What to know about the Northwest-Purcell Marian OHSAA girls basketball state title game
DAYTON — Championship Saturday is almost here for the Northwest High School girls basketball team.
Northwest (27-2) will face Cincinnati Purcell (26-2) for the Division II state title Saturday at 10:45 a.m. at the University of Dayton Arena. It will be the first of four championship games played.
Here is a pregame primer, as Northwest looks to extend its winning streak to 18 games by becoming state champs:
How do I watch the Northwest vs. Purcell Marian OHSAA girls basketball state final on TV?
All four championship games will be shown on Spectrum News 1 for Spectrum subscribers and on online at SpectrumNewsApp.com.
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Who are the projected Northwest and Purcell Marian starters?
Northwest: Ashley Cudnik, 5-10, sr., G; Ashlyn Stark, 5-6, sr., G; Gianna Kuhn, 5-10, sr., G; Gwen Lower, 5-5, sr., G; Lily Bottomley, 6-2, sr., F-C
Purcell Marian: Cy'Aira Miller, 5-6, soph., G; Dee Alexander, 6-1, soph., G; Ky'Aira Miller, 5-7, soph., G; Nicohl Dicks, 5-6, sr., G; Jayda Mosley, 5-8, jr., G
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Who are the Northwest and Purcell Marian head coaches?
Kevin Lower is 93-15 in his fourth season at Northwest. Lower previously coached the Tuslaw boys basketball team and has an overall record of 173-56.
Jamar Mosley is 135-27 in his sixth season at Purcell Marian.
How did Northwest and Purcell Marian advance to the OHSAA girls basketball state championship game?
Northwest beat East Cleveland Shaw 52-4 and Pepper Pike Orange 66-22 in the sectional tournament, Tallmadge 40-28 and Copley 51-47 in the district tournament, CVCA 30-27 and Canfield 51-29 in the regional tournament and Proctorville Fairland 56-34 in the state semifinal.
Purcell Marian beat Cincinnati Wyoming 72-26 and Cincinnati Shroder 85-18 in the sectional tournament, Cincinnati Mercy McAuley 65-27 and Tipp City Tippecanoe 55-20 in the district tournament, Bexley 63-24 and Hamilton Badin 64-54 in the regional tournament and Bryan 61-47 in the state semifinal.
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Loyola (Maryland) recruit Lily Bottomley leads Northwest girls basketball team
Starters Lily Bottomley, Ashley Cudnik, Gianna Kuhn, Gwen Lower and Ashlyn Stark represent the most successful senior class in program history. A Loyola of Maryland recruit, Bottomley is Northwest's career scoring and rebounding leader. She had 13 points and 13 rebounds in Thursday's state semifinal win over Proctorville Fairland. Like Bottomley, Cudnik is a 1,000-point scorer. She scored a game-high 16 points against Fairland. Kuhn is the program's career assists leader, while Stark ranks No. 1 all-time at Northwest in steals.
Ohio Ms. Basketball Dee Alexander leads Cincinnati Purcell Marian girls basketball team
It starts with the top player in the state. Guard Dee Alexander was voted Ohio's Ms. Basketball this season. The sophomore guard went into the state tournament averaging 25.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals a game. She scored 34 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Purcell Marian's state semifinal win over Bryan. Alexander joins former McKinley player Kierstan Bell as the only players named Ms. Basketball as sophomores. Bell is the only three-time winner (2017-19).
High school girls basketball:Purcell Marian sophomore Dee Alexander named Ms. Ohio Basketball
Has a Canal Fulton Northwest High School team ever won a state championship?
No. However, Canal Fulton High School became Stark County's first boys basketball state champion in 1938. Canal Fulton beat Enon 42-21 to win the Class B state title.
Canal Fulton would eventually merge with Clinton High School in the 1950s and become Northwest High School.
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Has a Stark County high school girls basketball team ever won a state title?
Three Stark teams have won Division I state championships:
GlenOak beat Cincinnati Mother of Mercy 49-47 to win the 1989 title.
Hoover became champions in 2002 by beating Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy 58-40.
McKinley defeated Toledo Waite 49-47 to win the 2010 title.
Has Purcell Marian ever won a girls basketball state title?
The Cavaliers beat Worthington Christian 62-38 in last year's Division III championship game.
Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @mpopovichREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Northwest girls basketball plays in OHSAA state final: What to know
