Lakota East tried the same number of 3-pointers but sank just one as the Vikings pulled away for a 58-43 win.
Princeton junior point guard Sole Williams went 3-for-4 on 3-pointers and scored 16 of her game-high 27 points in the second half, fueling a 13-5 third quarter and 12-0 fourth-quarter run that denied Lakota East (15-10) its first district championship since 2011 and a regional semifinal berth.
The Vikings’ district championship was their first since their 2014 state championship season.
“Obviously, the 3-pointers hurt,” Thunderhawks coach Dan Wallace said. “I think Princeton was a little confused by our defensive scheme, but Williams got hot and made some big shots and the momentum shifted. Momentum is everything in sports, and it shifted at the wrong time for us.”
Junior guard-forward Savannah Smith scored 17 points to lead the Thunderhawks. Senior point guard Sarah Sewak also reached double figures with 10 points.
Princeton (23-3), the No. 5 team in the Associated Press Division I state poll, plays top-ranked Mount Notre Dame or Bellbrook at Princeton in the regional semis.
Saturday’s game was moved from Princeton because Ohio High School Athletic Association rules prohibit teams from playing tournament games on their home court.
The loss was Lakota East’s third this season in three games against its Greater Miami Conference rival. The Thunderhawks lost to eventual state-champion Mount Notre Dame in a district final last season.
The Vikings led by five points three times in the first quarter before Fohl sank the first of her four made 3-pointers in the last minute to cut their lead to 15-13. Fohl connected on three more from long range in the second quarter on her way to 14 first half points, leading the Thunderhawks to a 30-26 halftime lead.
Lakota East took a four-game winning streak into the game. The Thunderhawks’ strong finish helped Wallace weather the loss.
“The last two years have been hardest of my career, and I’ve been doing this for 15 years,” Wallace said. “COVID, illness, we had a flu bug go through the team, injuries – this game is hard for these girls to play. I’m proud of how hard we fought. We had girls like freshman Brooke Asher step up. I was proud of the run we were able to make.”
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