The Wilmington High School girls basketball team tips off its season Sunday in the Journey to the Tourney showcase event at Lakota West High School.
And the Lady Hurricane will have their hands full right away.
Wilmington will meet Eastern Brown 10 a.m. Sunday in the tournament. Eastern Brown lost to Versailles 58-34 in the Div. III state semifinals last season.
And the Lady Warriors (26-2 in 2016-17) return all five starters and nine players total who participated in that Final Four contest.
Wilmington returns five starters from last season’s 19-6 squad. Led by highly-touted Mya Jackson, the Lady Hurricane is expected to have a solid season. Jackson average 21 points a game last season and was second team All-Southwest District.
Other top WHS players returning include Faith Sanderson, Leah Frisco, Katlyn Jamiel, Jasmine Jamiel and Suzannah Johns.
But Eastern Brown is eyeing a return trip to Columbus.
Allison Day, a 6-1 senior, has signed to play college basketball with Loyola (Chicago). She was second team All-Ohio last season and has averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds for her career. She was the Southern Hills Athletic Conference player of the year in 2016-17.
Other starters returning include Whitney Broughton, Morgan Reynolds, Mikayla Farris and Alexa Pennington.
The Journey to the Tourney schedule for Sunday is:
• 10 a.m. Wilmington vs Eastern Brown
• 11:30 a.m. Gilmour Academy vs Centerville
• 1:10 p.m. Hamilton Hts (Tenn) vs Wayne
• 2:45 p.m. Princeton vs Toledo Rogers
• 4:20 p.m. Pickerington Central vs Fairmont
• 6 p.m. Newark vs Mount Notre Dame
• 7:30 p.m. Lakota West vs Beavercreek
The Journey to the Tourney schedule for Saturday is:
• 10 a.m. Summit Country Day vs Tecumseh
• 11:30 a.m. West Clermont vs Solon
• 1:10 p.m. Fairmont vs Berlin Hiland
• 2:45 p.m. Wayne vs Gilmour Academy
• 4:20 p.m. Mount Notre Dame vs Westerville South
• 6 p.m. Mason vs Columbus Africentric
• 7:30 p.m. Lakota West vs Hamilton Hts (Tenn.)
