Finalists announced for Ohio Ms. Basketball

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Prep Sports Media Association on Wednesday announced the finalists for the 2026 Ohio Ms. Basketball award, which will be announced March 12.Voting is currently underway for the 229 registered OPSMA members and will end at noon Monday.The voting process for OPSMA members is the same as that used to determine the Heisman Trophy winner in college football. First-place votes get three points, second-place votes get two points and third-place votes get one point.Ms. Basketball was selected by The Associated Press from 1987-2016. Since 2017 it has been presented by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association, though most of the voters were part of both organizations.The All-Ohio teams will begin being released on March 23. Karsyn Erford, Ottawa-Glandorf, 5-10, sr.The guard was averaging 18.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists for the Titans, who were 25-0 entering a regional semifinal. The two-time Western Buckeye League and OHSBCA District 8 Player of the Year and two-time Northwest District Player of the Year broke the school career scoring record on her 18th birthday on Jan. 22 and also owns a program-record 10 3-pointers in a game.Erford, who is committed to Division II Findlay, will finish as a four-time All-Ohioan, earning honorable and special mentions as a freshman and sophomore before being on the first team last season. Ottawa-Glandorf was 97-8 overall and 36-0 in the WBL with her in the lineup entering the regional tournament, which includes four district titles and a state runner-up finish.Tatiana Mason, Brush, 5-10, jr.A Ms. Basketball finalist last season, Mason has filled it up for the Arcs (17-5) without fellow junior point guard Chaniyra McDowell-Isaacs in the lineup because of injury. Mason picked up the slack by averaging 24.6 points with 11.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.3 steals for the Division III state-title hopefuls.Her productivity came against the second-most difficult RPI Division III schedule in the state. Mason is committed to Ohio State, which offered her a scholarship as a sophomore during Brush's run to the state semifinals. She is the daughter of 2000 Mr. Basketball winner Chet Mason, who shared the award with Medina's Tony Stockman.Evelyn McKnight, Copley, 5-8, sr.The Northeast Inland District Player of the Year was averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 steals, 5.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists through the district finals. Copley has another Division I college recruit in Audrey Parker (Central Michigan), but she suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the season.McKnight, who's committed to Youngstown State, had to step up her game and do more. The daughter of former Wadsworth standout Jed McKnight compiled a triple-double in a 61-39 win over Ellet in a district final with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, scored 31 points in a 62-44 win over Walsh Jesuit in the district semifinals and ended the regular season with 33 points in a 66-59 win over Norton.She helped Copley earn a share of the Suburban League American Conference championship with Highland, against which she accounted for all but one point in a 48-44 loss by scoring 37 points and assisting Zoey Van Voorhis on two 3-pointers.Nylah McShan, Steubenville, 5-8, sr.The D-II Clarion (Pa.) signee and East District D-III Player of the Year was part of a Steubenville team that set the school record for wins and reached the district finals. McShan averaged 20.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 2.5 assists.Sydney Mobley, Sunbury Big Walnut, 6-2, jr.The forward is one of the most coveted recruits in the country with offers from Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Michigan State and Virginia Tech.Mobley is seeking a third consecutive first-team All-Ohio selection — her first came with D-I Olentangy before transferring — and is rated among the top 20 2027 recruits nationally by ESPN. She averages 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks while shooting 58 percent from the field for a top-seeded 21-4 district championship team that advanced to the final four in 2025.A Ms. Basketball and Gatorade state player of the year nominee, Mobley is two-time District 11 coaches, All-Central District and Ohio Capital Conference Capital Division Player of the Year.Kayla Thornton, Fairmont, 5-8, sr.Thornton led the Firebirds to a 22-0 season, Greater Western Ohio Conference championship and a No. 1 seed in the Southwest D-I District. She is the GWOC Player of the Year and the Southwest District D-I Player of the Year.Thornton averaged a league-leading 18.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 4.2 steals while shooting 48.5% from the field, 28.4% from three and 72.7% from the free throw line. She will play college basketball at Akron.Whitney Stafford, Lewis Center Olentangy, 5-8, sr.The Kent State signee is a two-time Central District Player of the Year and Ms. Basketball nominee. Stafford averages 21.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 45% from the field, including 34% on 60 3-point makes and 83% at the foul line for a top-seeded 21-3 team that won its third consecutive district title.Stafford, a guard who made first-team All-Ohio as a sophomore and junior, is the school's all-time leading scorer, regardless of gender, with roughly 1,700 points.