OHSAA Bracketology: A final forecast of the 2026 girls’ basketball tournament pairings
By: Andrew Woods
Posted on:
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — One week from today, girls’ basketball teams across Ohio will learn their playoff seeds and find out where the road to Dayton will take them. Although games across the area were postponed due to snow, there were still some shakeups in the RPI standings. This article will show all the shakeups and what to watch out for as the regular season winds down.
Key: Teams within Hardwood Heroes’ coverage area are in bold, while TVC members that are not part of Hardwood Heroes’ coverage area are in italics.
All brackets and RPI totals are correct as of February 1, 2026.
Division III
One district, winner vs. East champion
1 Unioto-bye
2 Athens vs. 7 Chillicothe
3 Sheridan vs. 6 Miami Trace
4 Washington Court House vs. 5 Marietta
Due to the snowstorm, everyone stood pat in Division III. As for Athens, their seed is likely to stay as is, as Unioto’s only game of the week is against 8-8 Paint Valley. Although Sheridan has two games to go against solid teams in New Lexington and Paint Valley, as long as Athens takes care of business against Wellston and Meigs, the Bulldogs have a good chance at claiming the #2 seed. Even if things go catastrophically wrong for Athens, they may not drop that far, as they have a seven-percentage point advantage over #4 Washington Court House.
Division IV
One district
1 Logan Elm-bye
8 Fairfield Union vs. 9 Vinton County
4 Hillsboro-bye
5 Waverly-bye
2 Circleville-bye
7 Gallia Academy vs. 10 Jackson
3 McClain-bye
6 Warren vs. 11 South Point
The Vinton County Vikings caught a bad break from snow cancellations. The Fairfield Union Falcons, whom the Vikings previously led in the RPI standings, had a game last week, while Vinton County did not. That extra game proved crucial for Fairfield Union, as Fairfield Union’s win over New Lexington gave the Falcons the 8 seed and the final home game. Luckily for Vinton County, Fairfield Union plays Circleville and Liberty Union this week, both of which the Falcons lost to earlier this season. Meanwhile, Vinton County will play River Valley, Meigs and Wellston, all of whom the Vikings have defeated this season. If Vinton County can clean up this week, they have a good chance to clinch a home game and, if they are lucky, could claim an even higher seed.
Division V
Three districts
Bracket 1
1 Portsmouth vs. 24 Meigs/25 Wellston
12 Adena vs. 13 West Union
6 North Adams vs. 20 Nelsonville-York
7 Portsmouth West vs. 18 Ironton
Bracket 2
2 Fairland vs. 23 Northwest
11 Minford vs. 14 River Valley
5 Chesapeake vs. 20 Zane Trace
8 New Lexington vs. 17 Westfall
Bracket 3
3 Piketon vs. 22 Rock Hill
10 Wheelersburg vs. 15 Southeastern
4 Winchester Eastern vs. 21 Oak Hill
9 Alexander vs. 16 Huntington
Alexander took advantage of a shortened week, defeating fellow Division V TVC-Ohio foe Nelsonville-York. That win meant the Spartans rose from the 11 seed last week to the 9 seed this week. However, that seed is far from safe, as Wheelersburg is less than a percentage point behind and Minford is only two percentage points away from Alexander. That game was crucial for both Alexander and River Valley, as the Raiders’ loss may have knocked them out of contention for a home game. The Raiders dropped from sitting four percentage points behind Adena, who holds the last home game in Division V, to more than five behind. Even if River Valley wins all of their games this week, those wins may not be enough to claim a home playoff game.
Meanwhile, Meigs has a chance to avoid a first-round game if they get some lucky breaks. The Marauders are less than one-fifth of a percentage point away from passing Northwest and claiming the final spot that does not require a first-round playoff game. If Meigs can get some help to boost their opponents’ and opponent’s opponents’ win percentage, the Marauders have a good shot at making the main field.
Division VI
Two districts
Bracket 1
1 Federal Hocking-bye
8 Lynchburg-Clay vs. 9 Paint Valley
4 South Webster-bye
5 Valley vs. 12 Beaver Eastern
Bracket 2
2 Coal Grove-bye
7 Belpre vs. 10 Peebles
3 Waterford-bye
6 Fairfield vs. 11 Ripley
There were very few changes in the Division VI bracket last week, and Federal Hocking likes it that way. The Lancers remain the #1 seed in the district, but the Coal Grove Hornets are closing in on Federal Hocking. Federal Hocking sits less than half a percentage point ahead of the Hornets, and depending on how things go this week, Coal Grove could steal the top seed and prevent Fed Hock from claiming back-to-back top seeds.
Division VII
Two districts
1 Eastern-bye
8 Southern vs. 9 Symmes Valley
4 South Gallia vs. 13 Sciotoville East
5 Trimble vs. 12 Miller
Bracket 2
2 Green-bye
7 Notre Dame vs. 10 Glenwood
3 Clay vs. 14 Western
6 Whiteoak vs. 11 Miller
Eastern’s improbable climb to the top of the southeast district continued last week, as due to a Green loss to Marietta, the Eagles rose to the top seed in the district. However, if the Eagles slip up, the Green Bobcats could take back the top seed, as they are less than a percentage point behind. Meanwhile, with an upset or two this week, Trimble could move up the order. The Tomcats remain less than a percentage point behind South Gallia and Clay, and with a win over Eastern or Federal Hocking, the Tomcats could easily climb up the order. With major seeding implications tied to the result, you can expect both Trimble and Eastern to be on their A game this week.