What we learned from No. 2 Johnston's gritty 42-35 5A state semifinal win over Ankeny Centennial

Johnston coach Chad Jilek knew his team was going to be in for a battle in the Class 5A semifinals of the girls state basketball tournament on Thursday.

The 2-seeded Dragons were taking on fellow CIML rival No. 6 Ankeny Centennial, led by legendary coach Scott DeJong. DeJong has coached a state-best seven state champions and his team gave Jilek's squad all it could handle.

But thanks to great plays from Jenica Lewis and Aaliyah Riley, Jilek will get a chance at his third state championship after Johnston held off Centennial, 42-35.

"We've beaten them six or seven times in a row, but every game could've gone either way," Jilek said. "Our girls have the confidence where they expect to win and expect to be playing in the championship game. That was a huge factor."

More:Johnston star Aili Tanke doesn't back down from anyone on the basketball court

Johnston heads to Friday's 5A championship game with a 24-1 record.

Here's what we learned from Johnston's hard-fought win over Centennial.

Aaliyah Riley gets it done in crunch time

When Johnston needed offense down the stretch, Aaliyah Riley was there to deliver.

Led by Jaeden Pratt, Centennial had done a great job taking away Dragons' leading scorer and Iowa State commit Aili Tanke, limiting her to 6 points on 2-of-9 shooting. But Riley has played in two state title games and has always shown herself to be an elite competitor.

With 2:17 left in the fourth quarter, Johnston was clinging to a 36-35 lead when Riley was fouled and sent to the line for a one-and-one. She got the first one to go after a couple of bounces then drilled to the second.

The Dragons held that 3-point lead until the final 30 seconds. With the shot clock winding down, Riley drove the ball into the lane and threw up a shot that went in to put her team up 5 and officially seal the win.

"Coach told me to go get the ball, so I went back and got it and everyone got out of the way so I could get to the basket," Riley said. "I went to the basket and scored. It was a pretty good feeling."

More:Iowa high school girls basketball state tournament scores and schedule

Riley finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists to go along with her usual outstanding defense on the perimeter.

"This is the third state championship that I'll be playing in," Riley said. "All of my coaches and teammates helped me along this journey and have gotten me where I need to be right now. It's been a blessing."

Jenica Lewis gives Johnston girls basketball a spark on offense

With Centennial limiting Tanke, Johnston needed someone else to step up on offense against the Jaguars.

Lewis was the one to do it. She scored a game-high 15 points, all coming before the start of the fourth quarter when Riley took over.

More:What to know if you're going to Iowa high school girls, boys basketball tournaments in Des Moines

"I just tried to help my team get to the championship," Lewis said. "I knew I had to make some big plays and my teammates set some really good screens."

Lewis also made a key block and added two steals on defense.

As a team, Johnston held Centennial to 32.6% shooting. They had a huge 40-24 edge on the glass, led by Tanke's 11 boards.

Jaguars show tremendous grit

DeJong's trademark is defense and that was on full display Thursday morning.

Centennial stayed in the game nearly the entire way by not only slowing down Tanke, but also by limiting Johnston to 27.9% shooting as a team. The Jaguars just couldn't overcome Johnston's big edge on the boards and at the line — the Dragons made 14-of-18 free throws compared to Centennial's 5-of-8.

"All three games we've played against them were really close," said Centennial senior Kennedy White. "It all just came down to the end there. They were getting to the basket and we were unable to get the stops. Then we weren't able to convert on offense and that's always tough."

Pratt finished with 10 points and seven rebounds and White had 7 points and three boards for Centennial. Mya Crawford added 6 points and rebounds apiece, plus two blocks for the Jaguars, who ended their season at 18-7.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Johnston outlasts Ankeny Centennial in 5A girls state semifinals