MANSFIELD — Buckeye Central has navigated this path before. For Loudonville, this week’s Division IV regional tournament is largely uncharted territory.
The Buckettes and Redbirds are the final two girls basketball teams standing after last week’s district tournaments. Both teams will be in action Thursday in the Sweet 16.
Buckeye Central (23-2) is in the the regional for the fifth straight year and is in search of its second regional title since 2018. The Buckettes reached the regional final last year before falling to Cornerstone Christian at Massillon Perry.
Buckeye Central was sent to Perry after winning the Willard district each of the past three seasons, but will go through the Elida regional this year. The Buckettes advanced with a 46-33 win over Seneca East, the third victory over the Tigers this season.
The Buckettes beat Seneca East twice during the regular season in Northern 10 play. Those games were decided by a total of nine points and the first meeting on Dec. 11 went to overtime.
“It’s a great team win. It feels really good,” said Buckeye Central’s Emily Siesel, who scored 18 points in the district final. “The first two times we played them we were short players. To have the team at full strength and to be able to go out there and execute as well as we did … it felt really good.”
B.C. will meet Columbus Grove in the regional semifinals at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Elida Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs knocked off Kalida 48-34 in the Van Wert district final, avenging an overtime loss in the district championship game last year. Kenzie King and Erin Downing each scored 18 points for Columbus Grove.
Loudonville earned a trip to the Massillon Perry regional tournament with a 63-43 win over Cornerstone Christian. It’s just the second district title in program history and first since 1992, when the Misty Wells-led Redbirds reached the Division III state championship game before falling to Coldwater.
Freshman Corri Vermilya had a double-double for the Redbirds (25-0) with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Page Race scored a team-high 17 points, while Sydney Snyder had 12 points and Grace Vermilya added 10.
That win came on the heels of Loudonville’s 78-74 overtime victory over Dalton in the district semifinals. Grace Vermilya set the single-game scoring record with 53 points.
“We’re just going to hope we have something left in the tank,” Loudonville coach Tyler Bates said after the win over Dalton. “Cornerstone has had a few tough games, too.”
Next up for Loudonville is a regional semifinal showdown with Shadyside at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Perry. Shadyside advanced with a 54-40 win over Zanesville Rosecrans. Baylee Wach and Tory Hendershot each scored 14 points as Shadyside avenged an overtime loss to Rosecrans in last year’s sectional final.
