Local girls’ basketball teams were busy Saturday in the district quarterfinals, with several area squads advancing while others saw their seasons come to an end. Graham, West Liberty-Salem, and Mechanicsburg all earned wins to move on to the district semifinals, while Indian Lake, Riverside, Triad, and Calvary Christian fell in hard-fought contests. From thrilling one-point finishes to decisive blowouts, the day featured plenty of standout performances and memorable moments across the region.
Graham 53, Eaton 39
The Graham Lady Falcons rolled to a 53-39 win over Eaton to open tournament play Saturday afternoon in Troy in the district quarterfinal round.
The Falcons jumped out to a 19-6 lead after the first quarter. Eaton never got within 10 points the rest of the game.
CBC Mad River Division Player of the Year Zoey Conn led all scorers with 20. Kyndall Manley and Riley McAlenxander chipped in 10 while Bailey Britton added 8.
Graham shot 11 for 19 from the free-throw line.
For Eaton, Emilee Hargis scored 17 points and Autumn Gillenwater added 9. The Eagles were 13 for 15 from the charity stripe.
Eaton finishes their season at 13-11.
Graham will face the #2 seed Brookville Tuesday night at 7:30 from Troy High School.
Northridge 48, Indian Lake 47
Indian Lake and Northridge battled to a thrilling finish in a district quarterfinal matchup Saturday evening at Troy High School.
The Lakers came out strong, setting the tone early and finishing the first quarter with a 17–8 lead. Northridge responded in the second quarter, battling back to take a 24–21 advantage into halftime.
The second half turned into a physical, back-and-forth battle. The Lakers regained the lead with relentless effort and determination, but the Polar Bears refused to back down. In a thrilling finish, Northridge sealed the victory in the final minute, edging out the Lakers 48–47.
The Lakers held a 2-point lead with just under a minute left in the game when Dalyn Beavers hit a three in the corner to reclaim the lead. Indian Lake would turn the ball over on the inbounds and Northridge scored again marking a 5-0 run in a 7-second span.
The Lakers would get a Carly Strayer bucket to trail by one, but Northridge ran out the clock and held on for a 48-47 victory.
Leading the way for the Lakers was Kennedy Schwaderer with 12 points, followed by Alivia Kinney with 11 and Carly Strayer with 10.
Jayah Martin paced the Polar Bears with 17 points.
Both teams performed well shooting free throws. Indian Lake was 10-13 while Northridge went 9-12.
The game had 6 ties and 9 lead changes.
Indian Lake finishes their season at 13-10.
Northridge will move on to face Oakwood Wednesday night.
West Liberty-Salem 59, National Trail 26
The West Liberty-Salem Tigers advanced in postseason play with a convincing 59–26 win over the National Trail Blazers in the district quarterfinals.
After a competitive opening quarter that ended with West Liberty-Salem holding a five-point lead, the Tigers took control in the second quarter, outscoring National Trail 22–5 to build a comfortable halftime advantage.
West Liberty-Salem (20–3) received balanced scoring across the lineup, led by Addie Wallen and Ava Astorino, who each finished with 14 points. Emily King followed with 12 points, Lucy Cole added seven, Ellery Wygal and Ella Jacobs scored five apiece, and Ava Poppe rounded out the scoring with two points.
Head Coach Dennis McIntosh gives his thoughts on his Tigers’ play during the opening game of the tournament.
West Liberty-Salem will meet the Arcanum Trojans in the district semifinals Tuesday night in Covington, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.
Mechanicsburg 43, East Knox 29
The Mechanicsburg Indians earned a district quarterfinal victory with a 43–29 win over the East Knox Bulldogs.
Mechanicsburg jumped out early, taking a 12–6 lead after the first quarter and carrying a 23–13 advantage into halftime. East Knox responded with its strongest stretch in the third quarter, edging the Indians 11–10, but Mechanicsburg closed the game with a solid defensive fourth quarter, limiting East Knox to just five points.
Clair Rodgers led all scorers and was the lone double-figure scorer for the Indians, finishing with 20 points.
With the win, the Burg advances to the district semifinals and will travel to take on Johnstown Northridge on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. matchup.
Fairlawn 56, Riverside 38
The Riverside Lady Pirates saw their season come to an end Saturday afternoon with a 56–38 loss to the Fairlawn Jets in the district quarterfinals, played at Versailles.
Fairlawn set the tone early, jumping out to a 15–4 lead after the first quarter. Riverside responded in the second, narrowing the gap to 20–17 at halftime. The Jets regained momentum in the third quarter, extending the lead to 35–24, before closing out the win in the final period.
Offensively, Riverside was led by Kenzie Stotler, who finished with 15 points. Emilee Robinson added 12 points in the loss.
The Lady Pirates wrap up the 2025–26 season with a final record of 4–19.
Mississinawa Valley 84, Triad 9
The Triad Cardinals saw their season come to a close Saturday afternoon with an 84–9 loss to the Mississinawa Valley Blackhawks in a district quarterfinal matchup played at Sidney High School.
Mississinawa Valley controlled the game from the opening tip, building a sizable lead and maintaining pressure throughout all four quarters.
For Triad, the game carried special meaning as senior Gracie Martin scored the final points of her high school career, finishing with two points. Addi Matthews led the Cardinals in scoring with four points, while Emma Martin added three points, pulled down five rebounds, and recorded the assist on her sister’s basket.
Triad closes the season with a 0–23 overall record, and 0–16 in Ohio Heritage Conference play.
