The Lady Trojans Go Back-to-Back

DAYTON - The Portsmouth Lady Trojans are OHSAA Division V State Champions for the second year in a row after a 53-48 win over Ottawa-Glandorf.

The Lady Trojans entered the contest with a 23-4 record and riding a 7-game winning streak. But, to achieve the gold, they were going to need to go through a 28-0 Ottawa-Glandorf team led by Ohio's Miss Basketball candidate Karsyn Erford.

In their state-semifinal game versus last year's Division V state runners-up, Norwayne; Portsmouth found themselves down late. But the Lady Trojans regrouped, responded, and came away with a 40-37 win.

In OG's (Ottawa-Glandorf) state-semifinal matchup, they had to take down Portsmouth's OVC rival, Fairland. This game was a battle from start to finish but it was OG who came out victorious to set up the OHSAA Division V State Championship game between Portsmouth and Ottawa-Glandorf.

This game was a back-and-forth affair as Portsmouth leaned on Senior Sienna Allen and OG was led by Madison McKee. As the first half came to a close, Portsmouth's Keke Woods exploded for a couple late buckets to give the Lady Trojans a 31-24 lead. Keke led all scorers with 15 points while going a perfect 6-6 from the field.

In the second half, the Lady Titans continued their dominance in the paint with the help of Madison McKee. Ottawa-Glandorf was able to battle back and cut the Lady Trojans lead down to 2.

Both teams continued to trade field goals and with just under two minutes remaining in the contest, Portsmouth held a 1-point lead. The Lady Trojans began playing keep away which led to Ottawa-Glandorf fouling to extend the game. Portsmouth would nail all of their free throws down the stretch and as the clock ticked away, OG was unable to get any clean looks at the basket. This led to Portsmouth securing the state title for the second year in a row.

The Lady Trojans capped off an incredible season with a staggering 24-4 record. Keke Woods led all scorers at the end of the contest with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Sienna Allen poured in 13 points and Hayven Carter netted 8 points of her own.

Ottawa-Glandorf finished their season with a 28-1 record as they became the OHSAA Division V State Runners-Up. The Lady Titans now look towards next season as they graduate 4 seniors including Ohio Miss Basketball Candidate, Karsyn Erford.