Classic in the Country Delivers Statement Wins, Undefeated Runs and Late-Game Drama on Opening Day

From dominant blowouts to a thriller that went down to the final minutes, Saturday’s opening slate at the 23rd annual Classic in the Country showcased why the Berlin Hiland showcase remains one of Ohio’s premier girls basketball events

Springboro's McKenzie Jones (left) and Archbishop Hoban's MaKenzie Grant (right) jump to start their game at the Classic at the Country on Saturday, January 17, 2026. / Ryan Isley, High School on SI

BERLIN, Ohio - One of the premier events in Ohio high school girls basketball kicked off on Saturday at Berlin Hiland High School in the form of the 23rd annual Classic in the Country.

There were eight games played Saturday, with six scheduled for Sunday and eight more on Monday.

Here is a quick recap of each game from Saturday:

Wadsworth 63, Carrollton 26

A 24-3 run between the first and second quarters propelled the Grizzlies to a 30-9 lead midway through the second quarter and they never relented.

Wadsworth forced 29 turnovers in the game and turned those into 36 points.

Senior Lauren Decker led Wadsworth with 16 points, seven assists, seven steals and six rebounds, while sophomore Julia Maddox and freshman Tenley Mendel each added 10 for the Grizzlies.

Emma Shafer scored a team-high 10 points for Carrollton, while Kylie Ulcich had a game-high 12 rebounds.

Toledo Start 51, Medina 42

Medina started the game by leading 17-9 after one quarter but Start responded with an 18-4 second quarter to lead by six at the half.

After Medina went on an 8-0 run to take a 29-28 lead in the third quarter, Start rebounded with a 15-5 run to take the lead for good. The run started with a layup by Jade Latson and a 25-foot 3-pointer by Ava Pietras.

The duo of Latson and Pietras led the Spartans with 18 points and 15 points respectively, will all four of Pietras’ field goals coming from behind the arc.

Medina was led by Abby Dress with 14 points, while Vivian Kelps and Addy Shook each scored 11 for the Bees.

Dublin Coffman 51, Toledo Notre Dame Academy 26

The Shamrocks trailed by one after a quarter of play.  And then they exploded for a 19-2 second quarter to take control of the game and a 28-12 lead into the half.

The defense for Coffman stifled the eagles’ offense all day, as NDA shot just 21.3% from the field.

The Shamrocks were led by Riley Blankenship, who had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, four of those on the offensive glass. Kylie Mast added 17 points for Coffman and Katie Bohman had 10 rebounds.

Kallie Thames and Brooklyn Armstead each scored 13 for the Eagles, and Thames led the team with nine rebounds.

Magnificat 30, West Branch 21

In a low-scoring affair, it was Magnificat pulling away in the second half for a win.

After leading 10-8 at the half, the Blue Streaks outscored the Warriors 10-6 in the third quarter and 10-7 in the fourth.

Neither team shot the ball well, as Magnificat made just 9-of-40 shots (22.5%), including 2-of-19 from 3-point range, while West Branch hit just 8-of-33 (24.2%) and missed all six of their 3-point attempts.

Gemma Wichmann led Magnificat with nine points and eight rebounds, Izzy Wilson had eight points and Elise Laoporte added seven. West Branch’s Hallie Vie Burton led all scorers with 10 points.

Bellbrook 48, Fairland 31

A dominant all-around performance by sophomore Libby Bunsold led the Eagles to a win over Fairland in the fifth game on Saturday. She scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists, all team highs.

Fairland scored the game’s first seven points, but Bellbrook came roaring back with 12 in a row and led 12-10 after the first quarter. Bellbrook then took a 23-18 lead into the half and extended it to 38-27 after three quarters.

Lauren Fabrick scored 14 points for Bellbrook and Emmie Sears added nine.

Fairland was led by Morgan Elkins with nine points.

Springboro 41, Archbishop Hoban 28

A 22-10 run that spanned the second and third quarters was enough to propel Springboro to the win.

Springboro jumped out to a 10-4 lead early on, but the Knights responded by scoring the final six points of the first quarter to close the gap to 10-8 before the Panthers scored 11 of the first 12 points in the second quarter.

University of Tulsa signee McKenzie Jones led all scorers with 12 points for the Panthers and also grabbed 12 rebounds.  

Amariya Davis led the Knights with 10 points.

This was the first game for Hoban without guard Niera “Zig” Stevens, who was injured on Tuesday in a loss to Laurel.

Mount Notre Dame 66, Berea-Midpark 50

Mount Notre Dame remained undefeated (15-0) with a win over Berea-Midpark.

Berea-Midpark took an 18-14 lead early in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Regan Braaten, but a 17-1 avalanche followed for the Cougars to take a commanding lead at 31-19 and they never trailed again.

The Titans got the deficit down to eight several times in the second half, but the Cougars had an answer each time.

Mia Vieth led all scorers with 27 points for the Cougars, while FReece Hacnkey had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

Braaten led the Titans with 24 points, including four 3-pointers.

Bellevue 46, Hiland 39

Saturday saved the best game for last, as Bellevue outlasted Hiland.

The host team started on a roll, leading 15-6 after the first quarter.

But the defending Division IV state champions went on a 15-4 run to end the second quarter and take a 23-21 lead into the half.

Hiland wouldn’t go away, however, and the teams headed to the final quarter tied at 35-35.

The Hawks took a 37-35 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Bellevue answered with eight straight points to pull out the win and remain undefeated at 13-0.

Ellie Freitag led Bellevue with 13 points and Youngstown State commit Kaitlyn Turinsky added 12.

Perryn Mishler of Hiland led all scorers with 14, and Reagan Zerger scored 13 for the Hawks.