State basketball finals will be held in Dayton

COLUMBUS — The Ohio High School Athletic Association plans to conduct this year's state basketball championships at the University of Dayton Arena.The girls championships will be March 11-13, followed by the boys a week later March 19-21 for all four divisions, including the state semifinals and finals.The OHSAA made it official Tuesday afternoon in a press release, noting that an approval for a variance from the Ohio Department of Health and health boards of Dayton and Montgomery County will permit a greater number of fans at the games during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.A specific number for permitted attendance will be announced a later date, the OHSAA said.The OHSAA had already planned to conduct the girls state championships at Dayton's UD Arena for the next three years, but that remained in question because of COVID-19 protocols. The boys championships were initially scheduled for St. John Arena in Columbus. The OHSAA said last week that it is conducting all regional tournament games at high school venues because college facilities are unavailable.UD Arena will be an exception."We are so excited that the University of Dayton has such a strong desire to host our basketball state tournaments and for all they did to receive a variance to allow more fans to attend," OHSAA executive director Doug Ute said. "We thank the health department officials for their cooperation as we worked through this request and we are committed to following the safety protocols they have in place. "Our schools have gone through so much since last March and we are thrilled that the season will culminate with the state tournaments at such a great venue as UD Arena." Two area high schools will host regionals: Sandusky (Division I girls) and Norwalk (Division I boys). UD Arena is the usual site for the NCAA tournament's First Four, but the entire tourney will be held in Indiana next month. Games are planned to be played first by Division IV, followed by Divisions III, II and I. The first two days of the championships are semifinal games, followed by the finals on the third day.The OHSAA said championship game times will be 10:45 a.m., 2 p.m., 5:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. with Spectrum News 1 carrying the broadcasts. The semifinals will be streamed through OHSAA.tv.The girls postseason began last week with sectional play, and the boys started Tuesday night.