Former Ohio High School Girls basketball Stars Make a Major Impact at Mid-American Conference Tournament

Twenty-one players with Ohio high school roots competed in the MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament, highlighted by a 25-point performance from North Ridgeville alum Grace Kingery and Miami’s run to the conference title.

Kent State University’s Caitlyn Holmes (0), University of Akron’s Liisa Taponen (14), and Kent State University’s Riley Rismiller (30) during a Kent free throw, Jan. 17, 2026, at M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio. | Andrew Dolph / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CLEVELAND, OHIO - The Mid-American Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament was held this past week, as the top eight teams in the conference converged on Rocket Arena in Cleveland.

There were seven games over three days – quarterfinals on Wednesday, semifinals on Friday and the championship game on Saturday – with Miami taking home the title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 68-58 win over Toledo in the championship game.

MAC Tournament Rosters Featured 21 Former Ohio High School Stars

Among the rostered players on the eight teams were 21 players who played their high school basketball in the state of Ohio, led by Bowling Green with six players and Ohio with four.

North Ridgeville graduate Grace Kingery had the best individual game, scoring 25 points for Ball State in a win over Bowling Green in the quarterfinals.

This is how each player who played their high school basketball in Ohio fared in the MAC Tournament.

Ball State Cardinals

Defeated Bowling Green 75-63 in quarterfinals; lost to Toledo 69-65 in semifinals.

Grace Kingery (North Ridgeville) – The honorable mention All-MAC selection scored a game-high 25 points and had five rebounds in the win over Bowling Green in the quarterfinals. Scored seven points in the loss to Toledo.

Bowling Green Falcons

Lost to Ball State 75-63 in the quarterfinals.

Lauren Gerken (Liberty-Benton) - Did not play. 

Laila Harrison (Mount Notre Dame) - Did not score in limited action in the loss to Ball State in the quarterfinals.

Paige Kohler (Olmsted Falls) – The third-team All-MAC selection led the Falcons with 16 points in the loss to Ball State in the quarterfinals.

Ka’Aira Miller (Purcell Marian) – Scored three points in limited action in the loss to Ball State in the quarterfinals.

Emily Siesel (Buckeye Central) – Played nine minutes but did not score in the loss to Ball State in the quarterfinals.

Kaia Woods (Tiffin Columbian/Hopewell-Loudon) – Scored 13 points in the loss to Ball State in the quarterfinals.

Central Michigan Chippewas

Lost to Ohio 89-88 in the quarterfinals.

Jayda Mosley (Purcell Marian) – Scored three points in the loss to Ohio in the quarterfinals.

Riley Smith (Archbishop Alter) – Did not play.

Kent State Golden Flashes

Lost to Miami 65-58 in the quarterfinals.

Journey Hildebrand (Brunswick) – In the loss to Miami in the quarterfinals, Hildebrand scored three points and grabbed four rebounds.

Caitlyn Holmes (Ellet) – The three-time Akron City Series Player of the Year saw limited action in the quarterfinals against Miami, scoring two points on two shots.

Riley Rismiller (Coldwater) – Tied for the team lead with eight rebounds in the loss to Miami, also adding three points.

Miami RedHawks

Defeated Kent State 65-58 in quarterfinals; Defeated Ohio 80-52 in semifinals; defeated Toledo 68-58 in championship game.

Anna Hurst (Stow) – Did not play in the win over Kent State in the quarterfinals. Hit a 3-pointer on her first shot in the win over Ohio in the semifinals and had three points.  Did not play in win over Toledo in the championship game.

Macie Taylor (Troy) – Did not score in limited action in the win over Kent State in the quarterfinals. Had two points and three steals in the win over Ohio in the semifinals. Did not score in limited action in the win over Toledo in the championship game.

Ohio Bobcats

Defeated Central Michigan 89-88 in quarterfinals; lost to Miami 80-52 in semifinals.

Aja Auston (Westerville South) - Did not play.

Gigi Bower (Olentangy) – Scored three points in the win over Central Michigan in the quarterfinals. Had three points on a 3-pointer in the loss to Miami.

Madison Lim (Mechanicsburg) – Did not play in the win over Central Michigan in the quarterfinals. Did not score in limited action in the semifinals against Miami.

Aliah McWhorter (Sycamore) – Scored three points in the win over Central Michigan in the quarterfinals. Scored two points in the loss to Miami.

Toledo Rockets

Defeated UMass 67-56 in quarterfinals; defeated Ball State 69-65 in semifinals; Lost to Miami 68-58 in the championship game.

Kendall Carruthers (Holland Springfield) – The third-team All-MAC selection hit three 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the win over UMass in the quarterfinals. Had 12 points, including two clutch free throws, in the win over Ball State. She scored five points in the loss to Miami.

Alexa Hocevar (West Geauga) – Did not play.

Destiny Robinson (Fremont Ross) - Did not play.