CINCINNATI — The Purcell Marian High School girls basketball team is ranked No. 17 nationally by MaxPreps this week.
Purcell Marian (24-1) plays Thurgood Marshall (15-10) in a Division II district final at 5 p.m. Friday at the Mason High School Arena. The winner advances to next week's regional tournament in Springfield.
Friday night marks the seventh consecutive district final appearance for Purcell Marian, which has won back-to-back state titles in Division II (2023) and Division III (2022).
Purcell Marian coach Jamar Mosley said the district finals appearances represent the dedication and commitment to the game by the players and coaching staff over the years.
"One of our core values is teamship," Mosley said. "They care for one another on and off the court."
Purcell Marian, winners of 22 consecutive games, has outscored its past two opponents 130-30 in the first half of the tournament.
Mosley said the preparation for the postseason including the challenging practices and utilizing the scouting reports have been keys to success.
Mosley schedules meetings with the players and knows how focused they are this time of the year. But, it's also been a very enjoyable journey at the same time.
"I think they're having a lot of fun," Mosley said.
Purcell Marian is led by several players including junior Dee Alexander who averages 18.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.6 steals. Alexander has scored 1,807 points in her high school career.
Mosley said Alexander could easily average 30-plus points but the 2023 Ohio Ms. Basketball recipient is very unselfish and wants to get her teammates involved offensively.
Purcell Marian is trying to make a fourth consecutive trip to the state Final Four after being a 2021 Division III state semifinalist in addition to the 2022 and 2023 state titles. There have been 15 teams in state history with four consecutive trips to a state Final Four.
Entering this year's state tournament, 20 schools have won at least three girls basketball state titles overall.
Purcell Marian is trying to become the sixth girls basketball team in state history to win three consecutive state titles.
