Bayliff was responsible for three of those long-range buckets, scoring a quick 11 points to put Lakota West up 12 at the half.
That early lead let the Firebirds impose their will in the second half.
Lakota West’s defense had hounded West Clermont in the first half but it really clamped down in the second half. The Wolves were held to just 5 points in third quarter as Lakota West began holding the ball for long offensive possessions.
The Wolves’ comeback bid fell short in the fourth quarter, not helped by Layla Hale picking up a controversial fifth foul with over three minutes still to go. Lakota West slowed down the game and made all the right plays down the stretch to hold off West Clermont.
In the end, West Clermont would finish with its second-lowest point total of the season. Bella Swisshelm led the Wolves with 8 points, attempting five shots. West Clermont’s season ends at 21-3 after winning the Eastern Cincinnati Conference title. The Wolves graduate six seniors: Kam Lowe, Merin Oliver, Layla Hale, Maddi Fender, Meagyn Riffle and Ashley Hosler.
Lakota West improves to 19-5 with its district title win and is headed to the regional tournament to face Springboro. Caroline Bayliff finished as the Firebirds’ leading scorer with 16 points. Sophomore Isabella Saunders and senior Sydney Williams each finished with 10.
Springboro fends off Sycamore, 61-54
Everyone has a plan until you start out down 7-0.
The Aviators came out swinging in the first quarter, jumping out to an early three-possession lead. It’s hard to ask for a much better start as seventh-seeded Sycamore hoped to pull of the upset of second-seeded Springboro.
Fortunately for the Panthers, they had an ace in the hole: senior McKenzie Jones. Jones took over early, scoring 11 of the the team’s first 14 points to tie the game by the end of the first quarter.
Jones poured on the points with 16 in the first half and Baylee Cumbow hit a 3-pointer at the end of the half to give the Panthers a 4-point halftime lead.
Sycamore wasn’t done, not by a long shot. The Aviators battled back behind senior Brooke Burgess’s 14 points, and Emma Christerson dropped back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 40. Christerson would finish with 14 points as well.
The Panthers never looked rattled even as Sycamore fans rose to their feet. Leah Wilhite dropped two deep 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including the dagger with 1:20 left to go up 57-50. From there, the Panthers held on to win 61-54.
It was a hard-fought game and Sycamore battled tooth and nail through adversity as Burgess dealt with foul trouble. The Aviators finish the year at 14-10 with the loss in the district finals. They will graduate four seniors from this season’s roster: Adeline Murphy, Claire Piehler, Braele Valentine, and Brooke Burgess.
For Springboro, the win marks four consecutive district titles for the senior class. Jones finished with a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Cumbow had a season-high 13 points. The Panthers move on to the regional tournament and will play the winner of Lakota West and West Clermont.
OHSAA girls basketball Southwest district final results
OHSAA Division I
Springboro 61, Sycamore 54
Lakota West 53, West Clermont 40
Fairmont 61, Mason 32
Milford 42, Beavercreek 31
OHSAA Division II
Loveland 45, Stebbins 38
Winton Woods 58, Little Miami 36
Seton 60, Miamisburg 29
Mount Notre Dame 56, Kings 22
OHSAA Division III
Carroll 55, Goshen 30
Bellbrook 56, Monroe 11
Chaminade Julienne 45, Badin 41
Tippecanoe 52, Western Brown 35
OHSAA Division IV
Alter 40, Indian Hill 29
Brookville 40, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy 29
Purcell Marian 51, Oakwood 39
McNicholas 49, Tipp City Bethel, 42
OHSAA Division V
Waynesville 53, Williamsburg 37
Anna 43, Mariemont 22
Versailles 41, Madeira 29
OHSAA Division V
Fayetteville-Perry 49, Tri-Village 31
OHSAA Division VII
Russia 61, Miami Valley Christian Academy 28
Mississinawa Valley 63, Middletown Christian 39
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincy girls hoopsters snap district title droughts, head to regionals
Reporting by Chase Souder, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
