CINCINNATI — With only 650 fans from each school allowed to be in attendance for the OHSAA girls state basketball championships this weekend, schools are making it a priority to get all fans involved, even if that means they can’t go to the game in person. 

What You Need To Know

  • 650 fans per school get tickets to the Final Four and championship games

  • Since not all fans can go, many schools are sending off the teams at school-wide pep rallies to involve the entire student body

  • There will also be no student sections at the game to ensure social distancing

  • Most schools are giving first priority to family of the players

​​That's why senior Annie Nelson, the president of the Girls Athletic Association at Mount Notre Dame high school, spends a lot of her free time planning pep rallies and cheers.

“It’s definitely important to recognize what they’re working toward and help them celebrate their accomplishments all as a school," Nelson said.

She's been planning a winter sports pep rally in hopes to send off the basketball team to its third consecutive trip to the state's final four.

“We’re gonna be recognizing them after and wishing them luck and doing a few cheers before they go to the Final Four this weekend on Friday and then hopefully state on Saturday.”

Since the school only gets 650 tickets for fans, and the first tickets prioritized for families, the pep rally is the best way to get the student body excited for the team.

“Since not everyone can go to the games, it’s really important that we have these pep rallies so that they can still be involved in cheering them on and getting them hyped up and really excited for their games," Nelson said.

And with the way tickets are sold, no school will have a designated student section.

“Everyone’s separated so we don’t really have a student section anymore which is kind of disappointing," Nelson said. "But we try to make it work and have all the students sit in a general section.”

Nelson said that won’t keep the Cougar fans quiet.

“We try to be as loud as we can and as in sync as we can," she said. "But it’s really hard with us not all being crammed together like we usually are for all these games.”

While Nelson puts in a lot of hours into making these pep rallies full of cheers and fun, she said it’s always worth the stress.

“It’s totally worth it," Nelson said. "By the end, it’s so much fun.”

And now she hopes to bring the energy into the weekend’s game.

“These are the games that I live for," she said. "This is why I do this because I love going to those games and it’s like a full-circle fulfillment moment for me.”

Mount Notre Dame plays Friday night at 8 p.m. against Toledo Notre Dame Academy. If they win, they will play in the Division I title game on Saturday night at 8 p.m.