The Chaminade Julienne girls basketball team became Ohio Division III State champions when they defeated Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 49-40, game on Friday, March 13 at University of Dayton Arena.
Logan Allen, head coach, led the team to a 17–4 season and into postseason play on a three-game winning streak. The Eagles opened the tournament with a dominant win (72–12) over Stivers on Saturday, Feb. 21, then defeated Franklin (73–39) and Badin (45–41) to claim the district title. After a victory over Tippecanoe, they advanced to face Dayton rival Carroll for the regional championship, winning 49–45.
With Chaminade Julienne advancing to the Final Four at Wright State University, school officials canceled classes on Thursday, March 12, so students, faculty, and staff could attend and support the Eagles. The team rallied from behind to defeat Copley (62–57), securing a spot in the state championship game against fellow Marianist school Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary the following day at UD Arena.
CJ students, teachers, staff members, and parents gave the team a send-off through a celebratory tunnel along Franklin and Ludlow before players boarded the bus heading to the final contest of the year. After the team departed, the community made the short drive to UD Arena, filling the stands in a sea of royal blue
According to OSAA’s coverage of the championship game, Chaminade Julienne (24-4 overall) finished the first quarter by making seven of its final eight shots, led 18-6 after the first period, and played in front the rest of the way.
Maggie Bush ’26 recorded nine points and five rebounds, while Ja’Kyiah Cook ’29 added four points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Janae Cain ’26 led the team with 17 points, and Mychael Hanson ’29 contributed 15 before the final buzzer. With a 49–40 victory over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, CJ secured the Ohio Division III State championship.
“It was so thrilling for our team and the CJ community,” said Allen. “Our team worked so hard to get here, and to put forth all this effort and have it pay off is tremendous for us all.”
Chaminade Julienne claimed its fourth girls basketball state title and first since 2005, with previous titles coming in 2003 and 1999. This was the program’s eighth appearance in the state tournament, and Chaminade Julienne is the 14th school to claim at least four girls basketball state championships.
“Our team has a nice mix of students from each grade, and they all just wanted to win,” Allen said.
Cain, a guard, was named the MVP of the 2026 OHSAA Division III girls basketball state championship game. As one of three seniors playing this year, Cain’s skill set is complicated by forwards Bush and Mahaliyah Hill ’26. The three of them are starters with Cook, a guard, and Hanson, a guard. The five of them together are a powerhouse.
The rest of the CJ girls basketball players are Mariem Mezni ’28, guard, Zoe Wright ’28, forward, Madelynn McGarry ’28, guard, Ava Edwards ‘27, guard, Kaila Walker-Lowe ’29, forward, Samantha Dorsten ‘27, forward, Avery Heitkamp ‘27, forward, and Falyn Sells ‘27, guard.
According to Allen, their journey to state started last summer of 2025.
“There was a lot of running, conditioning, lifting, weights, drills, and coming together as a team,” said Allen. “It is pretty cool that the team’s dedication pays off in the final moments of the games.”
Allen is proud of this winning team, stating, “These young women work hard every single day and gave us all that they had to give, and for that I am so appreciative. All their effort was not only for us, but for the teams before us, and for the entire CJ community.”
Representing the team, when asked about their thoughts on this momentous season, all three seniors agreed that the memories of this accomplishment will stay with them the rest of their lives.
“This state title represents all the hard work, sacrifice, and discipline I’ve poured into this sport,” said Bush. “It helped shape me into the best version of myself. More importantly, it reflects the incredible support system I’ve been blessed with along the way. To my family, teammates, coaches, trainers, friends, and anyone and everyone who has encouraged and pushed me along the way, this achievement is just as much theirs as it is ours.”
Cain added, “Winning the state title just shows all the hard work and dedication. It’s literally a dream come true for me, and I’m honored like everyone else to represent our school and community with this achievement.”
On Saturday, March 28, CJ hosted a celebration honoring the girls basketball and indoor track (club sport) state championships. State Senator Willis Blackshear addressed the crowd and invited both teams to be recognized at the Ohio Statehouse in April. The event also featured student-athlete recognition, team remarks, a trophy presentation, and the unveiling of championship banners.
“We love that the CJ crowds showed for our last couple of games in the state semifinals. Being able to play in Dayton, we essentially play home games at Wright State and UD. Having the crowd there, I think it was an enormous boost to all of our spirits,” said Allen.
As a fifth-year coach, Allen was quick to share credit for this year’s victory with the coaching staff, Doug Kenney, Lauren Legate, and Brianna Schieder, and with most recent teams from 2022 (14 wins), 2023 (16 wins), 2024 (19 wins), and 2025 (24 wins), which provided steady moment over the last four season.
“Those teams weren’t going to get the glory, but they were selfless in the pursuit of this goal,” he said. “We wouldn’t be here without them.”
See the CJ Girls Basketball Interview on ABC22’s Good Day, Dayton show with Lydia Bice ’18 here.