First Posted: 2/8/2015
Everything has changed this year for the basketball tournament draws.
This season the top-seeded teams have the choice to choose their sectional sites.
And, for No. 1 seed Bath, the Wildkittens chose Hicksville.
Bath, 16-1 and winners of 40 straight Western Buckeye League regular-season games, will meet Bryan for the Division II sectional title at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28, at Hicksville.
The girls sectional tournament draws were held Sunday in northwest Ohio.
For Bath coach Greg Mauk, he had the choice of his team playing at Spencerville or Hicksville.
“We had the first pick, Hicksville was a five-team bracket and Spencerville was a six-team bracket,” Mauk said. “By picking the line we picked, we put ourselves as the late game on Saturday night and we would have a defined opponent, (which was Bryan).
“In the long run, it doesn’t make a lot of difference, but we wanted to pick a line who we would know who we would play, as compared to getting on a bye line and play against a team that had already played a game.”
A key to traveling to Hicksville was the Saturday night factor.
“We never would have taken the school night at Hicksville,” Mauk said.
Mauk wasn’t entirely happy with the new format.
If Bath defeats Bryan for the sectional title, the Wildkittens would again go to the Paulding district.
And the Paulding Division II district winner will now meet the Toledo district winner in the regional semifinals at Ohio Northern.
“We should have all 32 teams in one room, like they do in southwest Ohio, where we seed all the teams 1 through 32, then they choose which district they go to,” Mauk said.
Division I
In Division I, No. 6 seed Lima Senior will meet No. 10 seed Ashland at 8 p.m. Feb. 24 at Fostoria.
The Lima Senior/Ashland winner will meet the Slyvania Northview/Bowsher winner at 6:15 p.m. Feb. 28 at Fostoria.
Toledo Notre Dame, which is playing at Toledo Central Catholic, was the No. 1 seed, while Sylvania Northview was the No. 2 seed.
Division II
Wapakoneta received the No. 2 seed in Division II and had to go to Spencerville, because No. 1 seed Bath chose Hicksville.
Wapakoneta will meet the St. Marys-Shawnee winner at 8 p.m. Feb. 28 at Spencerville.
St. Marys will play Shawnee at 8 p.m. Feb. 24 at Spencerville.
Also at Spencerville are Napoleon, Celina and Wauseon, with Wauseon getting the bye.
Elida will meet Van Wert at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at Hicksville. The Elida/Van Wert winner will play Defiance at 6 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Hicksville.
Division III
Ottawa-Glandorf received the No. 2 seed and will meet the Elmwood/Parkway winner at 6:15 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Wapakoneta.
In the lower bracket at Wapakoneta, No. 9 seed Bluffton will play No. 6 seed Coldwater at 8 p.m. on Feb. 25.
Columbus Grove, the No. 4 seed, will play the Bluffton/Coldwater winner at 8 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Wapakoneta.
At Riverdale, Lima Central Catholic received the No. 3 seed and will meet the Allen East/Upper Sandusky winner at 6:15 p.m. Feb. 28. Allen East will play Spencerville at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at Riverdale.
No. 1 seed Liberty-Benton will meet Kenton at 8 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Riverdale.
Division IV
No. 12 seed Perry travels to Coldwater to meet No. 5 seed Fort Recovery at 8 p.m. on Feb. 25.
No. 1 seeds in Division IV included Marion Local (playing at Coldwater) and Crestview. The Knights will meet the Delphos Jefferson/Miller City winner at 6:15 p.m. Feb. 28 at Van Wert.
