(1-20-25) The OHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament Draw is less than two weeks away. It is truly amazing how quickly these seasons can go. This is especially true if you are an NBA or NHL fan where the offseason feels like it’s gone in the blink of an eye. Many of these divisions see an uncharacteristic level of parity at the top. Who will be playing at UD Arena, with a handful of exceptions, is truly up in the air.

The fact that Mount Notre Dame hasn’t won a state title since 2021 is truly mind-bending. However, with weekend wins over Magnificat and Fairland, two teams who are featured in this column, the Cougars lead a crowded Division I pack with Pickerington Central, Springboro, Kettering Fairmont, and Mason all with strong resumes.

Anthony Wayne holds the top spot in Division II and in the state of Ohio. Having mowed through their competition in northwest Ohio, the Generals put a strong stamp on that top spot with a 61-47 win over Mason on Sunday. In doing so, Anthony Wayne handed the Comets their first loss of the season. However, an undefeated Winton Woods squad is right there with Anthony Wayne, especially after their 37-30 win over Magnificat on Sunday.

Despite a less-than-stellar record, two-time defending state champion Purcell Marian tops the initial Division III rankings. The Cavaliers are undefeated against in-state opponents while their losses come against nationally recognized programs like Montverde Academy (Florida) and Bullis School (Maryland.) Right on their heels are public schools by the river like Unioto and undefeated Marietta.

Division IV is the most competitive division in the state, and it is not even close. Bellevue, Lutheran East, Warrensville Heights, and undefeated Fairfield Union all post strong resumes. It’s not like the top teams are all stuck in one part of the state, Kettering Alter joins the top 10 from the southeast while Carrollton, Buckeye Valley, and Kenton just missed out on the top 10. Any one of these teams could make it to UD Arena in less than two months.

Objectively speaking, Division V is more top heavy than Division IV. Looking at this, a keen eye will notice that despite winning the state championship in D-III last year, Africentric is absent from this list. It’s a credit to how strong the top teams like Fairland, Portsmouth, and Ottawa-Glandorf are. Portsmouth has the most to gain in the coming weeks with a rematch against Fairland and a mammoth test against Mount Notre Dame before the end of the season.

Division VI gives northwest Ohio another opportunity to shine with 6 of the top 10 spots going to that district. Columbus Grove sits at the top with December wins over Allen East, Kalida, and Convoy Crestview. However, the Bulldogs got off to a rough start to begin the calendar year with losses to Ottoville and Ottawa-Glandorf. St. Henry earned their best win of the season at Fort Loramie on Tuesday, before suffering a double-digit loss to Convoy Crestview over the weekend. Then there’s Patrick Henry, whose only loss of the season was to O-G. It’s crowded at the top of Division VI.

All six districts are represented in the top 10 of Division VII. Defending state champion Fort Loramie leads the pack, bolstered by blowout wins over Minster, Versailles, and Liberty-Benton. Ottoville is in line to win the Putnam County League after their win over Columbus Grove earlier this month. Waterford made their mark with an early season win against a Unioto squad that has looked unstoppable since.