Lady Trojans win state!
DAYTON —Finally, at long last, storied and basketball tradition-rich Portsmouth High School is a city of champions once again.
Only this time, it's the Lady Trojans taking home hardware —the coveted gold trophy from the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
That's because, on Saturday in the OHSAA's first-ever Division V girls basketball state championship, Portsmouth put the final exclamation point on a historic season —and captured the program's first-ever state title.
The Lady Trojans, against Norwayne's Bobcats, took the lead for good halfway through the opening quarter —and rolled to a 53-38 victory inside the University of Dayton Arena.
That's right.
The win was years in the making —and began when most of the nine Lady Trojans were in junior high.
One of the team's two seniors, repeat all-Ohioan Daysha Reid who has signed to play collegiately at Georgetown in Kentucky, was in the fifth grade when she thought the dream of a state title would in fact be realized.
The Lady Trojans finished their most historic season at 27-1, setting a school record for most victories in a single campaign —and tying the Portsmouth boys team of 1988 for most wins in a single year, as those Trojans took home the most recent of four state titles on that side.
Portsmouth played in its second all-time state tournament, and second consecutive—having lost last year's Division III state semifinal against Ottawa-Glandorf.
This season marked the first for the OHSAA to expand girls and boys basketball tournament divisions to seven, and the Lady Trojans took full advantage in being Division V.
The only loss was at Division I power Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame 54-47 in early February, as the Lady Trojans' touted schedule against much bigger programs paid dividends all year.
The Lady Trojans swept through the Ohio Valley Conference's 14 games, won back-to-back Southeast District and regional championships, and defeated Fairland for a third time this season in the Division V state semifinals.
Amy Hughes, who completed her seventh season as PHS head coach on Saturday, won her first state championship —having guided Ironton there two full decades ago, prior to Portsmouth last season.
Hughes has constantly stressed defense the past two seasons, and it indeed won the championship as the old saying goes.
The Lady Trojans forced 24 Bobcat turnovers, including 15 in the opening half in building a 27-14 advantage.
Portsmouth pushed the lead 22 with 3:25 left in the third quarter —and never let the lead dip into single digits for the entire second half.
Four players scored in double figures for the Lady Trojans, paced by two-time Southeast District Player of the Year Sienna Allen with 17.
Allen is a six-foot junior, and the University of Dayton is one of her leading collegiate basketball scholarship offers.
Her fellow first-team all-Southeast District honoree Reid added 10, and all-district second-teamers and sophomores Hayven Carter and Keke Woods went for 11 points apiece.
The Lady Trojans shot 51-percent on 22-of-43, which was lowered actually by the 2-of-10 from three-point range.
But no matter, because the Lady Trojans' tenacious defense did its job— as per usual.
Norwayne shot just 32-percent on 12-of-37, including 5-of-16 from three-point range.
Norwayne, which defeated powerhouse Columbus Africentric in the state semifinal, was playing in its first-ever state tournament.
The state championship was the final game for both the five-foot and seven-inch Reid and the six-foot and three-inch Savannah Cantrell.
Complete coverage of the Lady Trojans' triumph for the state championship will appear online at www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com, and in this week's print editions of The Portsmouth Daily Times.
-
Lady Cougars wrap up title at Ada Tennis Tournament
The Ada High School girls tennis team won the team title at Tuesday’s Ada Tournament. The Lady Cougars finished with 26 points and Duncan was runner-up at 21. The Byng Lady Pirates captured third ...Yahoo Sports - 6h -
Arkansas State vs. Troy odds, prediction, time: 2025 Sun Belt Tournament final picks from proven model
SportsLine's model revealed its college basketball predictions for the Troy Trojans vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves on Monday in the Sun Belt Tournament championship gameCBS Sports - 5d -
Lady Jackets' rally comes up one short
Lee County softball has started the 2025 season with a very unfavorable schedule, and the Lady Jackets finally overcame it to get their first win of the season on Wednesday. They came a run short ...Yahoo Sports - 15h -
Dayton loses in overtime to Saint Joseph’s in A-10 Quarterfinals
The University of Dayton men’s basketball team’s run in the Atlantic 10 Tournament lasted only one game.Yahoo Sports - 20h -
Mikel Arteta reacts to ‘fascinating’ Champions League showdown against Real Madrid
Arsenal are set to take on Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals, a fixture that promises to be an intense and high-stakes encounter. This will be only the second time in history that ...Yahoo Sports - 19h -
Fowler boys basketball reaches state title game with win over Allen Park Inter-City Baptist
Fowler advances to face Wyoming Tri-unity Christian in the Michigan high school boys basketball Division 3 championship game Saturday.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Shot clocks for high school basketball remain a no for nearly half the states
Jim Norick Arena has hosted state tournament basketball games in Oklahoma since 1966. Because Oklahoma does not use shot clocks, teams still will be able to hold the ball as long as they wish to ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Kernel girls end season on winning note, earning fifth place in Class AA
Mar. 15—RAPID CITY — For the first time in Mitchell High School girls basketball coach Dave Brooks' tenure, the Kernels finished a state tournament on a winning note. Sixth-seeded Mitchell used a ...Yahoo Sports - 2h -
Ohio high school basketball tournament scores | OHSAA state semifinals
The 2025 OHSAA boys basketball tournament continues this week. Here's a look at the Ohio high school state semifinal scores from across the state.Yahoo Sports - 16h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Senators Win 4-2 In Toronto: Ridly Greig Gets Three Empty Net Chances
Make it six straight victories for the Ottawa Senators.Yahoo Sports - 10m -
Skip Bayless disses Luka Doncic after 45-point game while praising LeBron James
Has Skip Bayless softened his stance on LeBron James lately?Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Twelve Hours of Sebring results: Porsche Penske Motorsport sweeps top two spots
Felipe Nasr closes second consecutive victory for the No. 7 963 to start the 2025 season.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Giroux breaks 2nd-period tie, Senators beat Maple Leafs 4-2 for 6th straight victory
Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Detroit Pistons rally falls short vs Oklahoma City Thunder after Cade Cunningham ejection
Detroit Pistons score: Star Cade Cunningham was T'd up twice in a bizarre 3Q sequence, and the Pistons rallied in the fourth of a loss to the Thunder.Yahoo Sports - 13m
More in Sports
-
Senators Win 4-2 In Toronto: Ridly Greig Gets Three Empty Net Chances
Make it six straight victories for the Ottawa Senators.Yahoo Sports - 10m -
Skip Bayless disses Luka Doncic after 45-point game while praising LeBron James
Has Skip Bayless softened his stance on LeBron James lately?Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Twelve Hours of Sebring results: Porsche Penske Motorsport sweeps top two spots
Felipe Nasr closes second consecutive victory for the No. 7 963 to start the 2025 season.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Giroux breaks 2nd-period tie, Senators beat Maple Leafs 4-2 for 6th straight victory
Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Detroit Pistons rally falls short vs Oklahoma City Thunder after Cade Cunningham ejection
Detroit Pistons score: Star Cade Cunningham was T'd up twice in a bizarre 3Q sequence, and the Pistons rallied in the fourth of a loss to the Thunder.Yahoo Sports - 13m