Favored from the start of the season, Johnston lived up to the hype.
All-tournament captain Jenica Lewis scored 20 points and Aili Tanke added 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the unbeaten Dragons past Dowling Catholic 48-36 for their third Class 5A state championship in five years.
Johnston stymied the Maroons with an aggressive, trapping defense in the first half, then made the plays it needed to stay safely ahead through the final two quarters.
The title capped a 26-0 season for the Dragons, who also won titles in 2020 and 2022 and posted an eye-popping five-year record of 118-6 after a record fifth straight appearance in the title game.
Lewis, a sophomore, went 5-for-11 on 3-pointers and added three rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist. Tanke, a senior who will play at Iowa State next season, scored 10 of her points in the first half in helping stake the Dragons to a comfortable lead. She finished 2-for-6 from deep and 5-for-10 overall.
Freshman Ari Phillips added six points and three assists for Johnston while playing quality minutes in relief of starter Aaliyah Riley, who got into early foul trouble.
Ava Zediker, a junior who has committed to Creighton, scored 19 of her 25 points in the second half to lead Dowling Catholic, which trailed 25-11 at halftime and struggled to get the lead below double figures after that. Johnston did a terrific job defensively on Katelyn and Ellie Muller, who had combined for 30 points in a semifinal victory over Cedar Falls. The Dragons held Katelyn to four and limited Ellie to three.
Dowling Catholic scored the game’s first five points but never led again after Tanke hit a 3 and Phillips scored on a putback to put Johnston up 13-9 at the first quarter break. The Dragons then held the Maroons to one basket in the second quarter and finished the period with 12 straight points to take control.
The Maroons did pull to 34-27 early in the fourth quarter when Zediker leaned forwad as if she was going to drive, then stepped back and buried a 3 from the left of the key. That was as close as it would get.
Tanke hit a step-back trey of her own for a 38-27 lead, then secured the victory when she grabbed the rebound after Dowling Catholic missed a 3-point shot and knocked in a pull-up jumper at the other end, making it 47-34 with 43 seconds left.
Dowling, which had been seeking its fifth state title, finished 21-5. The final margin was similar to the two regular-season games between the central Iowa rivals, Johnston victories of 65-53 and 43-31.
Tanke, Zediker and Ellie Muller also made the all-tournament team along with Grace Knutson of Cedar Falls and Divine Bourrage of Davenport North.