From Mogadore-Rootstown to Norton-Streetsboro, 10 Portage girls basketball games to watch

Here are 10 girls basketball games to watch across Portage County this season.

This story certainly skews toward the first half of the season. As the year progresses, we'll get a better sense of the more intriguing games toward the latter end of the calendar:

Field at Rootstown (November 22)

For the fifth straight season, the Falcons and Rovers open up against each other, with Rootstown topping Field four times in a row, the last three by 20-plus points.

So why did this game make the list?

Simple.

The Falcons ended up making a huge leap last year, rising from eight wins in 2021-2022 to 13 wins a year ago. With its massive Class of 2025 having gained another year of experience, Field should be able to compete with a Rootstown team that is once again very talented. Watch for a great battle between a couple of fearless, physical drivers in the Falcons' Delilah Rahe and the Rovers' Nadia Lough.

Crestwood at Garfield (November 22)

This year also features a new all-local opener between the G-Men and Red Devils as the neighbors meet for the first time since their 2022 sectional final, which Garfield won by 22 points. Much has changed since, with the G-Men, winners of three straight district titles, having graduated a number of top players.

Watch for a highly intriguing battle of tall, versatile players in Crestwood's Hannah Ward and Garfield's Mandy Cardinal. Both Ward, a 5-11 junior, and Cardinal, a 6-0 sophomore, are capable of scoring inside and outside and are confident ball-handlers.

Norton at Streetsboro (December 1)

It's crazy to think that one of the Metro Athletic Conference's biggest games is occurring so early in the season. Indeed, both of the Rockets' games against the Panthers fall within their first 10 contests.

Both games — Dec. 1 at Streetsboro and Jan. 5 at Norton — could determine the MAC title and whether someone finally unseats the Panthers, who have won seven straight Metro championships.

Both teams won at home last year, with Streetsboro breaking Norton's massive MAC winning streak when they last met. The Panthers graduate MAC Player of the Year Bailey Acord but return a strong post in Morgan Hallett (first team all-league last year) and a strong guard in Andie Osolin (second team). Meanwhile, Streetsboro returns the bulk of its roster, led by star post Naomi Benson, another strong post in Ella Kassan and a number of talented guards on the rise.

Field at Streetsboro (Dec. 13)

Less than two weeks after Panthers-Rockets, two MAC teams on the rise meet along State Route 14. Both have loaded junior classes, including Benson and Rahe. Indeed, both teams return the bulk of their rosters from a year ago, leading to great matchups all over the court.

That includes Kassan and Benson battling Falcons juniors Sarah Balzer and Rahe in the paint and a bevy of athletic defenders for both teams up top, including Field's Harlin sisters and Streetsboro spark-plug Olivia Johnson-Wilson. The Rockets have won five straight games against the Falcons.

Mogadore at Southeast (Dec. 13)

A year ago, the Pirates swept the Wildcats by winning two thrillers. Their first game, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, came down to the wire with Southeast winning 35-34 on two free throws in the final minute. Their second game required overtime. This year's rematch will feature a lot of new faces for Southeast, which has a new coach (Ashley Callihan) and four new starters. Mogadore, on the other hand, returns the bulk of its roster, including a speedy backcourt that can cause a lot of trouble defensively.

Roosevelt at Aurora (Dec. 13)

A year ago, the Rough Riders snapped the Greenmen's long winning streak in their rivalry in early January. Aurora then got revenge against Roosevelt in their regular season finale.

Now, in this battle between Portage County's Suburban American members, Greenmen senior Sam Stask has emerged as one of the area's top scorers while the Rough Riders' Julia Nash and Arie Wilson are both poised to be breakout players this season.

Mogadore at Field (Dec. 16)

A year ago, the Wildcats won 15 games and the Falcons won 14. This year, Field returns 10 letterwinners and Mogadore returns nine. So, yes, this rivalry game should be fun.

Both have stars who love to drive to the basket in Wildcats senior Brook McIntyre and Falcons junior Delilah Rahe. Both have twins who can wreak havoc up top in Field's Harlin sisters and Mogadore's Tompkins sisters.

This is also a great chance for the Wildcats to work against a team with legitimate size before going up against Portage Trail Conference rival Rootstown, which has two of the county's top posts.

Roosevelt at Ravenna (Dec. 27)

Ravens-Rough Riders is much talked about on the football field. Their basketball doubleheader has also drawn a lively crowd in recent years and always makes for a fun watch. In the girls game, both Ravenna and Roosevelt graduated key players, including Kyla Carney and Mary Laudato for the Ravens and Lexie Canning and Ari Crockett for the Rough Riders. It will be interesting to see how both teams move forward this year. Expect a good battle in the paint between Roosevelt's Zariyah Taylor and Ravenna's Abby Schofield with the Ravens' Breena Kainrad and the Rough Riders' Julia Nash and Arie Wilson emerging as outside threats.

Mogadore at Rootstown (Jan. 3)

As mentioned earlier, folks don't have to wait long for one of the MAC's biggest battles (Norton-Streetsboro) as the two play December 1 and January 5.

As for the Rovers and Wildcats in a key PTC rivalry?

They don't play until 2024, meeting at the RoverDome January 3 and in Mogadore February 7.

The game should be worth the wait as the Wildcats figure to be one of the Rovers' leading obstacles as the latter attempts to win a third straight PTC championship. Last year, when Rootstown went 8-0 in the PTC, the Wildcats were the lone team to come within single digits of the Rovers.

Both teams return a ton of talent, including two of the league's top scorers in Rootstown junior Nadia Lough and Mogadore senior Brook McIntyre. Both have backcourts full of speedy guards who can force turnovers all night long. The key for the Wildcats is competing with the Rovers inside, as they'll lean on Amelia Morris and Olivia Kidd to square up against Rootstown's powerful duo of Brooklynn McIntyre and Lough.

Bristol at Windham (Jan. 25)

This game is a big one between longtime basketball rivals, both of which return strong leading duos. The Panthers' Payton Brook and Briauna Klingensmith both averaged double-digit scoring last year, while the Bombers' Briah Daniel and Mariah Woods have also been among the Northeastern Athletic Conference's leading scorers. With Bristol projected to be among the NAC's best, this is a great chance for Windham to prove itself.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Check out our ten girls basketball games to watch across the county