OHSAA girls basketball | 5 Greater Canton high school sectional finals to watch

The Ohio High School Athletic Association girls basketball tournament reaches the sectional finals Thursday and Saturday. Several of the top teams in the area will be seeking a spot in the district tournament. Here are five sectional finals to keep an eye on:

Hathaway Brown at Lake, OHSAA Division I, Northeast 2

Thursday, 7 p.m.

The matchup: No. 2-seeded Lake (20-2) hosts No. 57-seeded Hathaway Brown (7-14) with a trip to the district tournament on the line. The Blue Streaks are led by a well-rounded team led by senior guard Serenitee Johnson, who surpassed 1,000 points for her career in Lake's win over Garfield in the sectional semifinals. Senior point guard Emma Anderson averages 11.9 points per game this season for the Blue Streaks. Lake is on a five-game winning streak. Hathaway Brown received a bye in the sectional semifinals. The Blazers, who enter the tournament having lost three of their last four games, feature 6-foot-3 center Molly Castellanos. Castellanos is averaging 17.2 points per game this season.

McKinley at Fitch, OHSAA Division I, Northeast 2

Thursday, 7 p.m.

The matchup: No. 37-seeded McKinley (9-13) has already pulled one upset in the tournament with a 65-58 win on the road over No. 31 St. Joseph Academy in the sectional semifinals. The Bulldogs will look to pull another on the road against No. 17 Fitch (13-9). The Falcons enter this game having lost three of its last four games during the regular season. That includes setbacks to West Branch, Salem and Warren Howland. Destanie McCullough is averaging 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists for Fitch this season. McKinley dealt with injuries and a limited available number of varsity players during the regular season. Sophomore Mya Taylor, though, is capable of taking over a game by herself for McKinley. She averages an area-best 22.5 points per game, and is among area leaders with her 46 made 3-pointers. McKinley's commitment to defense and physicality can give teams fits.

Berea-Midpark at Jackson, OHSAA Division I, Northeast 5

Thursday, 7 p.m.

The matchup: No. 9-seeded Jackson (19-3) opens tournament play with a sectional final at home against No. 49 Berea-Midpark (11-12). The Polar Bears will look to get off to a solid start and set the tone for what they hope will be a lengthy postseason run. Jackson is led by Megan Campbell (13.6 ppg), Maddie Lepley (11.6 ppg) and Ashley Lahmers (10.6 ppg). Berea-Midpark enters having won four of its last five games. Freshman guard Regan Braaten leads the way for the Titans. Braaten was recently named second-team All-Southwestern Conference.

Westlake at Massillon, OHSAA Division I, Northeast 4

Thursday, 7 p.m.

The matchup: This appears to be one of the more evenly matched sectional finals, as No. 36 Westlake (14-9) travels to No. 24 Massillon (14-6). Westlake opened tournament play by knocking off No. 32 Warren Harding 55-39 in the sectional semifinals. The Demons have won five of their last six games. Westlake has a high energy two-way guard in Jacaia Onuwor who often leads the Demons in scoring. Massillon is a young team but gets strong leadership from senior Makiya Edwards, who averages 15.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Shooting guard La Nia Moore averages a double-double for Massillon with 12.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. The Tigers won three of their last four regular-season games heading into this contest.

Tuslaw at Columbia, OHSAA Division III, Northeast 1

Saturday, 1 p.m.

The matchup: No. 13 Tuslaw (18-5) rolled past No. 35 Mentor Lake Catholic 55-30 in a sectional semifinal Wednesday to set up perhaps the top sectional final in the region, as the Mustangs visit No. 7 Columbia (19-3). Tuslaw has two excellent post players in Destiny Dulkoski (18.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg) and Breanna McCabe (14.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg). Dulkoski recently broke the Tuslaw school record for points in a game with 47 in a 76-9 win over Tuscarawas Central Catholic on Feb. 6. The Mustangs have won 11 of their last 12 games. Columbia lost two of its final five games but those losses were to Keystone (22-0) in overtime and Loudonville (20-2). The Demons have a talented trio of players in Sadie Schulke, Kaitlyn Miller and Elise Champagne. This game could have the feel of a district final in just the second round of the tournament.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: 5 Canton-area high school girls basketball sectional finals to watch