High school girls basketball tournament capsule

Bay vs. Gilmour

What: Division II Barberton Region final

When: 8 p.m., March 6

Where: Barberton High School, 555 Barber Road, Barberton

For the record: A perennial district finalist, Bay was finally able to rewrite the title and become the school’s first district champion since 2006 with a 27-25 win over Elyria District top-seed Cloverleaf in a game that was a true defensive battle. For their efforts, the Rockets get to once again be underdogs as they easily face the best team Bay has seen this season in reigning Division III champion Gilmour . ... The 2017 D-III title was the first in program history for the Lancers, and now Gilmour is attempting to win back-to-back titles after being bounced to D-II due to the OHSAA’s Competitive Balance initiative . ... Gilmour has been a wreckingball this season, sporting a plus-26.2 point differential this season, even with three losses at 22-3 . ... There is one very not simple key to beating Gilmour: Figure out how to stop Miss Basketball candidate Naz Hillmon. The Michigan commit is averaging 21 points and 14 rebounds per game. However, even if the Rockets slow Hillmon, the Lancers have a veritable array of sharpshooters from the perimeter who will force Bay to remain honest . ... With that being said, there may not be a better team in Division II that can catch the Lancers off-guard. Why? Because the Rockets are the epitome on the moniker “team.” Any given game, a different Rocket could lead the team in scoring, rebounds, assists, steals, etc . ... Bay (18-8) is a difficult team to defend, as players such as Maddie Edgerly, Halle Orr, Haley Andrejcak and Maeve Johnston can score from anywhere and have a great eye for the open player. While the Lancers have had a great season defensively, it will be interesting to see how Gilmour fares when it cannot key in on specific players — something they have not had to face too often this season . ... There can be no doubting that the Rockets are the underdogs, but they have spent much of the season in that roll. Gilmour is projected to once again be the champions, but even if the Rockets lose, it would not be a shock if this were the toughest game the Lancers have all tournament simply due to the unique way that Bay plays the game. Behm’s pick: Gilmour Behm’s record: 26-5