The girls basketball program at Portsmouth picked up two impressive victories in its contests at the well-renowned Classic in the Country Sunday and Monday, as the Lady Trojans dominated one OHSAA Division III program in Granville (60-33) and came back from a 15-point deficit after three quarters of play to defeat OHSAA Division I Cincinnati Sycamore, 54-49, in an impressive stretch of basketball over the last two days at Berlin Hiland High School in Berlin.
Portsmouth 60, Granville 33 (GBKB)
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Playing a previously undefeated foe in Granville, who was 12-0 entering the weekend, Amy Hughes’ group made quick work of the Blue Devils as the Lady Trojans jumped out to a 33-13 halftime advantage in a contest that proved to never be in much doubt.
Behind a suffocating defense that allowed nine points or less in three of the four quarters against Granville, Portsmouth dominated as only one Blue Devil player entered double-figures in the contest, with that one player, Sophie Hall, being the only individual to connect on more than two field goals in the contest.
Offensively, Portsmouth junior Keke Woods was simply unstoppable as Woods dropped in 23 of her 31 points in the opening half. The point guard scored 13 tallies in the second quarter alone.
Along with Woods, Portsmouth senior Sienna Allen scored seven of her 12 points in the second half while Portsmouth junior Hayven Carter showcased her scoring ability at multiple levels, knocking down a pair of threes en route to a 10-point outing.
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Salem Allen added in six for the Lady Trojans as well.
Granville entered the contest having won 10 of its 12 contests by double-digit margins, with its only single-digit affairs being two three-point victories over Zanesville, who is 10-4 — before the Lady Trojans nabbed its 27-point win.
Portsmouth 54, Cincinnati Sycamore 49 (GBKB)
Down by a 34-25 deficit at halftime and a 15-point margin at one point, the Portsmouth Trojans’ girls basketball program stormed back to claim a massive win on its resume with a 54-49 win over Cincinnati Sycamore in its final contest at the Classic in the Country.
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Trailing 16-8 after a quarter of play and 34-25 at the halftime break, Woods, again, proved to be a huge sparkplug for the Lady Trojans by notching a game-high 22 points.
The junior scored eight points in the second quarter to keep Portsmouth around, then another nine in the third frame as the Lady Trojans stormed back to within, three, 44-41, after three quarters complete. Countering Woods’ slashing abilities during this run was the deft shooting of Sienna Allen, who canned five threes in the contest — four in the opening three quarters of play — to draw Portsmouth within a single possession of Sycamore’s lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Lady Trojans put the clamps on the Aviators as Sycamore was held to just one field goal in the fourth quarter. Hayven Carter also got loose for seven big fourth-quarter points, rallying Portsmouth into the lead for good as the Lady Trojans outscored Sycamore 13-5 in the final quarter to pick up the win.
Along with Woods’ 22 tallies, Allen collected 19 notches while Carter finished with 10 for Portsmouth, who improved to 12-2 with its eighth consecutive victory. Of its last eight wins, the Lady Trojans have won seven contests by 14 or more points and six of those eight affairs by 27 or more.
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Friday, Jan. 16, 2026
Green 52, Ironton St. Joseph 34
In an impressive road victory, the Green Bobcats’ boys basketball program solidified second place for the time being in the SOC I conference race with a 52-34 triumph over Ironton St. Joseph Friday evening in Ironton.
Green, who had six players reach the scoring column, was led by a 28-point outburst from Jon Knapp, who connected on six three-pointers in the game. The Bobcats, as a team, also put the clamps on the Flyers defensively in the second and third quarters, turning a 12-11 first-quarter deficit into a 44-28 edge at the end of the third as Green outscored Ironton St. Joseph 33-16 in the second and third frames of action.
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Riddick Jenkins canned two treys to chip in six points while Gabe Blevins, Uriah Satterfield and Jacob Sampson all threw in five points to the total. Brennan Renison’s three tallies rounded out the scoring.
