Detroit Renaissance sophomore center Jayla Adams has a simple plan for her first trip to Breslin Center this weekend.
“I’m ready to go there, be with the team and dominate,” Adams said.
Adams had a quick, neat and dominant two-way performance in Renaissance’s 67-29 win over Dearborn in the MHSAA girls basketball Division 1 quarterfinal at Calihan Hall on Tuesday, March 17. The Phoenix weathered a slow start and then opened up a big lead with a 27-point second quarter.
Adams had two blocks and four steals and scored a game-high 20 points as Renaissance opened up a 30-point lead and cruised to a victory. She frequently extended possessions with offensive rebounds (while finishing with six) and made sure the Pioneers would not have the same luxury on the other end.
“We are a completely different team when she is on the court,” Renaissance coach Deshaun Wood said. “Last year it was that way. This year it is that way. If she’s out there defensively, she protects the rims and allows our guards to play with a lot of pressure. Offensively, she gets buckets, scores, she runs the floor, she sets good screens.”
Adams had a handful of screen assists, walling off Dearborn defenders to create open shots for sophomore guards Maria Walker and Kassidy Cain. If they didn’t pull the shot themselves, they would try to find Adams on the roll or after she sealed off a defender.
The screening, the length inside the paint at 6-foot-1 with a plus wingspan, her hustle up and down the floor and her infectious positive energy are all positives giving Renaissance a nightly boost. Adams and senior Jaebri’an Autry give Renaissance a frontcourt tandem that can match up with anyone in Michigan.
Adams’ importance was apparent in Renaissance’s 62-60 double overtime win over Wayne Memorial in the regional finals. Adams and Wayne center Kaylee King, one of the best bigs in Michigan, had an even battle for the first 3½ quarters.
Renaissance led by nine when Adams fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, and King immediately went on a personal 8-0 run once Renaissance couldn’t rely on their game-changing rim protector.
“She does a lot of those things that don’t show up in the stat sheet,” Wood said.
Adams and the rest of the Phoenix starters sat on the bench for the majority of the second half, cheering on their teammates loud enough to fill up Calihan Hall. Adams had the same smile she normally has while playing, yelling and cheering as the Renaissance bench got more minutes deep in the playoffs.
Adams is always smiling or hyping up her teammates. That energy rubs off on every other Phoenix player and coach.
“Man, she has a lot of energy,” Wood said. “She keeps me going. Any video or highlight you see, she’s screaming at the top of her lungs nine times out of 10. That’s how that position is with bigs. She’s had a great year.”
Adams, Walker and sophomore Kassidy Cain are trio of sophomores who play well above that level. All three got extensive minutes as freshmen in 2025 and are a year older, wiser and better as sophomores.
Walker is a defensive menace that can score at the rim or behind the arc. Cain is a true point guard that sets up her teammates in the right spots or exploits gaps herself for easy points. Cain and Adams have developed into an effective pick-and-roll pairing.
“She’s extremely smart with a lot of IQ,” Wood said of Cain. “She know who needs the ball when and where. She knows when she needs to score. It is rate to get point guards like that to play at their pace and control the game.
“With her doing that on the perimeter and Jayla doing what she does inside, it kind of makes for the perfect tandem.”
Renaissance (22-2) has now won 19 straight games, dating back to Dec. 20. The Phoenix will face DeWitt, which pulled off a stunning upset of top-ranked Belleville, in the state semifinals on Friday (2 p.m.) at Breslin Center.
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jayla Adams changes trajectory of Detroit Renaissance girls basketball
Reporting by Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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