EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — This week’s Cardi’s Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is Ahtiana Benway.

The Bay View Senior scored a game high 18 points, to help lead the Bengals to their first State Basketball Title since 2015.

“Man, that was beautiful,” said Bay View Head Coach Dawan Robinson. “The heart she played with, the resilience, the toughness. How she executed and controlled the pace of the game, it was everything we worked on in practice. And to see it come to light was amazing.”

Bringing home, the title is a reward for a school that has done so much for her.

“It’s been amazing. I have loved Bay View since I came here in the 8^th Grade and ever since I fell more in love with it. It really built me on and off the court, as a person. It’s amazing.”

Ahtiana will take a few days off before getting back in the gym and preparing for her future at Auburn University at Montgomery. The Division II Warhawks compete in the Gulf South Conference and she’s confident a good offseason will allow her to make an impact as a Freshman.

“I think it’s definitely going to challenge me,” Benway said. “The Coach and I have a very good relationship. He pushes me, tells me pointers, so I think it’s going to be really good.”

“I think she’s ready,” Robinson said. “We’ve been through a lot of stuff; we’ve worked on a lot of aspects of the game, and I think she’s prepared. She’s definitely prepared mentally. Now she just has to get accustomed to the style of play, the speed of it, the toughness and the physicality and I think she’ll be OK.”

If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you’d like to nominate, email sports@wpri.com.