Ohio high school girls basketball Top 25: Pickerington Central, Purcell Marian, Princeton atop the initial rankings

Pickerington Central is No.1 in the first SBLive Ohio girls basketball Power 25 of the 2023-24 season

Author:
Joe Magill
Publish date:
Dec 11, 2023 12:28 PM EST

The girls basketball season in the state of Ohio began on Nov. 22.

Now that we are a couple of weeks in, we have an idea of what each team is capable of this year and are prepared to put out the first edition of the SBLive girls basketball Power 25.

Pickerington Central, a state semifinalist in Division I last season, is the top team in the rankings.

Three of four state champions from last season find themselves in the rankings, as defending Division II state champion Purcell Marian is No. 2, defending Division I champion Princeton is No. 3 and last year's Division III state champion Africentric is No. 13.

SBLive Ohio girls basketball Power 25

1. Pickerington Central (5-0)

Previous: beat Reynoldsburg, 61-54; beat Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 53-52; beat Liberty Township Lakota East, 51-46; beat Newark, 69-33; beat Rocky River Magnificat, 57-54.

This week: Dec. 15 vs. Gahanna Lincoln.

2. Purcell MArian

Previous: beat Rocky River Magnificat, 72-59; beat Springboro, 56-54; lost to Pickerington Central, 53-52; beat Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, 62-50; beat Cincinnati Summit Country Day, 74-26; beat Columbus Africentric 64-54.

This week: Dec. 12 at Union (KY) Cooper; Dec. 13 at St. Bernard Roger Bacon; Dec. 16 at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy.

3. Princeton

Previous: beat Cincinnati Winton Woods, 69-58; beat Cincinnati Sycamore, 64-24; beat Middletown, 66-29; lost to Clarksville (TN) Christian, 56-50; beat Dyersburg (TN), 62-45.

This week: Dec. 13 at Fairfield; Dec. 16 at No. 14 Mason.

4. Magnificat

Previous: beat Canton McKinley, 72-41; lost to Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 72-59; beat Medina, 62-39; beat Cleveland St. Joseph Academy, 61-23; lost to Pickerington Central, 57-54.

This week: Dec. 13 at Westlake.

5. Springboro

Previous: beat Liberty Center Lakota East, 38-37; lost to Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 56-54; beat Beavercreek, 69-58; beat Kettering Fairmont, 48-43; beat Huber Heights Wayne, 51-17; beat Springfield, 61-34.

This week: Dec. 13 vs. Clayton Northmont; Dec. 16 at No. 21 Centerville.

6. Olentangy

Previous: beat Columbus DeSales, 54-34; beat New Albany, 48-23; beat Marysville, 59-49; beat Western Reserve Academy, 63-52; beat Delaware Olentangy Berlin, 65-25.

This week: Dec. 13 vs. Westerville Central; Dec. 16 vs. Olentangy Orange.

7. Mount Notre Dame

Previous: beat Liberty Township Lakota East, 55-45; beat Cincinnati Seton, 54-34; beat Dublin Coffman, 43-37; beat Cincinnati Mercy McAuley, 66-22; beat Cincinnati Ursuline Academy, 61-17.

This week: Dec. 12 vs. Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy; Dec. 14 vs. Union (KY) Ryle; Dec. 16 vs. Bellbrook.

8. Solon

Previous: beat Macedonia Nordonia, 77-44; beat Toledo Start, 56-29; beat North Royalton, 81-35; beat Twinsburg, 69-34.

This week: Dec. 13 at Brecksville-Broadview Heights; Dec. 15 at Wadsworth.

9. Archbishop Hoban

Previous: beat Youngstown Ursuline, 55-26; beat Cleveland John Marshall, 64-10; beat Apple Creek Waynedale, 51-45; beat Gates Mills Gilmour Academy, 51-44; beat Toledo Central Catholic, 57-49.

This week: Dec. 16 at Austintown-Fitch.

10. Anthony Wayne

Previous: beat Sylvania Southview, 61-21; beat Fremont Ross, 75-33; lost to Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 62-50; beat Findlay, 64-41.

This week: Dec. 12 vs. Bowling Green; Dec. 15 at Toledo Whitmer; Dec. 16 at No. 19 Marysville.

11. Fairland

Previous: beat Dayton Carroll, 66-59; beat Gallipolis Gallia Academy, 82-16; beat Ironton Rock Hill, 73-25; beat Reynoldsburg, 87-59.

This week: Dec. 11 at Ironton; Dec. 14 vs. South Point.

12. Archbishop Alter

Previous: beat Dayton Ponitz 68-4; beat Liberty Township Lakota East, 46-39; beat Cincinnati McNicholas, 57-41; beat Dayton Chaminade Julienne, 59-41; beat Middletown Fenwick, 64-16.

This week: Dec. 13 vs. Trotwood-Madison; Dec. 16 at Gahanna Lincoln.

13. Africentric

Previous: beat Shaker Heights Laurel, 49-45; beat Columbus Briggs, 79-1; beat Columbus Eastmoor Academy, 72-2; lost to Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 64-54.

This week: Dec. 12 at Columbus Walnut Ridge; Dec. 15 at Columbus South; Dec. 16 at Reynoldsburg.

14. Mason

Previous: lost to Beavercreek, 52-51; beat Lebanon, 59-51; beat Cincinnati Colerain, 86-34; beat Fairfield, 69-48; beat West Chester Lakota West, 55-35.

This week: Dec. 13 at Cincinnati Oak Hills; Dec. 16 vs. No. 3 Cincinnati Princeton.

15. Lakota East

Previous: lost to Springboro, 38-37; beat Hamilton Badin, 58-40; lost to Kettering Alter, 46-39; lost to Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, 55-45; beat Fairfield, 64-40; lost to Pickerington Central, 51-46; beat West Chester Lakota West, 46-39; beat Hamilton, 63-29.

This week: Dec. 13 vs. Cincinnati Sycamore; Dec. 16 vs. Middletown.

16. Gilmour Academy

Previous: beat Shaker Heights Laurel, 58-50; beat Stow-Munroe Falls, 39-36; beat Warrensville Heights, 55-52; lost to Akron Hoban, 51-44.

This week: No games scheduled.

17. Copley

Previous: beat Medina Highland, 75-30; beat Aurora, 51-43; beat Olmsted Falls, 49-40; beat Kent Roosevelt, 70-31; beat Cuyahoga Falls, 67-17.

This week: Dec. 13 vs. Barberton; Dec. 15 at Richfield Revere.

18. St. Vincent-St. Mary

Previous: beat Dublin Coffman, 62-30; beat Youngstown Ursuline, 67-21; beat Elyria Catholic, 56-43.

This week: Dec. 16 vs. Anaheim Fairmont Preparatory Academy (CA) at the University of Southern California.

19. Marysville

Previous: beat Hilliard Bradley, 50-18; lost to Lewis Center Olentangy, 59-49; beat Sunbury Big Walnut, 51-32; beat Hilliard Darby, 52-19.

This week: Dec. 15 vs. Hilliard Davidson; Dec. 16 vs. No. 10 Whitehouse Anthony Wayne.

20. Brush

Previous: beat Cleveland Heights, 62-29; beat Amherst Steele, 64-27; beat Painesville Riverside, 65-42; beat Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, 57-46; beat Toledo Rogers, 51-36.

This week: Dec. 11 vs. East Cleveland Shaw; Dec. 14 at Spire Academy; Dec. 16 vs. Akron Garfield.

21. Centerville

Previous: beat Springfield, 70-52; beat Miamisburg, 54-36; beat Beavercreek, 50-34; beat Clayton Northmont, 63-37.

This week: Dec. 13 at Kettering Fairmont; Dec. 16 vs. No. 5 Springboro.

22. Toledo Central Catholic

Previous: beat Toledo Start, 66-33; beat Toledo Bowsher, 41-38; lost to Wexford (PA) North Allegheny, 64-48; lost to Akron Hoban, 57-49.

This week: Dec. 16 vs. Toledo St. Ursula.

23. West Branch

Previous: beat Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, 51-24; beat Minerva, 56-20; beat Alliance Marlington, 51-21; beat Alliance, 53-30; beat Carrollton, 65-36.

This week: Dec. 13 vs. Salem; Dec. 16 vs. Louisville.

24. Badin

Previous: lost to Liberty Township Lakota East, 58-40; lost to Cincinnati Country Day, 48-36; beat Dayton Chaminade Julienne, 51-43; beat Middletown Fenwick, 70-29; beat Dayton Carroll, 67-52.

This week: Dec. 13 vs. Trenton Edgewood.

25. Beavercreek

Previous: beat Mason, 52-51; beat Tipp City Tippecanoe, 58-30; lost to Springboro, 69-58; lost to Centerville, 50-34; beat Huber Heights Wayne, 49-48.

This week: Dec. 13 vs. Miamisburg; Dec. 16 at Clayton Northmont.

Teams to watch (listed alphabetically): Apple Creek Waynedale, Berlin Hiland, Casstown Miami East, Chillicothe Unioto, Cincinnati Country Day, Kettering Fairmont, Ottawa-Glandorf, Portsmouth, Shaker Heights Laurel, Toledo Christian.