Johnston is loaded with talent at every position and it showed in the opening game of the 2024 state tournament.
Sophomore Jerica Lewis led with 18 points and the top-ranked Dragons continued their unbeaten run through the season with a 60-31 victory over West Des Moines Valley in Class 5A play.
Johnston, which has played in the last four state championship games and won two titles, will take a 24-0 record into a semifinal game at 10 a.m. Thursday. Eighth-seeded Valley, which upset Ankeny in the regional finals to earn its third straight trip to Wells Fargo Arena, finishes 13-11.
Lewis, who already is collecting Division I college offers, put together an efficient line, going 6-for-8 from the field with three 3-pointers. She also grabbed five rebounds, handed out four assists, blocked two shots and made a steal.
Iowa State signee Aili Tanke knocked down a couple of 3-poitners and added 10 points and five rebounds for the Dragons, while Amani Jenkins scored nine to go with seven rebounds. Aaliyah Riley also scored nine points and promising freshman Ari Phillips contributed five points, two assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal.
Freshman Tylee Weite led Valley with 12 points, while Northern Iowa signee Elise Jaeger had eight points, nine rebounds and two steals.
Valley stayed with the Dragons for a bit, trailing just 10-7 with under 2 minutes to go in the first quarter. Riley and Tanke then buried consecutive 3-pointers and Riley drove for a basket for an 18-7 lead at the quarter break.
Lewis came around a screen to hit a 3 from the top of the key to start the second quarter and the Dragons went on to build a 35-19 halftime lead.
Valley drew to 36-24 on Jaeger’s three-point play with the 6:48 left in the third quarter, but the Tigers went scoreless the rest of the quarter and Johnston put it out of reach, running off 12 straight points for a 48-24 lead going into the final quarter.
When Lewis splashed a 3 from the left wing and then drove for a bucket, the lead ballooned to 55-26. She and the rest of the Johnston starters went to the bench for good with 4:31 left.
Johnston held Valley to five field goals in the second half and 29.3 percent shooting for the game. The Dragons scored 23 points off 21 Valley turnovers and outscored the Tigers 30-16 in the paint.