Johnston is, once again, back in the Class 5A state championship game.
The Dragons (26-0) – led to victory by Jenica Lewis’ 22-point performance – held off Ankeny (16-9) for a 49-39 victory in the semifinals of the Iowa high school girls state basketball tournament on Thursday, March 5. Lewis shot 50% from the field, making three 3-pointers, in addition to eight rebounds, two assists and a steal.
“It doesn’t matter if she missed 20 shots in a row, we’re still gonna have her take those shots,” coach Chad Jilek said of Lewis’ performance. “But when she made that first shot, I just looked at my assistant coaches and said, ‘That’s a great sign for today.’ She played tremendous.”
The first two quarters of this game were night and day for both teams.
Johnston came out swinging, with Lewis sinking a 3-pointer – after making no shots from deep in the quarterfinals – on her first shot of the game. The Dragons held their opponent at bay, outscoring Ankeny, 13-5, over the opening eight minutes.
The Hawks weren’t giving up without a fight, though.
Ankeny figured out ways to get the ball in the basket, and the Hawks stood strong on defense at the other end. Johnston scored just five points in the second – and went without a basket for the final 4:46 of the half.
The Hawks piled on 17 points, capped by a 3-pointer from freshman Ali Aguirre that gave Ankeny a 20-18 lead at the break. For the first time this season, the Dragons trailed at halftime.
“Credit goes to them, they played a great game,” Jilek said. “They did some things and got up into our players on offense, and it caused some problems for our girls. We didn’t take advantage of what they were giving us. (Ankeny coach) Nate (Tobey) does a great job with those girls.
“I was never really at the point where I thought we were going to lose that game, even when we were down. But I knew going into that second half, it was still gonna be a battle.”
The Dragons scored first in the second half, first evening the score, and then pulling ahead. Ankeny hung with Johnston, though, keeping the Dragons from getting a double-digit lead – something that’s become the hallmark of so many Johnston games – in the third quarter.
Johnston increased its cushion in the opening minutes of the fourth, increasing its advantage to 11 points. Ankeny, once again, cut away at that lead, but unlike in the first half, the Hawks could not overtake Johnston.
The Dragons won this game in the margins. Johnston scored 12 second-chance points while Ankeny had 0; Johnston limited its turnovers and scored more points off Ankeny turnovers.
Behind Lewis’ 22 points, Ari Phillips compiled a stat line of 10 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Kelli Kalb was limited to three points, but she picked up eight rebounds and four steals.
Jayla Williams led Ankeny with 20 points, and she came away with four steals in the loss. The Hawks finish the season in the state tournament for the first time since 2013.
“Getting here, that’s what we talked about going into the year, just raising the standard,” said head coach Nate Tobey. “Not just surviving and having a chance in our regional final game, but actually contending for a championship. Our seniors really bought into that, and that’s why we were here today.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Johnston tops Ankeny to advance to Iowa girls basketball state championship game
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
