OHSAA Girls Basketball District Semifinals

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Bethel 32, Urbana 28

@ Troy HS

With a trip to the District Final hanging in the balance, the Bethel Bees leaned on relentless defense and timely execution to hold off a furious fourth-quarter rally and knock off the Urbana Hillclimbers 32-28 in their second meeting of the season.

Offense was hard to come by for either side all night. Lola Rice opened the scoring with a three-pointer from the corner for Urbana, and midway through the first frame it was just 3-2. Rice knocked down another triple to stretch the lead to four before the offense began to flow for Bethel.

After a bucket on each side, the dynamic duo of Jocelyn Stegner and Caitlyn Jefferson sparked a 7-1 run to close the quarter, giving the Bees an 11-9 lead after one. The opening frame was filled with turnovers and missed offensive opportunities on both ends — something both coaches hoped would be cleaned up in the second.

The momentum carried over, as Bethel stretched the run to 11-1 and built a 15-9 lead midway through the second quarter. Urbana’s turnover woes continued, with aggressive, physical defense setting the tone for the Bees.

The Hillclimbers cut the deficit to three on an Alex Dixon and-one three-point play — her first points of the contest — making it 15-12. That would be Urbana’s only scoring of the quarter, as Bethel closed the half on a 5-0 mini run. Jefferson scored seven points in the second to help the Bees take a 20-12 lead into the locker room.

Bethel extended the half-ending run to 10-0 to open the third, ballooning the lead to 25-12 — the largest margin of the game. Hillclimber coach Kai Scott called a timeout to regroup, and it paid off as Urbana found some late-quarter offense to trim the deficit to 10. After three quarters, Bethel led 26-16.

Any momentum Urbana gained was quickly halted, as Bethel opened the fourth with four quick points to match its largest lead at 30-16. Another Urbana timeout followed, and this time something clicked offensively.

The Hillclimbers began pushing tempo and breaking the Bees’ press more effectively, which generated offense. Dixon sparked the rally with another three-point play, then added an easy bucket inside on a push shot to cut the deficit to nine. Urbana continued to chip away, eventually trimming the lead to 30-25 with under two minutes to play.

The teams traded free throws down the stretch, and with 6.3 seconds remaining, Dixon stepped to the line with Urbana trailing by five. She knocked down the first to give her 10 points in the quarter, and made the second as well, but a lane violation was called on Urbana during the attempt, virtually sealing the win for the Bees.

When the final horn sounded, the scoreboard read 32-28, sending Bethel back to the District Final for the second straight season.

Urbana closes the season at 15-9.

Stegner and Jefferson led the way for the Bees with 13 points apiece.

For Urbana, Dixon’s monster fourth quarter gave her 15 to lead all scorers. Rice added six, Addi Hegyi finished with three, and Olivia MacKendrick and Brylee Spriggs each totaled two.

Northridge 45, Mechanicsburg 42

@ Northridge HS (Johnstown)

In another tightly contested District Semifinal, Northridge edged Mechanicsburg 45-42 at Northridge High School in Johnstown.

Mechanicsburg came out strong offensively, scoring 16 points in the opening quarter to take an early lead. Northridge answered with 11 in the first and began to settle in during the second, outscoring the Indians 10-7 in the frame to cut into the deficit. At halftime, Mechanicsburg held a narrow 23-21 advantage.

The third quarter remained a defensive battle. Northridge put up 11 points while limiting Mechanicsburg to eight, taking a 32-31 lead into the final period.

In the fourth, Northridge continued to execute down the stretch, scoring 13 points in the quarter. Mechanicsburg added 11 of its own, but it wasn’t enough as Northridge secured the three-point win, 45-42.

Clara Forrest led the way for Mechanicsburg with 16 points, while Clair Rodgers also finished in double figures with 10.

Northridge advances to the District Final, while Mechanicsburg sees its tournament run come to a close.