Ohio high school girls basketball’s biggest weekend of the season is just days away.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association girls basketball state tournament begins Thursday, March 12 in the Dayton area at three sites — the University of Dayton’s UD Arena, Wright State’s Nutter Center and Vandalia Butler High School. All three arenas will be used for the state semifinals before all seven state championship games will be played at UD Arena.
Here’s a look at the matchup featuring St. Vincent-St. Mary, as well what else to know about the Division III final four.
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Chillicothe Unioto vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary | What to know
STVM’s OHSAA tournament history
This is St. Vincent-St. Mary’s seventh trip to state. The Irish have won three state titles: 1979, 1980 and 1995. They beat Unioto in a state semifinal in 1995. St. Vincent-St. Mary’s last appearance at the state tournament came in 2019.
Unioto’s OHSAA tournament history
This is Unioto’s second trip to state. The Sherman’s only other state appearance came in 1995 and ended with a loss to STVM.
St. Vincent-St. Mary’s 2026 OHSAA tournament scores
St. Vincent-St. Mary advanced to state by defeating Maple Heights 77-9 in sectionals, Revere 68-29 and Padua 64-53 in districts, and Highland 47-39 and Toledo Notre Dame Academy 46-36 in regionals
Unioto’s 2026 OHSAA tournament scores
Margaretta advanced to state by defeating Marietta 55-34 in sectionals, Thornville Sheridan 68-46 and Steubenville 55-51 in districts, and Toledo Central Catholic 56-42 and Columbus Hartley 66-44 in regionals
STVM’s starting five and key subs
Unioto’s starting five
Breaking down STVM vs. Unioto
St. Vincent-St. Mary is led by 1,000-point scorer Melania Cornute. Cornute averages 22.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.4 steals. She has college offers from Youngstown State and Ashland. … STVM sophomore Sydney Ferguson is one of the top prospects in the tournament. The 6-foot-4 Ferguson averages 15.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game and has offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Pitt among others. … Tatum Smith is another reliable 5-foot-10 scorer for the Irish. Smith averages 8.9 points and 2.9 assists per game and has signed with Lake Erie College. … This will be STVM’s second state tournament appearance under head coach Carley Whitney, who piloted the 2019 team to the Division II state semifinals. She was an assistant coach with the 2014 Division II state semifinal team.
… Unioto is led by Southeast District Player of the Year Milee Smith. The 5-foot-10 senior averages over 24 points per game and will play college basketball for the University of Dayton. … Shermans sophomore Keyairah Beard is ranked as a top-20 prospect in the 2028 class by Prep Girls Hoops. The 5-6 Beard is averaging 15 points per game. … Senior Magnolia Holbert is an elite perimeter defender. She will likely guard Cornute. Holbert averages 5.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
A look at the other Division III state semifinal | Copley vs. Chaminade Julienne
Copley and Dayton Chaminade Julienne meet in the other Division I state semifinal at the Nutter Center, with tip scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, March 12. Copley enters the game 21-5, while Chaminade Julienne is 22-4. … Copley is making its third appearance at the state tournament and is led by senior Evelyn McKnight (24 ppg, 6 rpg, 6 spg). McKnight will play college basketball for Youngstown State. … Chaminade Julienne has two freshmen with Division I offers in Ja’Kyiah Cook and Mychael Hanson. Cook is listed as the No. 3 prospect by Prep Girls Hoops in Ohio’s 2029 class and has an offer from Ohio State. Hanson is ranked in the top 15 in Ohio’s 2029 class by Prep Girls Hoops.
When is the OHSAA Division I state championship game?
The semifinal winners meet in the title game at 3:45 p.m. Friday, March 13 at UD Arena.
The Akron Beacon Journal sports department can be contacted via email at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: OHSAA girls basketball state preview, St. Vincent-St. Mary vs. Unioto
Reporting by Cliff Hickman and Michael Beaven, Canton Repository / Akron Beacon Journal
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