OHSAA Bracketology: A preview of the 2026 Southeast district girls’ basketball tournament
By: Andrew Woods
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Although the regular season has not come to an end just yet, girls’ basketball teams across Ohio have already learned their playoff paths. This article will reveal those paths and show the challenges teams across Hardwood Heroes will face on their way to the district championship games and beyond.
Division III
One district, winner plays East champion
1 Unioto-bye
4 Marietta vs. 5 Washington Court House
2 Sheridan vs. 7 Chillicothe
3 Athens vs. 6 Miami Trace
Despite winning all of their games last week, Athens still dropped to the 3 seed in Division III. That should not matter too much though, as the Bulldogs’ route to the district finals is remarkably similar to what it would have been had Athens hung on to the 2 seed. The only change is that instead of facing 1-20 Chillicothe, Athens now plays 9-10 Miami Trace in the first round. Even though Miami Trace is significantly better than Chillicothe, Athens should still be able to take care of business at home.
However, the Bulldogs will likely meet their match in the second round against Sheridan. The two are less than two tenths of a percentage point apart and have similar strengths of schedule. If the Bulldogs can clear that hurdle, things will not be easier, as Athens’ most likely path will involve games with top seed Unioto in the district semifinal and 19-1 Steubenville in the district final. Although the Bulldogs are a very good team, their path to a district title will be far from easy.
Division IV
One district
1 Circleville-bye
8 Gallia Academy vs. 9 Vinton County
4 Hillsboro-bye
5 Warren-bye
2 Logan Elm-bye
7 Fairfield Union vs. 10 Jackson
3 McClain-bye
6 Waverly vs. 11 South Point
Despite holding a winning record on tournament draw day, Vinton County will have to play their first round game on the road. That is because the Vikings had the worst opponents’ win percentage and opponents’ opponent’s win percentage in the district.
In their first round game, the Vikings will face a familiar opponent in Gallia Academy. Gallia Academy defeated Vinton County 44-39 earlier this season. However, Vinton County has shown signs of improvement since then, going 5-2 and defeating Alexander, who the Vikings lost to earlier this season. Even if the Vikings get redemption from their earlier loss and defeat Gallia Academy, with tough teams like Circleville and Hillsboro in the way, advancing further will be a tall task.
Division V
Three districts
Southeast 1
1 Portsmouth vs. 24 Meigs/25 Wellston
12 Adena vs. 13 Southeastern
6 North Adams vs. 20 Nelsonville-York
7 Portsmouth West vs. 18 Ironton
Southeast 2
3 Piketon vs. 22 Rock Hill
10 Wheelersburg vs. 15 River Valley
4 Winchester Eastern vs. 21 Oak Hill
9 Alexander vs. 16 Huntington
Southeast 3
2 Fairland vs. 23 Northwest
11 Minford vs. 14 West Union
5 Chesapeake vs. 20 Zane Trace
8 Portsmouth West vs. 17 Westfall
With four TVC-Ohio teams in the mix in Division V, there are plenty of storylines to go around. First, Alexander is one of only three TVC-Ohio teams to start their tournament run at home. The Spartans’ path will begin with a rematch with the Huntington Huntsmen, who the Spartans defeated in the district semifinals last season. The last time the two teams met, Alexander shut down the Huntsmen, winning 42-34 at the Alley. After that loss, Huntington went on a five-game SVC losing streak, but the Huntsmen seem to have turned things around lately, winning their last two games.
If the Spartans defeat Huntington, their next opponent will likely be the Winchester Eastern Warriors. Winchester Eastern is a strong team, boasting a 15-5 record. However, the Warriors have struggled offensively, only scoring 45.1 points per game. Those struggles could play into Alexander’s hand, as the Spartans are known for strong defense and high-tempo offense.
Meanwhile, Meigs has a chance to take a step forward and win a playoff game for the first time under coach Mark Griffin. The Marauders will play a first round game against Wellston. Meigs has succeeded against Wellston this season, winning both regular season games against the Golden Rockets. Defeating Wellston in the tournament will be a major boost for Meigs, who has not won a playoff game since the 2023-2024 season.
Division VI
Two districts
Southeast 1
1 Federal Hocking-bye
8 Lynchburg-Clay vs. 9 Paint Valley
4 South Webster-bye
5 Valley vs. 12 Beaver Eastern
Southeast 2
2 Coal Grove-bye
7 Belpre vs. 10 Peebles
3 Waterford-bye
6 Fairfield vs. 11 Ripley
The TVC-Hocking’s dominance of Division VI continued this season, as all three Division VI Hocking teams claimed home games and two of them claimed byes.
Just like last season, the top seed in Division VI is Federal Hocking. The defending district champions have a clear path back to the final, in which their most likely opponents are the South Webster Jeeps and the Valley Indians. The Jeeps and Indians are similar teams. Valley entered the tournament draw with an 11-8 overall record and a 5-5 conference record, while South Webster came into the draw with a 12-8 overall record and a 4-6 conference record. Importantly, South Webster swept Valley in the regular season, so the Jeeps would be the favorite against Valley. However, there is a reason they say it is hard to beat a good team three times, so Valley has a solid shot at the district finals.
Meanwhile, Waterford’s path back to the state championship will be an arduous one. Although the Wildcats’ first game will be against a mediocre Fairfield or Ripley squad, Waterford’s likely district finals opponent, the Coal Grove Hornets, will not be easy to beat. The Hornets play in the OVC, a conference that produced the top two seeds in Division V. In fact, four of Coal Grove’s five losses were to Fairland and Portsmouth.
Although winning a district crown is no easy task, winning the regional title will be an even tougher task for the teams from the southeast district. The winner of the Southeast 1 bracket will play the East 1 winner. The east district is stacked this season. Two regional finalists from last season, Hiland and Fort Frye, headline the district. In addition to those two teams, 17-2 Shenandoah and 16-4 Monroe Central are also contenders for the district title.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Southeast 2 bracket will likely have a very difficult matchup against the Harvest Prep Warriors. Harvest Prep has improved from 12-13 last season to 14-2 this season. That strong effort has led the Warriors to the #3 ranking in Division VI, according to MaxPreps. Overall, no matter if a team is in the Southeast 1 or Southeast 2 bracket, their path to a state title will be an arduous one.
Division VII
Two districts
Southeast 1
1 Eastern-bye
8 Whiteoak vs. 9 Southern
4 South Gallia vs. 13 Sciotoville East
5 Trimble vs. 12 Manchester
Southeast 2
2 Green-bye
7 Symmes Valley vs. 10 Glenwood
3 Clay vs. 14 Western
6 Notre Dame vs. 11 Miller
Before the season, nobody expected Eastern, who had not won a TVC-Hocking game in two seasons, to contend for a district title. However, not only are the Eagles contenders, but they are also the top seed in the district. Interestingly, Eastern’s path to their first district title since 2017 could be a trip down memory lane.
Eastern’s first matchup will either be against 8-10 Whiteoak or 7-11 Southern. The Eagles defeated the Tornadoes 67-40 earlier and will have another matchup with them at the end of the regular season.
If Eastern can take care of business, they will go to the district finals, in which their most likely opponents are TVC-Hocking foe Trimble or former Hocking opponent South Gallia. Eastern cleaned up against those two teams in the regular season. The Eagles defeated South Gallia 57-29 and swept Trimble in the regular season with 62-37 and 63-42 wins.
Although the Eagles are the heavy favorites, do not count out Trimble. The Tomcats went on an eight-game win streak toward the middle of the season and can challenge anyone with their fast-paced style of play. The Tomcats’ playoff run will begin against the Manchester Greyhounds. Although Manchester is only 3-16, the Greyhounds have challenged and defeated teams seeded above them, including 8 seed Whiteoak. If the Tomcats can take the win, they will have a tough semifinal matchup against the South Gallia Rebels. South Gallia has performed well this season, going 12-4 and positioning themselves as one of the top teams in the SOC-II. However, the Rebels did all of that against a weak schedule. South Gallia’s opponents’ win percentage is the second-lowest in the district and their opponents’ opponent’s win percentage is third-worst.
Although the metrics may be an important part of the story, basketball games are not decided on paper. Luckily, fans will get a preview of this possible playoff matchup February 11 when South Gallia visits Trimble in a game that should prepare both teams for the playoffs.