Johnston is headed back to the Class 5A championship game after another impressive display of its high-end talent.
Amani Jenkins scored 19 points and got plenty of help from teammates as the top-seeded Dragons started Day 4 of the state tournament by rolling past Ankeny Centennial 61-42 for its 51st straight victory.
Johnston will try to make it two championships in the row in Friday’s 6 p.m. title game. The Dragons (25-0) are trying to become the first large-class school to win consecutive titles since Ankeny won the last of its four straight championships in 2005.
It will be the Dragons’ seventh appearance in state championship games – all since 2016 – and they’ll be seeking their fourth title overall.
Jenkins, a 6-foot-1 senior who will play at Virginia Tech next season, made seven of her first eight shots and finished 8-for-11 while tacking on four rebounds, four steals, two blocks an assist. She also showed an ability to score from distance, going 3-for-5 on 3-pointers after making only 17 during the season.
Jenica Lewis, a junior who is one of the state’s most sought-after players, added 16 points, five assists and three steals for the Dragons, who scored the game’s first two baskets and never trailed. Point guard Ari Phillips, a sophomore, stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Jaliyah Kinnetz added six points off the bench.
Centennial (17-8), the 2016 state champion, got 13 points each from Ava Martin and Drake recruit Mya Crawford. Crawford also had six rebounds, two assists and five steals.
The Jaguars, who lost to Johnston twice during the regular season, had given up an average of just 34 points in its three previous postseason games. They hung with the Dragons early, trailing 16-13 after one quarter, but in the end, Johnston’s depth of talent was just too much.
Johnston made six straight shots, including three 3-pointers, in starting the second quarter with a 15-2 run to open a 31-15 lead. The Dragons shot 63 percent over the first two quarters and led 39-21 at halftime.
Crawford scored on a drive and went in for a layup after a steal to cut the lead to 45-33 and force a Johnston timeout. Back on the floor, the Dragons ran a play to get Phillips a layup, Lewis stole the ball and took it in for a layup and Phillips scored on a drive for a 51-33 lead at the quarter break.
When Phillips converted a three-point play to open the fourth quarter, the lead had bulged to 54-33 and Centennial never got closer than 14 after that.
