Cincinnati Purcell Marian sophomore Dee Alexander was announced as the 2023 Ohio Ms. Basketball Wednesday by a statewide media panel. Now in its 36th year, the prestigious award was first given by the Associated Press in 1988. It has been voted by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association since 2017.
This is the third consecutive year that Greater Cincinnati has won the award after Mount Notre Dame’s KK Bransford (2022 and 2021), who is now a freshman guard at the University of Notre Dame. Other Greater Cincinnati winners have included Princeton’s Kelsey Mitchell (2014), Lakota West’s Amber Gray (2008), Reading’s Carol Madsen (1989) and Seton’s Janet Haneberg (1988). Alexander’s name is etched into Ohio high school girls basketball history with two years remaining at Purcell Marian. She enters the state Final Four with 35 college scholarship offers to go along with 1,307 points for her career. Alexander averages 25.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals this season.
New Madison Tri-Village senior Rylee Sagester was the runner-up. Loudonville junior Corri Vermilya and Pickerington Central senior Madison Greene earned third and fourth places, respectively. Other finalists included Toledo Start junior Sinai Douglas, Shaker Heights Laurel freshman Saniyah Hall and Belmont Union Local senior Reagan Vinskovich.