DAYTON, Ohio — Danielle Cameron made four 3-pointers and scored 19 points as Olmsted Falls captured its first state title 52-45 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association girls basketball Division I state championship game at UD Arena on Saturday.

 

OHSAA High School Basketball

 

 

Olmsted Falls (26-3) returned to the state championship game after finishing as the runner-up a year ago. The Bulldogs went 13-1 in the Southwestern Conference this season.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Cameron said. “We were on the other side of things last year. Knowing the, I won’t say disappointment because getting to this game, so hard, we put in so much work, but just knowing that we’re capable of winning it and finally coming out on top, it feels, it’s amazing.”

Springboro (24-6) led 11-9 after the first quarter but shot 1-of-5 in the second and fell behind 20-17 at halftime.

Olmsted Falls took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter and ballooned it to eight after Jesse Simon made a pair of free throws bringing it to 48-40.

Springboro’s Bryn Martin, who broke the semifinal round scoring record with 38 points in the Panthers’ 63-54 win over Pickerington Central on Friday, drained a 3 as part of the Panthers’ final effort and brought them within 48-43 with 46 seconds left.

Williams and Jessica Wolanin each made two free throws and Olmsted Falls went 4-of-6 at the free throw line in the last minute to ice the game.

Olmsted Falls girls basketball head coach Jordan Eaton game plans with the Bulldogs during a timeout in the OHSAA Girls State Tournament final at UD Arena on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Spectrum News 1/Jacob Benge)

“Playing from behind, I just told our girls to just try to stay at, like, here,” Olmsted Falls head coach Jordan Eaton said. “Don’t get too high, don’t get too low. Just stay here, and they did. They did a great job. And we made some mistakes, but they did great.”

Martin led all scorers with 22 points. She also totaled 60 points across the semifinal and final rounds.

Springboro led by as many as seven points in the first quarter. Aniya Trent also contributed 12 points.

“There were a lot of tears, a lot of hugs, a lot of I love yous, and that’s why we do this,” Springboro head coach Mike Holweger said. “We want to lead extraordinary lives, and what that team did this year is nothing short of extraordinary. And like I told them, the only place we lost was on the scoreboard.”

To view the recorded game, click here.