Postseason gets under way for girls hoops

Sports Editor Jon Behm breaks down the games scheduled for Feb. 18, including Olmsted Falls vs. North Ridgeville and Lorain vs. North Olmsted.

No. 5 Olmsted Falls at No. 4 North Ridgeville

What: Division I Elyria Catholic District sectional semifinal When: 1 p.m., Feb. 18 Where: North Ridgeville High School, 34600 Bainbridge Road, North Ridgeville For the record: Talk about a great match right out of the gate. This one has the potential to be one of the best first-round games in The Morning Journal coverage area this season . ... These Southwestern Conference foes have met twice this year, with each winning at the opponent’s home . ... The Bulldogs ended the season on a three-game winning streak — including a 41-35 win over SWC champion Berea-Midpark — and have won seven of their last eight . ... North Ridgeville has struggled as of late, winning only two of its last three and four of its last 10. With that being said, the Rangers have had one of the toughest closing schedules with Amherst, Westlake, Berea-Midpark, Olmsted Falls and Avon Lake in the final 10 games. Behm’s pick: Olmsted Falls

No. 8 Lorain at No. 7 North Olmsted

What: Division I Elyria Catholic District sectional semifinal When: 1 p.m., Feb. 18 Where: North Olmsted High School, 5755 Burns Road, North Olmsted For the record: These two faced off one time this year, on Dec. 5, with North Ridgeville victorious, 40-34. ... The Eagles had a solid start to the season, sitting at 3-3, but then went on a 10-game skid and lost 14 of their final 16 . ... Lorain is the lower seed in spite of a better record, a testament to the difficulty of the SWC this year, while also a comment on the Lake Erie League slate . ... The Titans enter the tournament on a two-game losing streak. Behm’s pick: North Olmsted

No. 11 Valley Forge at No. 9 Elyria

What: Division I Elyria Catholic District sectional semifinal When: 1 p.m., Feb. 18 Where: Elyria High School, 601 Middle Ave., Elyria For the record: This game was a perfect draw for Elyria, which has struggled with consistency this season . ... The Pioneers are playing some of their best basketball of the season right now, winning two of their last four with an overtime loss to Rocky River in the mix as well . ... Valley Forge enters the tournament on a seven-game skid and has lost nine of its last 10. Behm’s pick: Elyria

No. 7 Rocky River at No. 6 Normandy

What: Division I Parma Heights District sectional semifinal When: 1 p.m., Feb. 18 Where: Normandy High School, 2500 W Pleasant Valley Road, Parma

For the record: The Great Lakes Conference foes face off for a third time this year, with each having won their conference game at home . ... Rocky River topped Normandy in their most recent matchup, 44-35, on Feb. 8 . ... With eight wins on the year, the Pirates can consider themselves to be on a bit of a hot streak, as half of their wins have come in the last two weeks. Behm’s pick: Rocky River

No. 12 Clearview at No. 1 Elyria Catholic

What: Division II Elyria District sectional semifinal When: 1 p.m., Feb. 18 Where: Elyria Catholic High School, 725 Gulf Road, Elyria

For the record: This is one of those rough first-round games that you just have to deal with . ... Elyria Catholic has been a top team in the area all season and enters the tournament on a 13game winning streak . ... On the other side, Clearview has had a rough season. The Clippers have dropped seven of their last 10 games. Behm’s pick: Elyria Catholic

What: Division II Elyria District sectional semifinal When: 1 p.m., Feb. 18 Where: Bay High School, 29230 Wolf Road, Bay Village

For the record: The panic button was getting leaned on a bit by the Rockets’ faithful in mid-January when Bay dropped three in a row to slip to 10-5 on the season. Since then? The Rockets have gone 6-1 with the lone loss coming to GLC foe Elyria Catholic . ... Brookside has appeared to turn the corner a bit, nearly doubling its win total since Jan. 25 . ... While this game has the makings of a trap game, I doubt it will come to that result. Behm’s pick: Bay — Jon Behm