DES MOINES, Iowa — Johnston survived a rough patch in the middle of the game and continued an impressive array of streaks with its latest state tournament victory.
Opening the tournament’s semifinal round, the Dragons imposed their will in the second half and beat nearby rival Ankeny 49-39 to reach the Class 5A championship game for the seventh straight year.
Johnston (26-0) won for the 78th straight time and will go for its third consecutive title Friday night at 6 o’clock. The Dragons now have won eight consecutive state tourney games, matching the fifth-longest streak of all-time. Their overall winning streak is the third-longest in state history.
Ankeny didn’t make it easy for the Dragons. The Hawks, Iowa’s all-time leader with nine state titles, rallied from an early 15-5 deficit to take a 22-20 lead into halftime and trailed just 43-39 with under 3 minutes to play.
But Johnston’s Arianna Phillips came up with one of those plays that good teams make at the right moment. Teammate Jaliyah Kinnetz missed a 3-point shot from the right corner and a rebound would have given Ankeny a chance to make it a one-possession game.
Phillips was the quickest to the ball, however, corralled it and scored on a putback for a 45-39 lead with 2:35 remaining. Kelli Kalb’s free throw made it 46-39 and her steal with 1:14 left essentially ended Ankeny’s final hopes. Three more free throws wrapped it up for the Dragons, who held Ankeny scoreless the final 3:44 while scoring the game’s last six points.
Notre Dame signee Jenica Lewis led Johnston with 22 points and added eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. Phillips posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double and Kinnetz tacked on seven points.
Jayla Williams, who will play at Creighton next season, led Ankeny (16-9) with 20 points Allyana Aguirre scored nine. Ainsley Kiene had five points, eight rebounds and three steals for the Hawks, who were outrebounded 35-20 and surrendered 12 second-chance points.
Ankeny found its touch after making just one of 11 shots in the first quarter and ended the second period on a 15-3 run to take its halftime lead, getting six points from Williams in that burst and 3-pointers from Kiene and Aguirre.
Johnston missed its final seven shots of the half and turned it over four times in that stretch, then missed four straight to start the second half. Adaya Phillips made a layup to end the drought and start a run of eight straight points that put the Dragons ahead to stay.
Johnston shot 58 percent in the second half after going 2-for-15 in the second quarter and now gets a chance to add to its collection of four state titles. Dragons won in 2020 and 2022 in addition to the last two crowns.
