BEAVERCREEK — The Portsmouth Trojans girls basketball program tested itself throughout the 2025-26 season with tough contests at various stops along the way.
There were games at Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) state powerhouses George Rogers Clark and Ashland. Neutral-site contests against Olentangy, Reynoldsburg, Granville and Sycamore were also on tap. And, of course, two heavyweight matchups against conference rival Fairland as part of a gauntlet of a schedule.
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That schedule, however, was purposely built to prepare Portsmouth for moments such as the ones that they faced on Friday evening.
Playing the Creston Norwayne Bobcats’ girls basketball program, Portsmouth saw a 30-19 lead evaporate — and for the first time in postseason play, the Lady Trojans trailed in the second half, as Portsmouth faced a 36-32 deficit with three minutes to play.
But with their season on the line, Portsmouth never panicked — and showed the very resolve that matched a battle-tested team with a championship-caliber mindset.
Trailing by a 36-32 margin with 3:01 to play, Amy Hughes’ group didn’t allow a single field goal over that stretch and outscored Creston Norwayne 8-1 over that final stretch.
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Sienna Allen ultimately scored six of those points down the stretch, as No. 1 poured in a game-high 20 points and hit the game-winning layup with 1:13 remaining in the game to help lift Portsmouth to its second consecutive state championship appearance with a 40-37 win over Norwayne Friday evening at the Wright State University Nutter Center in a OHSAA Division V State Semifinal matchup that was held in Beavercreek.
The old adage of ‘defense wins championships’ certainly was present in Amy Hughes’ mind following Friday’s three-point thriller.
Portsmouth held Norwayne to just 12-of-33 shooting in the contest, including a 2-of-10 mark from three-point range in the victory. Only two players hit more than two field goals individually for the Lady ‘Cats on the evening.
“The defense gets it done for us,” Hughes said. “It could be a little better (on Saturday). Rebounding needs to be a little better (on Saturday). I’m proud of the team. We found a way to come from behind in a short, short time, and that speaks volumes about the guts of these kids. They’re really just amazing.”
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Even playing from behind, Portsmouth’s poise down the stretch was impressive. That showed not only in the Lady Trojans’ defensive play, but its ability to value the basketball, as well.
Over the final four minutes of Friday’s thriller, Portsmouth committed just one turnover. The Lady Trojans were plus-two in the turnover battle when compared to the Lady ‘Cats, and Norwayne, who turned the ball over just 12 times in the game, had three of those 12 turnovers inside the final three minutes of play.
Once more, the defensive pressure of standout junior guard Keke Woods out front was paramount in the win.
Woods began Friday’s state semifinal in red hot fashion, scoring seven of Portsmouth’s first nine points and ultimately helping the Trojans take an 11-5 first-quarter advantage before Portsmouth settled for an 11-7 lead after the opening quarter of play.
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Despite dealing with foul trouble that kept her on the bench for extended periods of time, Woods battled through and ultimately finished with nine points, six rebounds, two steals and the game’s best plus-minus of anybody on the floor, finishing plus-14 in that area.
“We knew not to panic,” Woods said. “We knew that we had to work as a team, stay together and never give up. You’re playing the best of the best at this stage. We just had confidence that we could pull it out in the end.”
Portsmouth ultimately increased its early lead to seven on two different occasions in the second quarter, taking a 14-7 cushion to begin the quarter on Bry Shannon’s three-point field goal and then finding off a quick 4-0 Norwayne run by answering with a 6-2 push of its own to end the quarter up seven again, grabbing a 20-13 halftime lead as the Lady Trojans held the Lady ‘Cats scoreless over a stretch of 4:46 in the quarter.
Portsmouth then really kicked matters into high gear in the third quarter, with the offense hitting a peak crescendo when Allen nailed back-to-back three-point field goals to increase Portsmouth’s lead to 26-13 with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter, forcing Norwayne head coach Jake Shoup to burn a timeout.
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Unfazed, however, the Lady ‘Cats worked its way back into the game.
Trailing by a 30-19 margin with 3:42 to play, Norwayne closed the third quarter on a 8-2 run to draw within 32-27 at the third quarter horn.
Shoup’s group then kept the push going in the fourth quarter.
Behind Norwayne’s Allie Demassimo, Hannah Froelich and Ava Maibach, the Lady ‘Cats ultimately got all 17 points from that trio in a 17-2 run that helped Norwayne turn that 30-19 deficit into a 36-32 lead with 3:01 remaining.
But Portsmouth never wavered in handling the pressure.
And No. 1 was a big reason why.
Less than 25 seconds following Maibach’s bucket, Allen answered with a big second-chance bucket to pull Portsmouth within 36-34, then Woods, following a steal by Shannon, added to Allen’s efforts by scoring through contact with 1:40 left to tie the game back up at 36-all to send the Portsmouth crowd into a frenzy.
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Two personal fouls back-to-back resulted in Maibach getting free throw opportunities at the charity stripe for Norwayne, but Maibach made only the first attempt, and just 11 seconds later, Allen scored inside yet again through contact to give Portsmouth the lead for good at 38-37 and with 1:13 left to go in the contest.
Allen ultimately finished with not only 20 points but also posted six rebounds, three steals and a block to boot in a massive effort by the Ohio signee. Allen scored her 20 points on an efficient 6-of-13 shooting from the floor as well.
“They say that shooters shoot,” Allen said, “and if you’re not on, you keep shooting until you are. I really wanted to help us get the win, so I just stayed persistent and kept trying, and never got down on myself or got in my own head or getting certain calls. I just had to keep pushing.”
“Sienna’s come a long way in that area,” Hughes said. “That’s just awesome to see as a coach. I couldn’t be more thrilled for her.”
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Norwayne still had 73 seconds left on the clock to answer, but at that point, Portsmouth had the momentum. The Lady Trojans proved it defensively by not allowing the Lady ‘Cats a single shot attempt throughout the rest of that time according to official stats. The Lady ‘Cats were also forced into two turnovers over the final 30 seconds of play as Portsmouth sealed the victory.
“We know that our final goal is to win a state championship,” Allen said. “We knew that we had to push and give it all we had to come back and get the win.”
With the win, Portsmouth (23-4) has a golden opportunity in front of it.
Not only do the Lady Trojans get to play in its second consecutive state championship game, Portsmouth gets to do so while potentially exacting revenge against the team that ended its 2023-24 season in Ottawa-Glandorf. The Lady Titans enter the contest 28-0 after defeating Fairland by a 54-48 margin in the first OHSAA Division V State Semifinal of the day.
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Considering the crowd support that Portsmouth has had throughout the year in big games, however, the Lady Trojans’ leaders know that they’ll have what feels like much of the world behind them.
“They mean a lot to us,” Allen said of the crowd support. “They come and support us, and it’s been really fun having them at every single game.”
“They’re definitely the best and they’re always so loud,” Woods said. “I love every single one of them.”
“They are great supporters and we’re very fortunate to have them,” Hayven Carter added. “It’s great to have them come and travel this far.”
