RICHMOND — It was the “Battle of the Stars” in the Class 5 girls basketball state championship game Saturday at the VCU Siegel Center: Princess Anne freshman Micah Ojo against James River junior Lanie Grant.
A cursory glance at the scoresheet would suggest that Grant, a North Carolina recruit, had the edge with her 40 points. Not true.
Ojo, a 6-foot-1 wing whose 31 points were nothing shabby, took over the game in the fourth quarter and led the Cavaliers to an 80-70 win over the Rapids of Midlothian. The state title is perhaps the first of four for Ojo, more than a pipe dream considering this latest is a state-record 14th for the Cavaliers and their 10th in 11th seasons.
Few of the Cavaliers’ state final wins were as challenging as Saturday’s. PA led 22-20 after a quarter, as Ojo scored on the secondary break in the final seconds, before the game was tied at 38 at halftime and 58 after three quarters of frenetic, high-quality play.
“What a game, what a game,” said Princess Anne coach Darnell Dozier, who has guided the Cavaliers to their 14 state titles over the past 22 years. “I haven’t been in a game like that in years, close, back and forth.
“Both teams put their heart and soul into that game.”
At that point, Grant, a 5-10 guard, had 35 points, a total that would quickly increase to 40 in the early moments of the fourth quarter. While she made 4 of 9 3-pointers, most of her points came on drives to the basket or at the free-throw line — where she was 12 of 13 — as a number of hard-working PA defenders were often helpless to stop her.
“She is a really great player, definitely,” Ojo said.
Ojo also brought her “A” game from the start, scoring the Cavaliers’ first basket on an emphatic drive on her way to 11 first-quarter points. She never faded in playing all 32 minutes, and was an impressive 9 of 13 from the field for 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks after three quarters.
“I was just blown away with how dominant she was in the first half, the fact that she’s a freshman and she’s doing everything,” Grant said.
But it was the fourth quarter — the championship round — when Ojo delivered her biggest punches. With the score tied at 60, Ojo — 3 of 4 from the 3-point arc — nailed a 3 to give the Cavaliers the lead for good.
She was just getting warmed up. Following a layup by Grant, her final field goal of the night, Ojo scored off of a nice pass by Jasiah Olds to make it 65-62.
When James River missed its next shot, Dozier instructed his players to kill some clock to force the Rapids out of their zone. The Cavaliers ate up almost 40 seconds before Ojo swished a 3-pointer from the side to make it 68-62 with 4:14 to play.
Although Grant, who went 1 of 5 in the fourth quarter, was tiring, the Rapids hung tough and trailed 74-70 on Seimone Newton’s free throw with 2:33 to play. Then Ojo took control with a series of game-deciding hustle plays.
When it appeared the Rapids’ Paige Flournoy had broken free for a layup that would’ve sliced the Cavaliers’ lead to two points, Ojo ran her down and blocked the shot from behind. After a PA miss, Ojo regained possession for her team by diving to the floor and forcing a tie-up. Jizelle James (14 points) capitalized with a pretty up-and-under layup and PA led by six points with 1:21 to go.
“I was just trying to work hard and get this program another championship,” Ojo said.
Inevitably, Grant drove into the lane in an attempt to close the gap, but Ojo rejected her. James’ fast-break basket with 57.3 seconds left gave the Cavaliers a 78-70 lead, and state title No. 14 was assured.
“She’s gotten better and better,” Dozier said of Ojo. “She’s not a scared eighth- or ninth-grader now.
“She’s a real ballplayer now.”
Marty O’Brien, mjobrien@dailypress.com
STATE CHAMPS! Girls🏀: Princess Anne 80, James River 70. FINAL. Class 5 championship. Cavaliers win 14th @VHSL_ state title and 10th in 11 seasons. pic.twitter.com/J8ccB32NPC
— 757Teamz (@757teamz) March 9, 2024
