Mar. 20—More than half a dozen Dayton-area high school graduates are set to be part of the women’s NCAA Tournament when it tips off later this week.
Some of the top teams in the tourney feature Miami Valley natives, including the top overall seed South Carolina and No. 2 seed Ohio State.
Fairmont and Centerville both have a pair of alumni getting ready for the Big Dance, and another pair hail from Clark County.
Here are the games to watch:
Thursday
No. 16 Tennessee-Martin vs. No. 16 Holy Cross, 9 p.m. ESPN2
Kendal George is a 5-foot-9 freshman from Centerville who is a true freshman for the UT-Martin Skyhawks. She has played in 17 games with one start this season and scored 11 points. If the Skyhawks win Thursday night, they will play No. 1 seed Iowa on Saturday afternoon.
Friday
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Maine, Noon, ESPN
Ohio State sophomore Cotie McMahon is a 6-foot guard from Centerville who is already a two-year starter for the Buckeyes. She was named to the All-Big Ten first team and picked up honorable mention All-America honors this season while averaging 14.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She is a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award as the nation’s top small forward.
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Sacred Heart or Presbyterian, 2 p.m. ESPN
South Carolina junior Bree Hall is a 6-foot guard from Wayne High School who moved into the starting lineup this season for the undefeated, top-ranked Gamecocks after coming off the bench her first two seasons. She averages 9.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
No. 4 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Marshall, 3:30 p.m. ESPN2
Terah Harness is in her second season with the Thundering Herd after starting her career at South Carolina Upstate. The Tecumseh graduate has scored nine points in 65 minutes off the bench this season.
No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt or Columbia, 6 p.m. ESPNU
Madison Bartley is a 6-3 senior from Fairmont who is finishing her career at Baylor after three years at Belmont, where she was a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference performer. She averages 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds for the Lady Bears.
Saturday
No. 8 Kansas vs. No. 9 Michigan, 2 p.m. ESPNews
Jordan Hobbs, a 6-3 guard from Springboro, entered the starting lineup for Michigan this season and scored in double figures 19 times. The Academic All-Big Ten honoree averages 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 15 Kent State, 2:30 p.m. ESPNU
Maddy Westbeld made the All-ACC Tournament team and was second-team all-conference in her fourth season at Notre Dame. The Fairmont grad, a 6-3 forward, has started all 117 games she has played for the Fighting Irish and averages 14.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season.
Mikala Morris is a fifth-year senior from Kenton Ridge who started all 29 games for the Golden Flashes this season after four years at Quinnipiac. She averages 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the MAC champions.
