Portsmouth's girls basketball team celebrates after beating Fairland in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
Portsmouth girls basketball coach Amy Hughes, right, talks to the Trojans' Daysha Reid (3)Â in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
Portsmouth girls basketball coach Amy Hughes, right, and Trojans assistant Mike Hughes, left, call out to the Trojans in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
Portsmouth girls basketball coach Amy Hughes, right, and Trojans assistant Mike Hughes, left, call out to the Trojans in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
Portsmouth's girls basketball team celebrates after beating Fairland in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
TIM GEARHART | For The Herald-Dispatch
Portsmouth girls basketball coach Amy Hughes, right, talks to the Trojans' Daysha Reid (3)Â in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
TIM GEARHART | For The Herald-Dispatch
Portsmouth girls basketball coach Amy Hughes, right, and Trojans assistant Mike Hughes, left, call out to the Trojans in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
TIM GEARHART | For The Herald-Dispatch
Portsmouth girls basketball coach Amy Hughes, right, and Trojans assistant Mike Hughes, left, call out to the Trojans in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
ATHENS, Ohio -- On Saturday morning, Amy Hughes blew out candles on her birthday cake. In the afternoon, her basketball team blew out Fairland.
Hughes, coach of the Portsmouth High School girls basketball team, celebrated her 48th birthday with a 63-40 rout of the Dragons in the OHSAA Division V state tournament semifinals at Ohio University's Convocation Center.
"It was the best birthday gift ever," Hughes said of the triumph. "Oh my gosh, they played unbelievable."
Portsmouth's players were well aware what day it was.
"Oh, yeah," Hughes said with a chuckle. "All day. All week. They're a pretty special group. It's one big family. I just love them all to death and I wouldn't take anything else for my birthday other than this."
The Trojans delivered. Portsmouth broke a 3-3 tie with a 12-0 run that led to a 22-8 lead after one quarter. The Dragons (21-6) never pulled closer than 12 points the rest of the way and trailed at one point by 31 in their worst loss since a 51-23 setback to Warren on Dec. 21, 2019.
Portsmouth became the first team to beat Fairland three times in one season since South Point did it in 2008-09.
"She definitely got a happy birthday today," Dragons coach Jon Buchanan said of Hughes. "I heard somebody singing 'Happy Birthday' to her before the game. I don't know if it was our fans or somebody else."
Buchanan's wife Melissa chimed in.
"It wasn't our fans," she said, drawing laughter from people standing by.
Junior guard Sienna Allen and senior Daysha Reid each scored 20 to lead the Trojans. Portsmouth combined sharp outside shooting with quick drives to the basket to torment Fairland defenders.
Portsmouth, meanwhile, played stellar defense, holding the Dragons' season-leading scorer Bailey Russell to eight points, nine below her average. Second-leading scorer Kamryn Barnitz, who scores 12 a game, finished with three points. Addyson Cornell led Fairland with 10 points.
The Trojans (26-1) move to the state championship game at 10:45 a.m. on Saturday in Dayton against Creston Norwayne (25-3), which beat Columbus Africentric 49-40 on Saturday in Mansfield in the other semifinal.
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