High school girls basketball tournament capsule

NORTH VS. CANTON GLENOAK

What: Division I regional championship When: 7:30 p.m., March 6

Canton Memorial Civic Center, 1101 Market Ave. N, Canton

North 23-3, Canton GlenOak 18-7

Winner advances to the Division I state final four to play Newark or Pickerington Central in a state semifinal at 6p.m. on March 13

Where:

Records:

On deck:

North’s path:

Defeated South, 83-42; def. Mentor, 66-48; def. Brush, 73-54, def. Magnificat, 60-34

Canton GlenOak’s path:

Defeated Akron KenmoreGarfield, 78-64, def. Louisville, 50-34, def. North Canton Hoover, 63-38, def. Stow-Munroe Falls, 45-33

This is not only a rematch from a Dec. 21 game in which Glenoak beat North, 65-43, but also a rematch of last year’s regional championship game won by the Golden Eagles, 45-41. While North hasn’t changed dramatically since last year (or since earlier this season, GlenOak is significantly different. Coach Paul Wackerly’s team features an entirely different starting five from the matchup with North a year ago. And another big difference is the absence of 6-foot Glenoak junior Aniyah Hall, who had 17 points and 14 rebounds

For the record:

in the Dec. 21 win. The Kent State recruit is out with a torn ACL. But the Golden Eagles are an extraordinary defensive team and have a lot of talent even without Hall . ... GlenOak is looking for its fifth state tournament bid and second in a row. Sophomore Breezie Williams scored 18 points in the regional semifinal win over Stow-Munroe Falls, while senior Lexi Lemire had nine. Williams can shoot, but does a lot of her damage on the run. Lemire is a serious threat from the perimeter. Makenzie Green (6-foot) and Jordan Weir (6-5) anchor the paint. This team plays tenacious defense, a Wackerly trademark . ... North is looking for its first state tournament bid since its back-to-back appearances in 1993-94. GlenOak’s defense will no doubt focus on returning All-Ohioan Destiny Leo, who hit for 32 points (on 13 of 17 shooting) in the regional semifinal win over Magnificat. A year ago in the regional final, GlenOak limited Leo to eight points, while it was Abby Carter who led the team with 19. Carter only had seven in the win over Magnificat, but is capable of a big game on any given night, as is Avril Drew, who had 16 points in the semifinal win over Magnificat . ... Neither team is particularly deep, going seven - maybe 8 - players deep, so foul trouble could potentially come into play.

North

Kampf’s pick: Kampf’s season record:

39-7