RICHMOND, VA (WTKR)- 2022 saw the Princess Anne girls basketball team's streak of eight straight state title snapped. On Saturday, the Cavaliers started a new one.
Zakiya Stephenson capped off her high school career with 24 points and led Princess Anne to a 53-45 victory over L.C. Bird in the Class 5 state title game at the Siegel Center. It marked the program's 13th state championship.
"It means a lot," Stephenson said after the victory. "A lot of people doubted us that we weren't going to make it, but we made it."
"I expected it," head coach Darnell Dozier added. "I don't know about anybody else, but I expected it the whole year. I thought we were the best team in the whole area for the whole year."
It did not come without some challenges. The two teams played a back and forth game for most of the contest before the Cavaliers were eventually able to pull away in the fourth quarter. Dozier credits the defense as being the difference-maker.
"We play defense and most teams don't and, as you can see, the second half we started playing defense and the game changed."
Jizelle James knocked down a three-pointer with 2:42 to play to give Princess Anne the 44-42 lead and the Cavaliers would not look back. After a defensive stop, Stephenson drove down the lane, made a spin move and got her layup to fall to make it a two possession game and the Skyhawks could get no closer down the stretch.
Stephenson also swiped five steals to add to her final high school stat line. Tinasia Spencer chipped in nine points and 11 rebounds. The Cavaliers forced L.C. Bird into 20 turnovers and scored 23 points off of those takeaways.
Princess Anne ends the season on a 14 game winning streak and finishes 26-1.
