Princeton takes down Olmsted Falls for DI state championship. Here's how they did it.

DAYTON, Ohio − Princeton head girls basketball coach Dee Davis has had a long, accomplished career in basketball that includes McDonald's All-American honors in high school, a standout run at Vanderbilt University and a professional career.

What eluded the 2003 Princeton graduate was a state high school basketball championship. Now, Davis can check that box.

Davis led her alma mater to a Division I state championship Saturday night when Princeton ran past Olmsted Falls, 69-51, at UD Arena.

"Look around. They're excited right now. Everybody is feeling it," Davis said. "I wanted them to have fun with this experience. It was about them. I told them Day 1, 'If this is what you want, you guys gotta trust us,' and they did that. I'm so proud of these young ladies."

Back to Back:Here's how Purcell Marian captured a Division II state championship

It's the third state championship in Princeton girls basketball history and the first since 2014. The Vikings were Class AAA state champions in 1987.

3 keys to Princeton's state title victory

• Princeton shot lights out right out of the gates, hitting at a 53.6% clip over the first half. The Vikings took a 15-14 advantage with 1:40 left in the first quarter on a bucket from Sole Williams and didn't trail for the remainder of the night. Olmsted Falls shot just 31% from the field in the first half but stayed in the game thanks to its perimeter shooting. The Bulldogs connected on five 3-pointers in the first half and nine for the game. Princeton shot 52.6% from the field for the game and was 8-of-12 in the final stanza.

• The deciding run from Princeton came in the second quarter, when the Vikings' 11-0 sprint to begin the period forced an Olmsted Falls timeout. Princeton got key contributions from all around in the first half, with buckets from Williams, Diawna Carter-Hartley, Kali Fortson and La'Sonja Hill and Mari Gerton to open up a double-digit cushion. Princeton led 34-25 at the half.
• Princeton's advantage came on the glass as the Vikings won the battle of the boards, 40-29. On the offensive end, Princeton grabbed 13 rebounds, which led to 20 second-chance points. Forty-four of Princeton's points came in the paint (Olmsted Falls had 18) on a night where the Vikings struggled from beyond the arc (3-of-13). Princeton turned in a dozen points off turnovers. Olmsted Falls trimmed the Princeton lead to as little as seven in the fourth quarter (52-45) but the Vikings would go on to score 17 of the game's final 23 points.

Key performers

Diawna Carter-Hartley, Princeton: The senior forward had one of her most dominant quarters in the final 8 minutes of her prep career. The Stetson commit scored 12 of her team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter (16 in the second half) to help commence Princeton's state-title celebration. Her and-1 basket with 2:45 remaining gave Princeton a 62-47 lead. She also had 9 rebounds.

"I urged them that they needed to get on the glass as much as possible," Davis said. "Dede (Carter-Hartley) looked me in my eyes and said, 'I got you.' She had me."

Kali Fortson, Princeton: The sophomore center registered her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Fortson was most dominant in the first half, with 11 points and 8 boards.

Danielle Cameron, Olmsted Falls: The junior guard led all scorers with 22 points, hitting six 3-pointers to keep the Bulldogs hanging around. She added 7 rebounds.

La'Sonja Hill, Princeton: The Ohio Dominican signee scored 10 of her 13 points in the first half. She hit two of Princeton's three 3-pointers on the night and also had 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Sole Williams, Princeton: The Ohio Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year had 13 points and a game-high 8 assists.

Paige Kohler, Olmsted Falls: The senior guard had 17 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

Mari Gerton, Princeton: After a slow first half, Gerton scored 7 of her 9 points in the second half to go with 8 rebounds.

Mia Kalich, Olmsted Falls: The senior guard had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Senior sendoff

Princeton finishes the year 28-2 and won its last 17 games. The Vikings' seniors included Diawna Carter-Hartley, La'Sonja Hill, Keara Brooks and Sole Williams.

Coach's perspective

"Nobody knows the amount of hours you'll put in, how many challenges you'll face and so much adversity throughout the year," Davis said. "To be able to finish like this, I can't help my feelings. It's a lot of hard work paying off."