OHSAA girls basketball: Africentric storms back to repeat as Division III regional champs
The Africentric girls basketball team leaned on and thrived off its pressure defense in a Division III regional final Saturday at Springfield, outscoring Kettering Alter 15-6 in the fourth quarter to win 49-46 and move within two wins of a second consecutive state championship.
Ashtan Winfrey’s 16 points powered the Nubians (26-2), who also got 11 points each from Jeniya Bowers and Natiah Nelson to capture their 13th regional title.
Winfrey banked in a half-court shot just before halftime to get Africentric within 28-26.
No Africentric player scored more than four points in the fourth quarter, but the Nubians held Alter’s Maddie Moody scoreless in the period after she scored 23 points over the first three.
Riley Smith added 17 points for the Knights (25-3), who were ranked second in the final state poll – four spots ahead of Africentric – and were seeking their second state title in three seasons. Alter won Division II in 2022.
Division I: Pickerington Central fends off Watterson to win regional title
Africentric will play LaGrange Keystone in a state semifinal at 6 p.m. Thursday at University of Dayton Arena.
Keystone defeated Doylestown Chippewa 50-38 on Saturday to earn its first state berth.
Africentric beat Chippewa 75-62 in last year’s state final.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Africentric edges Alter for OHSAA girls basketball regional title
