Girls Basketball: Africentric overwhelms Keystone on way to 10th title game appearance
Thursday, March 14, 2024
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Africentric’s Jeniya Bowers looks to attack the Keystone defense during the Nubians’ state semifinal win at University of Dayton Arena Mar. 14. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Jeniya Bowers had no trouble finding her form in the deep backdrop of the University of Dayton Arena.
The sophomore guard hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half to jumpstart the Africentric girls basketball team to a 62-35 win over LaGrange Keystone in a Division III state semifinal on March 14 at the University of Dayton Arena.
Africentric plays Ottawa-Glandorf for a state title on March 16 at 2 p.m at Dayton.
The Nubians, who improved to 27-2, advance to the state final for the 10th time, tying Berlin Hiland for the most appearances. Pickerington Central, which plays Springboro March 15 at 8 p.m. is also seeking a 10th appearance in the final.
“One of my strengths is shooting, but I also can get to the basket,” said Bowers, who hit her first 3-pointer in an 11-0 run in the second quarter before closing the half with a 3-point play. “It was different, but it was something that I adjusted to.”
Bowers finished with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks in a well-rounded performance for the Nubians.
Her performance backed a monster effort by Kamryn Grant, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds on her future home court.
“This is the college I’m going to, so it was really exciting to be out there in one (of the) last games with my girls,” Grant said. “It felt good to be out there in the bright lights.”
Keystone featured just one player over 6-feet tall in reserve Callie Crabeels (6-foot-3).
“I definitely knew from the start that I’d be able to take advantage of my size,” Grant said. “From the jump, I knew this would be our game.”
Africentric’s Kamryn Grant shoots against the packed-in Keystone defense during the Nubians’ game with the Lady Wildcats at the University of Dayton Arena Mar. 14. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Africentric went on an 11-0 run in the first half and then bridged halftime with a 13-0 run.
The Nubians dominated almost every category. They won the rebounding battle 38-18, scoring 16 second-chance points and scored a 38-20 advantage in points in the paint.
They held Keystone to just 35% from the field and had seven blocks and seven steals while forcing 14 turnovers.
Samairah Thompson and Natiah Nelson scored 10 points and seven rebounds apiece. Nelson also had a pair of blocked shots. Shaunie Little added three assists and three steals for the Africentric, which is seeking a second consecutive state championship.
Africentric’s Natiah Nelson (21) drives the baseline against Keystone during the Nubians’ convincing victory at University of Dayton Arena Mar. 14. Photo: Kevin Rouch
“Our girls know the expectation and they know to standard (on defense),” said Africentric coach Janicia Anderson, whose team extended the lead as high as 33 in the second half. “We’re repping that every single day in practice, so we can come out and execute just as they did. I’m just very proud that they were able to execute. It just shows how coachable they are and how much they want it.”
Jessica Forthhofer had 18 points, four steals and three rebounds and Vivian Cassell had four rebounds to lead the Wildcats, who finished 28-1.
“We knew that we were going to be out-sized, obviously,” Keystone coach Rocky Houston said. “Our goal was to do everything we could to box out … but they’ve got some really good athletes that are a lot taller than we are, obviously. But the girls competed. That was never an issue and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Africentric fans cheer on the Nubians during their state semifinal win over Keystone at the University of Dayton Arena Mar. 14. Photo: Kevin Rouch
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