MASON, Ohio — The Princeton High School girls basketball team is returning to the state Final Four.
Princeton defeated Lakota West 65-47 in a Division I regional final Saturday afternoon in Mason. It is the second straight regional title for Princeton and the third regional championship in the past four seasons.
Princeton (22-4) is scheduled to play Wadsworth (24-2) in a Division I girls basketball state semifinal at 6 p.m. March 12 at University of Dayton Arena. The state final is 8:30 p.m. March 14 at UD Arena.
Princeton, the 2025 Division I state runner-up, is seeking its third trip to the state final in the past four seasons including winning the 2023 state championship.
“It feels good to get back there,” Princeton coach Dee Davis said. “It was a sour taste in our mouth from last year coming up a little short. These kids are hungry. They want to get back there and make it right. So I’m just proud of our kids and their fight. They’ve been gritty this whole season. We’ve had to play some really talented teams — non-conference and conference. So I think our team is prepared. They just worked exceptionally hard today.”
Sophomore Erin Thomas scored a team-high 16 points to go along with three rebounds, two steals and two assists on Saturday for Princeton, which is ranked No. 14 in Ohio by MaxPreps.
Junior Kamryn Lowe scored 14 points and had six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Princeton’s defensive intensity was apparent from the outset of the game. The Vikings led 15-2 midway through the first quarter and 25-10 at the end of the quarter.
Princeton led 42-26 at halftime and wasn’t threatened in the second half. Princeton outscored Lakota West 15-2 in points off turnovers. It led by as many as 23 points (51-28).
“We know that they are great 3-point shooting team and they’re a hungry team,” Davis said of Lakota West. “They’re very detailed. They’re very disciplined. Kudos to them having a well-coached team. Our mindset coming in here was we had to defend at a very high level. There was no way we could win this game without defending.”
Lakota West was 6-of-24 from beyond the 3-point arc while Princeton was 6-of-14 from 3-pointers. Princeton made 15 of 22 free throws while Lakota West was 3 of 4 from the line.
Lakota West freshman Zoe Odame scored 16 points for the Firebirds. Odame also had four rebounds.
Saturday was the second meeting between the Greater Miami Conference programs this season. Princeton won 54-47 Feb. 4 during the regular season.
Princeton made its fourth consecutive regional final appearance on Saturday. Princeton is seeking its fourth trip to the state final in program history.
