Ohio high school girls basketball Top 25: Pickerington Central remains on top, Kettering Fairmont debuts (12/18/2023)

Pickerington Central remains the top girls basketball team in Ohio, while Archbishop Alter makes move into the top 10

In this week's SBLive Ohio girls basketball Power 25, there isn't a lot of movement up top as the top nine teams from last week remain the same.

Pickerington Central, Purcell Marian, Princeton, Magnificat and Springboro remain the top 5, while Archbishop Alter jumps into the top 10.

There is only one new team in this week's Power 25, as Kettering Fairmont debuts at No. 24. 

SBLive Ohio girls basketball Power 25 

1. Pickerington Central (6-0)

Previous: beat Reynoldsburg, 61-54; beat Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 53-52; beat Liberty Township Lakota East, 51-46; beat Newark, 69-33; beat Rocky River Magnificat, 57-54.

Last week: ranked No. 1, beat Gahanna Lincoln, 72-35.

This week: Dec. 22 vs. Grove City Central Crossing.

2. Purcell Marian (8-1)

Previous: beat Rocky River Magnificat, 72-59; beat Springboro, 56-54; lost to Pickerington Central, 53-52; beat Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, 62-50; beat Cincinnati Summit Country Day, 74-26; beat Columbus Africentric 64-54.

Last week: ranked No. 2, beat Union (KY) Cooper, 56-51; beat St. Bernard Roger Bacon, 71-34; beat Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, 92-36.

This week: Dec. 20 at Norwood; Dec. 23 vs. Beavercreek.

3.  Princeton (6-1)

Previous: beat Cincinnati Winton Woods, 69-58; beat Cincinnati Sycamore, 64-24; beat Middletown, 66-29; lost to Clarksville (TN) Christian, 56-50; beat Dyersburg (TN), 62-45.

Last week: ranked No. 3, beat Fairfield, 59-51; beat No. 14 Mason, 72-69.

This week: Dec. 20 vs. Cincinnati Colerain.

4. Magnificat (4-2)

Previous: beat Canton McKinley, 72-41; lost to Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 72-59; beat Medina, 62-39; beat Cleveland St. Joseph Academy, 61-23; lost to Pickerington Central, 57-54.

Last week: ranked No. 4, beat Westlake, 62-28.

This week: Dec. 22 at No. 18 Copley.

5. Springboro (7-1)

Previous: beat Liberty Center Lakota East, 38-37; lost to Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 56-54; beat Beavercreek, 69-58; beat Kettering Fairmont, 48-43; beat Huber Heights Wayne, 51-17; beat Springfield, 61-34.

Last week: ranked No. 5, beat Clayton Northmont, 73-30; beat then-No. 21 Centerville, 53-34.

This week: Dec. 20 vs. Miamisburg.

6. Lewis Center Olentangy (7-0)

Previous: beat Columbus DeSales, 54-34; beat New Albany, 48-23; beat Marysville, 59-49; beat Western Reserve Academy, 63-52; beat Delaware Olentangy Berlin, 65-25.

Last week: ranked No. 6, beat Westerville Central, 58-45; beat Olentangy Orange, 59-33.

This week: Dec. 19 vs. Grove City; Dec. 22 at Worthington.

7. Mount Notre Dame (8-0)

Previous: beat Liberty Township Lakota East, 55-45; beat Cincinnati Seton, 54-34; beat Dublin Coffman, 43-37; beat Cincinnati Mercy McAuley, 66-22; beat Cincinnati Ursuline Academy, 61-17.

Last week: ranked No. 7, beat Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy, 64-19; beat Union (KY) Ryle, 55-45; beat Bellbrook, 51-22.

This week: Dec. 22 vs. Beavercreek.

8. Solon (6-0)

Previous: beat Macedonia Nordonia, 77-44; beat Toledo Start, 56-29; beat North Royalton, 81-35; beat Twinsburg, 69-34.

Last week: ranked No. 8, beat Brecksville-Broadview Heights, 54-37; beat Wadsworth, 60-43.

This week: Dec. 20 vs. No. 18 Copley.

9. Archbishop Hoban (8-0)

Previous: beat Youngstown Ursuline, 55-26; beat Cleveland John Marshall, 64-10; beat Apple Creek Waynedale, 51-45; beat Warren Howland, 66-52; beat Gates Mills Gilmour Academy, 51-44; beat Toledo Central Catholic, 57-49.

Last week: ranked No. 9, beat Akron Ellet, 49-45; beat Austintown-Fitch, 63-36.

This week: Dec. 22 vs. Holland Springfield at Wendy’s Holiday Hoopla at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. 

10. Archbishop Alter (7-0)

Previous: beat Dayton Ponitz 68-4; beat Liberty Township Lakota East, 46-39; beat Cincinnati McNicholas, 57-41; beat Dayton Chaminade Julienne, 59-41; beat Middletown Fenwick, 64-16.

Last week: ranked No. 12, beat Trotwood-Madison, 75-18; beat Gahanna Lincoln, 71-35.

This week: Dec. 20 vs. Cincinnati Seton; Dec. 23 vs. Cincinnati Mercy McAuley.

11. Fairland (6-0)

Previous: beat Dayton Carroll, 66-59; beat Gallipolis Gallia Academy, 82-16; beat Ironton Rock Hill, 73-25; beat Reynoldsburg, 87-59.

Last week: ranked No. 11, beat Ironton, 76-23; beat South Point, 71-23.

This week: Dec. 18 at Chesapeake; Dec. 22 vs. Parkersburg (WV).

12. Africentric (6-1)

Previous: beat Shaker Heights Laurel, 49-45; beat Columbus Briggs, 79-1; beat Columbus Eastmoor Academy, 72-2; lost to Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 64-54.

Last week: ranked No. 13, beat Columbus Walnut Ridge, 59-13; beat Columbus South, 73-23; beat Reynoldsburg, 79-35.

This week: Dec. 19 at Columbus Independence.

13. Marysville (5-1)

Previous: beat Hilliard Bradley, 50-18; lost to Lewis Center Olentangy, 59-49; beat Sunbury Big Walnut, 51-32; beat Hilliard Darby, 52-19.

Last week: ranked No. 19, beat Hilliard Davidson, 54-33; beat then-No. 10 Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, 52-48.

This week: Dec. 19 at Columbus Watterson; Dec. 22 vs. Dublin Jerome.

14. Mason (5-2)

Previous: lost to Beavercreek, 52-51; beat Lebanon, 59-51; beat Cincinnati Colerain, 86-34; beat Fairfield, 69-48; beat West Chester Lakota West, 55-35.

Last week: ranked No. 14, beat Cincinnati Oak Hills, 48-18; lost to No. 3 Cincinnati Princeton, 72-69.

This week: Dec. 20 at Middletown; Dec. 23 at Bellbrook.

15. Lakota East (6-4)

Previous: lost to Springboro, 38-37; beat Hamilton Badin, 58-40; lost to Kettering Alter, 46-39; lost to Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, 55-45; beat Fairfield, 64-40; lost to Pickerington Central, 51-46; beat West Chester Lakota West, 46-39; beat Hamilton, 63-29.

Last week: ranked No. 15, beat Cincinnati Sycamore, 64-15; beat Middletown, 67-41.

This week: Dec. 20 vs. Cincinnati Oak Hills.

16. Anthony Wayne (5-2)

Previous: beat Sylvania Southview, 61-21; beat Fremont Ross, 75-33; lost to Cincinnati Purcell Marian, 62-50; beat Findlay, 64-41.

Last week: ranked No. 10, beat Bowling Green, 62-33; beat Toledo Whitmer, 54-32; lost to then-No. 19 Marysville, 52-48.

This week: Dec. 23 at Dublin Coffman.

17. Gilmour Academy (3-1)

Previous: beat Shaker Heights Laurel, 58-50; beat Stow-Munroe Falls, 39-36; beat Warrensville Heights, 55-52; lost to Akron Hoban, 51-44.

Last week: ranked No. 16, no games scheduled.

This week: Dec. 20 at No. 20 Brush.

18. Copley (7-0)

Previous: beat Medina Highland, 75-30; beat Aurora, 51-43; beat Olmsted Falls, 49-40; beat Kent Roosevelt, 70-31; beat Cuyahoga Falls, 67-17.

Last week: ranked No. 17, beat Barberton, 73-20; beat Richfield Revere, 56-37.

This week: Dec. 20 at No. 8 Solon; Dec. 22 vs. No. 4 Magnificat.

19. St. Vincent-St. Mary (4-0)

Previous: beat Dublin Coffman, 62-30; beat Youngstown Ursuline, 67-21; beat Elyria Catholic, 56-43.

Last week: ranked No. 18, beat Anaheim (CA) Fairmont Preparatory Academy, 53-34.

This week: Dec. 20 vs. Doylestown Chippewa; Dec. 23 vs. Cleveland Heights Lutheran East.

20. Brush (6-0)

Previous: beat Cleveland Heights, 62-29; beat Amherst Steele, 64-27; beat Painesville Riverside, 65-42; beat Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, 57-46; beat Toledo Rogers, 51-36.

Last week: ranked No. 20, beat Akron Garfield, 78-24.

This week: Dec. 20 vs. No. 17 Gilmour Academy.

21. Toledo Central Catholic (3-2)

Previous: beat Toledo Start, 66-33; beat Toledo Bowsher, 41-38; lost to Wexford (PA) North Allegheny, 64-48; lost to Akron Hoban, 57-49.

Last week: ranked No. 22, beat Toledo St. Ursula, 52-15.

This week: Dec. 22 at Dearborn (MI) Divine Child.

22. West Branch (7-0)

Previous: beat Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, 51-24; beat Minerva, 56-20; beat Alliance Marlington, 51-21; beat Alliance, 53-30; beat Carrollton, 65-36.

Last week: ranked No. 23, beat Salem, 49-23; beat Louisville, 41-28.

23. Badin (4-2)

Previous: lost to Liberty Township Lakota East, 58-40; lost to Cincinnati Country Day, 48-36; beat Dayton Chaminade Julienne, 51-43; beat Middletown Fenwick, 70-29; beat Dayton Carroll, 67-52.

Last week: ranked No. 24, beat Trenton Edgewood, 64-34.

This week: Dec. 21 vs. Cincinnati Mercy McAuley; Dec. 23 vs. Cincinnati St. Ursula.

24. Kettering Fairmont (7-1)

Previous: beat Tecumseh, 62-33; beat Northmont, 52-39; lost to Springboro, 48-43; beat West Carrollton, 52-35; beat Springfield, 52-33; beat Miamisburg, 59-53.

Last week: unranked, beat then-No. 21 Centerville, 52-42; beat Huber Heights Wayne, 40-33.

This week: Dec. 20 at Beavercreek.

25. Centerville (4-2)

Previous: beat Springfield, 70-52; beat Miamisburg, 54-36; beat Beavercreek, 50-34; beat Clayton Northmont, 63-37.

Last week: ranked No. 21, lost to then-unranked Kettering Fairmont, 52-42; lost to No. 5 Springboro, 53-34.

This week: Dec. 20 vs. Huber Heights Wayne; Dec. 23 at Columbus Hartley.

Teams to watch (listed alphabetically): Beavercreek, Berlin Hiland, Laurel, Miami East, Norwood, Ottawa-Glandorf, Portsmouth, Toledo Christian, Unioto, Waynedale.