Notre Dame's Ariel Cummings (34), who has signed to play the University of Toledo, is a key cog for an Eagles team that has repeated as Blade Poll champion.
The Blade/Katie Rausch
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For the second consecutive year, Notre Dame Academy is the only repeat champion in the final Blade girls high school basketball poll.
The Eagles of 10th-year coach Travis Galloway (204-90 record), who have won or shared all seven Three Rivers Athletic Conference championships, closed the regular season 18-4 overall and a perfect 14-0 for the second straight season in the TRAC.
Notre Dame takes the Blade Poll title in Division I after having advanced to the state final four in five of the past six seasons, including D-I state runner-up finishes in 2015 and last year.
The Eagles, ranked No. 10 in the final Associated Press state poll, topped repeat Northern Lakes League champion Perrysburg (19-3, 14-0) for the No. 1 spot in the big-school poll. Coach Todd Sims’ Yellow Jackets collected their fourth NLL title in the past six seasons. NLL runner-up Southview (17-4, 11-3) was No. 3 in D-I.
The three new Blade champions are City League champion Rogers in Division II and two teams from the Blanchard Valley Conference — Liberty-Benton in Division III and Arcadia in Division IV.
Rogers (19-3, 10-0) won its seventh conscecutive City League championship under eighth-year coach Lamar Smith, whose Rams were ranked No. 6 in the final D-II state poll.
The Rams edged TRAC runner-up Central Catholic (19-3, 12-2) for the top Blade spot, followed by No. 3 Oak Harbor (18-4, 9-3) of the Sandusky Bay Conference’s Bay Division.
Last season, BVC champion Liberty-Benton was edged out of The Blade’s D-III poll title by Northwest Ohio Athletic League champion Archbold. That honor proved worthy a couple weeks later, when the Blue Streaks edged L-B 37-35 in overtime in a regional semifinal.
This time, coach Nate Irwin’s Eagles (21-1, 11-0), ranked No. 7 in the D-III state poll, won The Blade’s poll title. Archbold (19-3, 6-1), ranked No. 5 in the state, dropped behind NWOAL champion Delta (21-1, 7-0) into the No. 3 spot in the final week after being hammered 65-40 by the host Panthers in Thursday’s showdown for the league title.
In Division IV, Arcadia (19-3, 9-2 BVC) edged SBC River Division champion Fremont St. Joseph (19-3, 10-0) for the title.
Coach Randy Baker’s Redskins were ranked No. 10 in the Division IV state poll.
With a week to go, Blade poll leaders on the boys side are Southview (Division I), Wauseon (D-II), Cardinal Stritch (D-III), and Toledo Christian (D-IV).
GIRLS
Division I
1. Notre Dame (1) 18-4
2. Perrysburg (2) 19-3
3. Southview (3) 17-4
4. Whitmer (4) 15-7
5. Start (NR) 12-9
Division II
1. Rogers (1) 19-3
2. Central Catholic (2) 19-3
3. Oak Harbor (3) 18-4
4. Lake (4) 16-6
5. Napoleon (5) 14-8
Division III
1. Liberty-Benton (1) 21-1
2. Delta (3) 21-1
3. Archbold (2) 19-3
4. Eastwood (4) 17-5
5. Elmwood (5) 15-7
Division IV
1. Arcadia (1) 19-3
2. Fremont St. Joseph (2) 19-3
3. Maumee Valley (3) 13-9
3. Holgate (4) 12-10
4. Toledo Christian (NR) 13-9
BOYS
Division I
1. Southview (1) 20-1
2. St. John's (2) 17-3
3. Northview (3) 18-2
4. Start (4) 17-3
5. St. Francis (5) 16-5
Division II
1. Wauseon (1) 21-0
2. Bryan (NR) 10-10
(No other teams qualify)
Division III
1. Cardinal Stritch (1) 19-1
2. Archbold (2) 17-3
3. Genoa (3) 18-3
4. Oak Harbor (4) 17-4
5. Woodmore (5) 16-5
Division IV
1. Toledo Christian (3) 17-4
2. Pettisville (1) 17-3
3. Maumee Valley (2) 16-5
4. North Baltimore (4) 14-5
5. Ottawa Hills (5) 11-8
The Blade poll ranks teams (.500 or better) from the City League, TRAC (except Lima Senior), NLL, NBC, TAAC, and NWOAL, plus Arcadia, Fayette, Fremont St. Joseph, Holgate, Lakota, Liberty-Benton, McComb, Montpelier, North Baltimore, Oak Harbor, Pettisville, Port Clinton, and Van Buren.