DAYTON, Ohio — The Princeton High School girls basketball team will compete for the Division I state championship Saturday night at University of Dayton Arena.
Princeton defeated Wadsworth 53-43 in a Division I state semifinal Thursday night at UD Arena.
Sophomore guard Erin Thomas scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Vikings. Thomas also had five rebounds, five blocks and four steals. Junior forward Najah Love Muhammad scored 12 points to go along with four rebounds and three steals.
Wadsworth led 13-7 at the end of the third quarter and 27-20 at halftime. However, Princeton outscored Wadsworth 33-16 in the second half including 20-8 in the third quarter.
"We got a lot to clean up," Princeton coach Dee Davis told the OHSAA Radio Network in a postgame interview. "That wasn't pretty for us. We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds that we have to get ready for for Saturday because we can't have those same mistakes. Mentally we've got to be dialed in from the jump. And I don't think we started out with that level of focus. We came out in the second half with a better sense of urgency. But, down the stretch we have to make better decisions and be more pristine and more precise in what we're doing."
Davis said the Vikings took to heart her halftime message in the state semifinal. Davis wants a different start for Saturday night's state final.
"It's do or die," Davis said. "Either we show up or we're not. We haven't shown Princeton basketball. As poorly as we played in the first half, we were down seven points. I said, 'We play our game and we lock down defensively we'll get whatever we want.' And that third quarter was indicative of that."
Princeton (23-4) is scheduled to play either Pickerington Central (22-3 entering Thursday) or Kettering Fairmont (26-0 entering Thursday) at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the state final. Pickerington Central, ranked No. 5 in Ohio by MaxPreps, plays top-ranked Fairmont in the other state semifinal Thursday night.
Princeton, the 2025 Division I state runner-up, is seeking its fourth state title in program history (2023, 2014 and 1987). This week is Princeton’s fifth trip to the girls basketball state Final Four overall.
Princeton, ranked No. 9 in Ohio by MaxPreps, is in the state final for the third time in four seasons. The Vikings earned their fourth consecutive trip to the regional final last week.
Princeton is one of three Greater Cincinnati girls basketball teams in the OHSAA state Final Four this week.
Purcell Marian (22-7) completed its season as a Division IV state semifinalist earlier Thursday afternoon.
In Division II, Mount Notre Dame (25-0) plays Sunbury Big Walnut (23-4) in a state semifinal at 8 p.m. Friday at Vandalia Butler.
