OHSAA Southeast District Girls Basketball Seeds, Pairings Set for 2026

Seeds and pairings for the OHSAA Southeast District girls basketball tournament have been finalized, setting a clear road map for local programs and their fans. Vinton County, seeded ninth at 12-6, will open Monday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. on the road at No. 8 Gallia Academy, which is 11-6. That matchup is part of a full slate of first-round and quarterfinal games that will determine which Southeast teams advance toward regionals and state play.

The statewide draw for Divisions III–VII occurred on Feb. 8, locking in the district fields. Many local brackets are headlined by high seeds with strong records: Circleville is the No. 1 seed in the Division IV Southeast bracket at 16-4, Logan Elm is No. 2 at 16-3, and McClain is No. 3 at 17-3. Those three will host quarterfinal opponents Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. after first-round winners advance. Division IV first-round games are Monday, Feb. 16 with all games starting at 7 p.m., including Jackson (10) at Fairfield Union (7) and South Point (11) at Waverly (6).

The regional picture varies by division. Division VI quarterfinals also begin Feb. 16 at 7 p.m., with Paint Valley (9) at Lynchburg-Clay (8) and Pike Eastern (12) at Valley (5) among the matchups. Federal Hocking carries the top seed in Division VI at 12-6 and will host a semifinal opponent at Southeastern High School the week of Feb. 23-24. Coal Grove is the No. 2 seed at 13-5; South Webster is the No. 4 seed at 10-8.

Statewide RPI mechanics determined many of these placements. As one outlet noted, "The OHSAA girls basketball MaxPreps RPI standings have been finalized, the seeds have been determined and the pairings are set for the upcoming district tournaments." Bracketology previews also have been "breaking down the Southeast district girls’ basketball tournament picture for 2026" and examining "which contests affected RPI and seeding and analyzes potential first-round pa[irings]." In Division III East, Steubenville Big Red earned the top seed at 20-1 and will open at home Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. against No. 5 Dover; Steubenville previously "owns a win over the Tornadoes earlier this season."

Venue assignments concentrate later rounds in regional hubs. Waverly Downtown Arena is scheduled to host multiple semifinal sessions on Saturday, Feb. 21 with time slots running from late morning through the evening, and will also host district finals on Saturday, Feb. 28 in three blocks at 12 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Logan High School is listed in published brackets for district semifinal activity on Feb. 25, and Southeastern High School will host Division VI semifinals Feb. 23-24. Some district final sites remain listed as site TBD in the published briefs.

For Vinton County fans, the immediate implication is clear: plan travel to Gallia Academy for the Feb. 16 opener, and monitor schedules closely as winners funnel toward Waverly and Logan for later rounds. Because some published schedules show multiple semifinal sites and dates, readers should confirm final sites and tip times with school athletic offices before making travel plans. The bracket sets a path; the coming two weeks will determine which local rosters convert those seeds into regional berths.