DAYTON, Ohio — Kamryn Grant had 10 points and 13 rebounds as Columbus Africentric Early College defended its crown and earned back-to-back state titles 58-47 over Ottawa-Glandorf in the Ohio High School Athletic Association girls’ basketball Division III state championship game at UD Arena on Saturday.
Columbus Africentric (28-2) entered the fourth quarter leading 44-33. Ottawa-Glandorf (26-3) forced three turnovers in a span of 1:09 and Carlie Brinkman made one of two free throws to make it a 48-42 game with less than five minutes to go.
Samairah Thompson laid in a pair of scores, while the Nubians went on a 6-0 run. Their defense stepped up as they made a steal and forced the Lady Titans to go 0-for-5 from the field to reclaim a double-digit lead 54-42 with 3:03 left to play.
Ottawa-Glandorf went 2-of-6 at the free throw line in the final 4:48. Columbus Africentric went 2-for-3 at the line in the fourth quarter.
“I pride myself on being prepared,” Columbus Africentric head coach Janicia Anderson said. “I knew we was going to have to play our hardest, play our best, and I prepared the young ladies and myself for doing that.”
Columbus Africentric passed Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame for most state championships in OHSAA girls basketball history.
“We didn't have pressure,” Anderson said. “We wanted to take it day by day, enjoy the moment. But to send four, five kids off to college for athletic scholarship, Division I, equipped to stand(in) life, you know, I won regardless so no pressure.”
Grant, a 5-foot-11 senior who is committed to Dayton, posted a double-double for a second-straight game in the state tournament.
She missed the chance to play in and win the state championship in 2023 as she missed most of the season with a torn right ACL.
“Me personally, it's truly just a blessing for me,” Grant said. “I wasn't able to play last year with my team and win states with them, so just me being able to come on top again with my team and be able to lead them and still do my best and get better from that injury just means everything to me.”
Karsyn Erford led Ottawa-Glandorf with 18 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Brinkman added 10 points.
“I felt the girls played as hard as they've ever played,” Ottawa-Glandorf head coach Troy Yant said. “We just didn't necessarily get the breaks we needed at the end or even throughout the game at times. Every time we made a little run, it just kind of felt like it was out of reach. But hats off to Africentric. They did what they needed to do to repeat, and they're a pretty good team.”
To view the recorded game, click here.