RICHMOND — With an opportunity to add more VHSL hardware to its collection, it was business as usual for the John Marshall boys basketball team on Thursday afternoon at VCU's Siegel Center.

Ashaun Moore led five players in double-figure scoring with 18 points, and the Justices left no doubt as to what the outcome would be over the final three quarters, rolling to their third consecutive VHSL Class 2 state championship with an 89-32 rout of Virginia High.

Though JM (25-3) encountered some resistance from the Bearcats (24-6) early on, the Justices were laser-focused for much of the game. They shot 49.3% from the field (33 for 67) and committed just five turnovers—three of which came in the first period.

Deonta Mozell registered six of his game-high 20 points as Virginia played JM close for much of the opening stanza. However, baskets by Aiden Argabright and Desmon Rose enabled the Justices to take an 18-11 advantage to the second quarter.

They never looked back after that.

Moore and Damon Thompson scored seven points each in the second period, and Argabright tallied five, buoying JM to a 41-23 halftime lead.

Dominique Bailey took over in the third quarter, scoring eight points. Argabright and Rose chipped in five apiece, and the Justices outscored the Bearcats 34-9 to extend their edge to 75-32 and trigger a running clock.

Bailey and Argabright finished the contest with 14 points each, while Thompson and Rose totaled 12 and 11, respectively.

Virginia, which started just one player taller than 5-foot-10, was outrebounded 47-35 by JM, which didn't start a player shorter than 6-0 and featured 6-9 twin towers Latrell Allmond and Marcus Jackson.

Allmond recorded seven points, 13 rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals.

The state title is the Justices' sixth in the past 11 seasons, and the 12th in program history.

John Marshall 18 23 34 14 — 89

Virginia High 11 12 9 0 — 32

John Marshall (25-3): Damon Thompson 12, Ashaun Moore 18, Dominique Bailey 14, Aiden Argabright 14, Latrell Allmond 7, Kameron Sookins 0, Cameron Claiborne 3, MaKeyon Hill 0, Rayshaun Ford 0, Haven Wilson 0, Robert Jones IV 0, Desmon Rose 11, Ahmad Britt 2, Marcus Jackson 8. Totals: 33 16-28 89.

Virginia High (24-6): Deonta Mozell 20, Keshawn Smith 0, Te'Ron Woolen 2, Jalen Lang 4, Landon Lee 0, Ollie Carpenter 6, Josh Lewis 0, Colee Fils-Aime 0, Kayden Laws 0, Davi Woolen 0, Jacob Roe 0. Totals: 11 5-6 32.

3-pointers: JM 7 (Thompson 2, Moore 2, Argabright 2, Claiborne). Virginia 5 (Mozell 3, Carpenter 2).

Press Conference with the John Marashall Justices after their 89-32 triumph over Virginia High in the VHSL Class 2 State Basketball Championship held at VCU on Thursday, March 7, 2024.

Speaking from left to right - Damon 'Redd' Thompson Jr., Coach Ty White and Latrell Allmond.

The Justices finished the season 25-3 overall and and won their third consecutive state title, sixth under the direction of White.

In the first game of the day, the Central-Wise girls basketball team rode a 27-point performance from Emmah McAmis and a decisive third-quarter scoring advantage to a 58-41 victory over John Marshall.

McAmis, a standout junior guard who entered the contest with 2,176 career points, scored seven in the third period as the Warriors (26-4) outscored the Justices (20-9) 21-4 to take a commanding 49-28 lead.

Central led 28-24 at halftime, but started the third quarter on a 6-0 spurt and ended it on a 13-0 run. Madison Looney tallied nine points in the stanza to complement McAmis' efforts, while Abbie Jordan sank a 3-pointer from deep in the left corner to kickstart the latter run.

Looney finished the afternoon with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Jordan chipped in eight points.

JM's only points in the period came on baskets by Kiyah Lewis and Kayden Jones.

Lewis paced the Justices with 14 points in the game, while Janiyaha Pickett had 10.

The matchup was a seesaw affair early on, with three ties and five lead changes in the first quarter. McAmis made sure the Warriors started off hot, registering 10 points in the frame to buoy them to a 15-11 edge.

Lewis and Pickett tallied seven points apiece in the first half to keep JM close.

The win gave Central its second state title in the last three years and its seventh over the past 11 seasons.

John Marshall 12 12 4 13 — 41

Central-Wise 15 13 21 9 — 58

John Marshall (20-9): Yasmin Hall 2, Kiyah Lewis 14, Kayden Jones 8, R'mia Crutchfield 4, Janiyaha Pickett 10, Rahjanae Johnson 0, LeNasia McCants 3, Tiara Herron 0, Geade Echoles 0, Shaquira Fields 0. Totals: 13 15-21 41.

Central-Wise (26-4): Ameera Yourmessi 0, Emilee Brickey 3, Gracie Thompkins 4, Emmah McAmis 27, Madison Looney 16, Hannah Salyer 0, Kinslee Slemp0, Abbie Jordan 8, Kaelyn Dales 0, Jadyn Foster 0, Mia Villanueva 0. Totals: 17 18-20 58.

3-pointers: JM 0. Central 6 (McAmis 3, Jordan 2, Brickey).

Press Conference with Central-Wise Girls after their victory over John Marshall in the VHSL Class 2 State Championship at VCU in Richmond on Thursday, March 7, 2024.

For Coach Robin Dotson, it was his 7th state title at Wise.