It may only be the sectional round, but it's going to be a much-anticipated matchup pitting No. 1 against No. 2.
The Eugene Eagles, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2, is hosting the second-ranked Hartville Eagles to open the Class 2 state tournament tonight. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.
Eugene (24-4) and Hartville (22-5) are meeting in the sectional round for a third consecutive season. Hartville, the defending state champion, won the previous two matchups -- 61-58 last season on their home floor and 55-40 in 2023 at Lebanon.
In their first meeting, Eugene defeated Hartville 59-54 in the 1992 Class 2A state semifinals. That season was Eugene's only Final Four trip in program history.
Eugene won the District 9 Tournament on Friday, dominating the Crocker Lions for a 69-35 victory. The Eagles have won five district titles in the past six seasons.
Leading Eugene in scoring this season are seniors Isaac Busch and Justice Allen, each averaging 17 points per game. Junior Ethan Wunderlich is scoring 14 points per contest.
All three players have surpassed 1,000 points for their careers. Busch reached the mark first last season, then Allen scored his 1,000th point in December and Wunderlich made it to 1,000 points in January.
Hartville claimed the District 10 Tournament championship Friday, edging third-ranked Norwood 50-48. It's the Eagles' 12th district title in the past 13 seasons.
In the closing seconds with the score tied at 48, Boone Garrison's 3-point attempt was off the mark, but Payton Cogdill grabbed the rebound and scored the putback with one second left to give Hartville the win.
Payton Cogdill finished with 13 points, while Mason Cogdill scored a game-high 20 points for the Eagles.
The Eugene-Hartville winner advances to play in the state quarterfinals Friday night against the sectional winner between Blue Eye (19-8) and Pleasant Hope (16-10), both unranked. Eugene would host Blue Eye or play at Pleasant Hope, while Hartville would host either team if it wins.
III
For the seventh consecutive season, the St. Elizabeth Hornets are playing in the Class 1 state sectional round.
St. Elizabeth (19-9), ranked No. 10, will take on the unranked Cairo Bearcats (19-9) at 6:30 p.m. today at Blair Oaks High School in Wardsville.
The Hornets claimed their seventh straight district title Friday night with an 83-64 win against the Prairie Home Panthers.
St. Elizabeth, which has won 12 of its past 15 games, is led in scoring by senior Gavin Williams, who is averaging 14.5 points per game. Nick Heckemeyer, also a senior, is scoring 12.5 points per contest.
Cairo claimed its first district title since 2021 with Friday night's 68-51 victory against Higbee.
Kaden Winkler, a senior, scored a game-high 26 points for the Bearcats. Junior Shaun Luecke and senior Zander Holman added 18 and 17 points, respectively.
This will be the first meeting between the Hornets and the Bearcats since the 2020 state sectionals. The Hornets won that contest 46-44 at Harrisburg.
The adjacent sectional matchup is between teams tied for the No. 2 ranking in Class 1 -- the Brunswick Wildcats (25-2) and the Green City Gophers (27-0).
The two sectional winners will go head-to-head in the quarterfinal round Friday night. With a win, St. Elizabeth would host Green City or play at Brunswick, while Cairo would host either team with a victory.