DES MOINES, Iowa – When the offense isn’t quite as sharp as usual, a team like Johnston can turn to its defense.
And so it was for the top-seeded Dragons in the opening game of the 2026 state tournament. They smothered Ankeny Centennial from the outset and continued its quest for a third consecutive Class 5A championship with a workmanlike 54-30 victory.
It was the 77th straight victory for Johnston (25-0), the third longest streak in state history, and sends the Dragons into a semifinal game at 10 a.m. on Thursday. Johnston, in the state tournament for a record-tying 12th consecutive year, is now 169-6 since the 2019-2020 season with four state titles and two runner-up finishes in that span.
Notre Dame signee Jenica Lewis led the offense with 13 points, along with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Teammate Kelli Kalb logged a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double and Adaya Phillips also scored 10 for the Dragons. Jaliyah Kinnetz and Mariah Dixon added eight points each, with Dixon knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. Dixon got her points in only six minutes of playing time.
But it was on the defensive end where the Dragons stood out. They held Centennial (12-12) to 21 percent shooting (10-for-48), forced 16 turnovers and came up with 10 steals, most of them leading to layups at the other end. Johnston amassed a 25-7 edge in points off turnovers and a 34-10 advantage in points in the paint. The Dragons also blocked 10 shots, Kalb and Paige Andernacht knocking away three each.
Johnston was shooting only 33 percent after three quarters, but mad all six of its shots in the fourth quarter to finish at 41.2 percent (21-of-51) for the game.
After early 2-2 tie, Lewis drove for two layups and Kinnetz followed with one of her own for an 8-2 lead and the Dragons stayed ahead the rest of the way. A modest 12-6 lead after the opening quarter grew to 17-7 early in the second period. An 8-0 run triggered by five points from Dixon made it 25-12 and the Dragons led 27-14 at the halftime break.
A 7-0 burst less than two minutes into the second half stretched the lead to 34-14 and Centennial never got closer than 18 after that.
Centennial, in the tournament for the sixth straight year, lost nine players from last season’s team and got off to a rough start, losing its first three games. But the Jaguars steadily improved and won their last two regular-season games before beating Des Moines Roosevelt and Cedar Falls in regional play to make it back to state. All but one of the Jaguars’ 12 losses were to state tournament qualifiers.
Junior Lizzie Beam led Centennial with 12 points and freshman Faith Perpich scored nine. The Jaguars had only two seniors in their top rotation.
