Thursday Results:

Charlie Byers and Alex Barlow-  The heart
and soul of  '10-'11 Moeller basketball

Great effort by all 4 Cincy teams playing in championship games today, 2 were able to bring back trophies. Also had a couple of nice performances in the local games:

• Moeller 36 Mountain View (AZ) 35: It was a defensive battle in the championship game at the VisitMesa.com challenge in Arizona. Moeller knocked off Arizona's number one team in their home gym to take the title. Senior guards Alex Barlow and Charlie Byers were the key players yet again as Moeller gets set to return to Ohio undefeated.
  
  
• Dwyer (FL) 53 LaSalle 50: Lancers take their first loss of the season in the championship game at the Kingdom of the Sun Tournament. Dwyer, a top 25 team nationally, is ranked #1 in the state of Florida and has several D1 commitments on their team. Brandon Neel, the star senior guard for LaSalle, again led them in scoring but it wasn't quite enough. Neel did make the all-tournament team.
  
  
• Taft 55 St. John's College (DC) 44: Senators take the championship at The Piggly Wiggly Roundball Classic in Charleston. Taft, who is still undefeated, beats a St. Johns team that is known for producing D1 talent year in year out. Junior power forward Dwayne Stanford was named the tournament's most valuable player and junior center Adolphus Washington won the most outstanding player award. Jalean Lowe, a junior sharpshooting small forward, also made the all tournament team for Taft. 

• 

  Adolphus Washington- '10 Piggly Wiggly
  Roundball Classic Tournament MVP

  Jeffersontown (KY) 86 Middletown 63: In the championship game at Gaslight Holiday Classic the Middies just didn't have enough firepower to compete with nationally top 25 ranked J'town. Jeffersontown is led by Louisville signee Zac Price a 6-10 center (who transferred out of Cleveland this year). Sounds like there might have been a little bit of home-cooking from the officials tonight but never the less Middletown takes the loss. Geovonie McKnight again led the Middies in scoring, the junior guard is really starting to stuff the stat sheet. 

• Columbus DeSales 52 Clak 49: Free throw misses doomed Clark in the championship game of Hughes Holiday Classic. Clark stole an in-bounds pass with five seconds left and got a shot off to tie but it fell short and DeSales took the title back to Columbus. 

• Lakota West 70 Hughes 54: It was all West in the consolation game of the Hughes Holiday Classic. Sophomore shooting guard Monty Boykins had another nice night for West, Monty is starting to gain confidence as the leading scorer of that team; other GMC coaches better take notice.
  
  

• 

  G. McKnight had 3 good games for
  the Middies at their tourney.

  Colerain 63 Northwest 62: Sophomore shooting guard Bryan Porter went crazy tonight for 35 points on 12-16 shooting. Porter really picked up slack with the absence of Eli'sha Campbell due to injury. 

• Mason 53 Milford 40: Junior shooting guard JD Sprague led Mason with 16 points and junior power forward Darrin Harris added 14.

• St. Xavier 37 Springboro 28

Wednesday Results:

Another great day for Cincy teams out of town, we're really showing the country what we can do! Good luck to teams playing in championships tomorrow. A few pics from the Hughes Holiday Classic

• 

  Hughes '13 SG prospect Terry Cook Jr.

  Taft 65 James Island Charter (SC) 42: For the second straight night Taft knocked off one of South Carolina's top ranked teams at the Piggly-Wiggly Roundball Classic in Charleston. Adolphus Washington and Dwayne Stanford both had double-doubles, and Taft won with a balanced scoring attack featuring the normal star players. 

• Middletown 73 North Oldham (KY) 48: Game two of the Gaslight Holiday Tournament in Kentucky went a little more smoothly for The Middies as they cruised. Geovonie McKnight, freshman forward Vince Edwards, and Mikey Brown all scored at least 15 points. Edwards is another freshman in the area to keep an eye on right now.
  
  
• Moeller 66 St. Mary's (AZ) 43: Crusaders are now 3-0 at The VisitMesa.com Challenge in Arizona. Senior guard Charlie Byers is still trying to get the college coaches to notice what he can do on the court. Chuck had another big night scoring 22 points in the blowout win.
  
  
• LaSalle 46 vs University School (FL) 44: LaSalle advanced to the championship at the Kingdom of the Sun Tournament in Florida, winning their first close game of the year. Josh Lemmons led LaSalle with 20 points and Brandon Neel added a dozen.

• 

  Clark junior power forward Paul Woodson

  Clark 70 vs Hughes 66: The Big Red couldn't get their first win at their Hughes Holiday Classic against Clark. Clark junior big man Paul Woodson was dominant inside scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Clark also got 15 points from senior guard CJ Taylor. Hughes got 29 points from senior wing Ryan Greene. Green was unstoppable in this one; he scored on threes, pull up jumpers, and finished every play on the break. Sophomore guard Terry Cook had another nice game with 14 points; Terry has really improved as a ball handler to balance out his nice shooting stroke. Freshman PG Aaron Oden of Hughes will be a very good player down the road, he showed some glimpses of the future tonight. 
  
  
• Columbus Desales 62 Lakota West 46: Cincinnati struggled in the opener of The Hughes Holiday Classic. It was one of those nights for Lakota West as they struggled against DeSales pressure and depth. The lone bright spot was the play of Monty Boykins. Monty, a sophomore guard, connected on a few jumpers and was better attacking the rim then he been in the past, he finished with 15 points.
  
  

• 

  Ryan Greene- Hughes senior wing

  Summit 64 Walter Palmer Charter (PA) 48: After some weather delays Summit finally got to play their game at Philadelphia's Holy Ghost Prep Tournament. Summit won their first game of the day over Walter Palmer Charter, a prep school in downtown Philly. Star sophomore PG Kevin Johnson scored 35 points for Summit and only missed one shot from the field. KJ's name is starting to get mentioned with the elite guards in the state of Ohio regardless of class. 
  
  
• Summit 61 Conwell Egan(PA) 43: Game two of the day for Summit at The Holy Ghost Prep Tournament in Philadelphia went much like the first one, Kevin Johnson went off! Kevin scored 15 points and help Egan's top scorer to only 6 points. Junior sharpshooter Tommy Kreyenhagen hit six three balls and finished with 23 points to help Summit finish the event at 2-0.

• Elder 53 Walnut Hills 50: Sophomore guards Sterling Gilmore and Kyree Burton led the way for the struggling, young Walnut squad. Gilmore scored 10 points and Burton addded 14. 
  
  
• St. Xavier 68 Meadowdale 53: Zach Yauss, a 6-1 senior guard, scored 30 points on 10-14 shooting to lead the bomb squad to a win. 

Tuesday's Results:

Lots of great action tonight, another great night to be a Cincinnati fan as we took it to the rest of the nation in the out of town tourneys. Here are the top results: Pictures from Roger Bacon @ North College Hill

• Moeller 64 Sunnyslope (AZ) 40: Moeller improved to 2-0 at the VisitMesa.com Challenge in Arizona. After a non-Moeller like defensive first half in which the game was tied 33-33 Moeller came out and dominated the second half with full court pressure, winning the half 31-7 for a 24 point victory. Moeller wore down Sunnyslope with their depth, playing 11 guys significant minutes. Alex Barlow led Moeller with 10 points, he also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Charlie Byers and Ben Galemmo each scored 9 points for Moeller. Junior post Tony Sabato got involved inside for the Crusaders, Tony scored 9 points and grabbed 7 boards. Moeller also got contributions from reserves Hayden Fry, Josh Davenport, and Keith Watkins who all scored two buckets and provided defensive pressure.

• 

  Rozelle Nix was the MVP today for Withrow

  LaSalle 70 Leesburg (FL) 51: LaSalle remained undefeated and won their second game at The Kingdom of the Sun Tournament in Florida. Trey Casey helped lead LaSalle into the semi's with 19 points. Brandon Neel and Ryan Fleming each scored 14 for LaSalle.

• Withrow 82 vs Detroit Renaissance 52:Withrow finished the Motorcity Roundball Classic at 3-0 with a blowout win. Rozelle Nix was the surprise game MVP for Withrow with a stat line of 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Big Ro' is getting better and better everyday, the 6-11 junior has a giant frame and can eat up space inside. Aaron Thomas had his third consecutive big game in Detroit with 21 points in only three quarters of play. Carl Porter scored 14 for Withrow.

• Taft 50 Goose Creek (SC) 39: Taft was impressive in the opener of The Piggly Wiggly Roundball Classic in Charleston. Goose Creek, one of SC's top teams, tried to slow down the pace but they couldn't keep it low scoring enough to avoid their first loss of the year to Taft. Jalean Lowe led Taft with 20 points, hitting 6-9 three balls. Adolphus Washington and Dwayne Stanford each added 10 points for Taft.
  
  
• Summit vs Conwell Egan (PA): The first game of the Holy Ghost Prep Holiday Tournament in Philadelphia was postponed due to weather. Summit will now play two times tomorrow.

• Middletown 57 Bryan Station (KY) 54: Middletown got the overtime win in their opener at The Gaslight Holiday Classic in Kentucky. Geovonie McKnight hit a three at the buzzer to send it to overtime and Middletown never looked back. McKnight had a big night for the Middies finishing with 24 points.

• 

  Paul Byrd has serious heart at Roger Bacon

  North College Hill 74 Roger Bacon 67: Heavyweight prizefight for D2 bragging rights that was as good as expected. Tie game with under three minutes and NCH made just enough plays to win the game. The crowd was into it and emotions were flaring, Roger Bacon probably would've won if not for the crowd luring them into a costly technical. Paul Byrd did everything he could for Roger Bacon, scoring 16 points, but it wasn't enough. Byrd does deserve compliments for his toughness and leadership all game. For NCH it was a three man attack of Greg Sevilla's 15 points (this man will be ranked next time they're updated!), Jalen Render's 14, and Donald Bush's 17 points. For Bacon, Gavin Shuman scored 13, Jared Bryant 11, and Jabriel Coaston 7 in limited action due to foul trouble. NCH proved that they are for real, their press is excellent and if you let them get out and run your in for a long night. 

• 

  Greg Sevilla is getting into a serious scoring rhythm at NCH

  Lakota East 66 Huber Heights Wayne 58: Huge road win for Lakota East. One of Cincinnati's top teams defeating Dayton's top team in a game that came down to the final minute. Lakota East hit their free throws after getting a stop with a minute to go and held on to win the game. Mike Boyd led the way for East scoring 14 points. Wayne stars Travis Trice and Markus Crider were both held in check by East and forced into horrible shooting nights. Jalen Goodwin and Allante Foster also scored in double figures for Lakota East.
  
  
• Winton Woods 64 Hamilton 46: Semaj Christon scored 17 in a Warrior road win.

• Madeira 58 CHCA 47

• Colerain 59 Mt. Healthy 53: Colerain senior wing Khari Pleasant had 22 points. Owls senior guard Derek Floyd scored 14.

• Mason 67 Loveland 38: Senior forward Brian Carden scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for Mason who is still undefeated. 

Monday's Out of Town Results:

Ben Galemmo might be Cincy's
best long range shooter

Tonight's out of town games: Cincinnati went 3-0 for the day!

• Moeller 62 Dobson (AZ) 41: Comfortable win for Moeller in their first game at The VistaMesa.com Challenge in Arizona. Was able to catch this game online and to describe it in two words the game was: typical Moeller. They jumped out to a ten point lead, held it through three quarters, and took advantage of a worn down opponent to bust the game wide open. Ben Galemmo played the best game that I've seen him play at Moeller, he scored 17 points (hitting 5 threes) and made several nice passes for layups. Ben also did a great deal of ball-handling in transition. Charlie Byers was next in scoring for Moeller with 11 points, Chuck was able to get the better of Dobson star Malcom McKinley holding him to just 9 points (about 10 below his average). Junior wing Alex Voss was also effective for Moeller, Voss is another weapon for the Crusaders who can shoot or take his man off the dribble, and is also a passing and defensive threat. Moeller plays again tomorrow at 12:30 ET, the game can be seen online at: http://www.livestream.com/moellerbasketball1
  
  

• 

  Josh Lemmons had another
  double digit scoring game for LaSalle

  LaSalle 61 Tampa Prep 28: The Lancers dominated their first game in The Kingdom of the Sun Tournament in Ocala, Florida. Brandon Neel led the way with 14 points and Josh Lemmons was next with 12. LaSalle also got 8 points from both Matt Woeste and Ryan Fleming. This was a convincing win for LaSalle over one of Florida's top programs (Tampa Prep made the 2A state semi-final and only lost three games last year). LaSalle will play again tomorrow. 

• Withrow 80  East Grand Rapids 70: Aaron Thomas and Devin Williams had their second consecutive big nights with 23 points a piece as Withrow moved to 2-0 at Detroit's Motorcity Roundball Classic. Junior forward Kendall Beamon also added 10 points for Withrow. Withrow plays their final game of the classic tomorrow afternoon at 4 PM against Detroit Renaissance. 

Preview of Tuesday's Games

Huber Heights Wayne SR PG Travis Trice
is Michigan State bound after this year.

A couple of late Christmas gifts to Cincinnati hoops fans with two great games tomorrow, as well as some coverage of out of town tourneys. Also, a few more top Cincinnati teams will be in action locally: 

• Lakota East @ Huber Heights Wayne: Two of SW Ohio's finest meet up in the Dayton suburbs for this playoff like match-up. Wayne features two high major players in Michigan State signee Travis Trice, the 6-0 SR PG is the son of the coach and a great shooter; and Marcus Crider a 6-6 SR SF who has signed with Providence. Crider is a great athlete that can put points up on the board. While East might not have two players as talented as Trice and Crider they do have a team loaded with senior talent. Expect Mike Boyd, Jalen Goodwin, Cameron Lee, RJ Leppert, and the rest of the team to come out ready to play. The key to this game for Lakota East might be the production of Mark Minch. Minch, who likely will guard Crider, will be counted on to put pressure on Wayne's defense and to match Wayne's superior athleticism.

  • 

    Wayne SR forward Markus Crider
    will be playing in the Big East with
    Providence next season.
    
    

    Prediction: Should be a close game as long as LE can handle the road atmosphere; if they can contain Crider then I like their chances of pulling the upset. 

• Roger Bacon @ North College Hill: Everyone is going to want to see this matchup of Cincinnati's top two D2 teams. Roger Bacon, as always, will be led by the senior trio of PG Paul Byrd, versatile forward Jabriel Coaston, and postman Jared Bryant who should be back from a minor injury. These three will try and lead the Spartans against NCH Trojans star small forward Greg Sevilla. Sevilla is a big time scorer from distance as well as off the dribble, and he can surprise you with his athleticism in transition. NCH might not look like a great team but they have the overall team size, depth, athleticism, and hustle to make them a tough opponent for anyone. The winner of this game will be able to claim to be Cincy's top D2 team.
  • Prediction: This will be NCH's first home game and they seem like they're on a mission to prove their doubters wrong. If they can slow down Coaston and Bryant's production inside then I think NCH takes this one with a big second half.

• Out of Town Tournaments:
  • Withrow plays game three of The Motorcity Roundball Classic against Detroit Renaissance
  • Moeller plays game two of The VistaMesa.com Challenge (AZ)
  • LaSalle plays game two of The Kingdom of the Sun Tournament (FL)
  • Taft plays game one of The Piggly-Wiggly Roundball Tournament (SC)
  • Summit plays game one of The Holy Ghost Prep Tournament
  • Middletown plays game one of The Gaslight Holiday Classic

• Other Local Matchups:
  • Colerain @ Mount Healthy
  • Winton Woods @ Hamilton
  • CHCA @ Madeira

Withrow @ Motorcity Roundball Classic

Give Devin Williams 10 shots and he'll
put up big numbers no matter who the opponent is.

Withrow 82 Detroit Pershing 73
A great start to Detroit's finest event for Withrow as they defeated Detroit Pershing by nine. Seems like this one was a game of star performances. Aaron Thomas, Cincinnati's top player, led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Aaron shot 10-16 from the field, an efficiency that is tough to achieve in HS, and hit 7-10 from the line. Devin Williams was next for Withrow; the 6-7 sophomore PF scored 19 points and grabbed 13 big rebounds. Devin shot 8-10 from the field and 3-5 from the line. Also for Withrow, Carl Porter scored 12 points and had 8 rebounds, and Kevin Jones added 9 points. Withrow's big four really came through this game when they were needed most.

For Detroit Pershing, sophomore SG Martez Walker (a top 100 nationally ranked player) scored 29 points and his older brother, point guard Sherron Walker (ranked as one of Michigan's top 5 juniors) added 24.

Withrow plays tomorrow at 9pm vs East Grand Rapids HS- Check in tomorrow night for a report from this game, as well as updates from Moeller and LaSalle's out of town tournament games.

Thursday Night Scores:

Corrected Summit score from last night:
Summit 62 Purcell Marian 33: Kevin Johnson led Summit with 14 points in an easy Knights win. Tommy Kreyenhagen and Ryan Glass also scored in double figures; Jack Gustafson, Milt Davis, and Antonio Woods Jr were all productive for Summit.

Roger Bacon 49 Newport Catholic 42: Jabriel Coaston scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Coaston is having a great year so far, colleges coaches should take notice.


Little Miami 47 CHCA 46

Wednesday Night Results:

Thurgood Marshall 72 Hughes 39: The Big Red took another loss in a tough season, Terry Cook led them with a 13 points in the loss.

Lawrence Central (IN) 62 Aiken 55: Willy Moore scored 26 points (for the second game in a row) and grabbed 10 rebounds but it wasn't enough as Aiken lost their third game in four tries. Austin Grimes had a double-double with 12 points 10 boards, freshman PG Tyonte Robertson had his best statistical game with 15 points and 7 assists, and Landen Gaulden scored 10 for Aiken.

Thoughts on Leadership

Had the privilege of playing for Coach Rich Hoyt at Summit his first year coaching varsity, it gave me an opportunity to 
learn a lot of life lessons about preparation, dedication, teamwork, responsibility, and many more.

Coach has some excellent things to say on leadership and basketball on his blog:

Check it out

Tonight's Scores

Greg Sevilla had a great game for NCH
tonight scoring 26 in the buzzer beater win.

Keevin Tyus' 28 points weren't quite
enough tonight for West High to win.

• North College Hill 66 West High 64: Another devastating close loss for West High. Vince Edwards tipped in a miss with 2 seconds left to give NCH the lead; Keevin Tyus scored at the buzzer to tie but it was waved off. Keevin finished with 28 for West High in another great performance, this kid gets better every game and has so much hear (no one has improved more over the last few months). Greg Sevilla of NCH is the real deal; hadn't seen him play in a while  but he impressed with euro-step finishes in transistion, mid-range pullups, three balls, and more. Sevilla finished with 26 for NCH. NCH looks like the second best D2 team in the city, very good win for them tonight. For West High, Bubba Hill added 13 points and Durrell Bullock 8. West High struggled without JaMarcus Crawford who was sick, and they really uncharacteristically struggled to beat the NCH press.  More pics
• Roger Bacon 47 Carroll 40: JaBriel Coaston had his third straight double-double in a win. 
• LaSalle 58 McNicholas 41: Brandon Neel, Ryan Fleming, Trey Casey, and Josh Lemmons all scored in double figures of LaSalle.
• St. Xavier 39 Bishop Fenwick 36
• Moeller 41 Chaminade 30: Ben Galemmo led Moeller with 10 points in a balanced but low scoring game.
• Arlington Country Day (FL) 65 Princeton 54: Marcus Monterio led Princeton with 16.
• Fairfield 56 Sycamore 39
• Lakota West 49 Colerain 36: Monty Boykins gave West 18 points and Phil Cooke added 15.
• Middletown 63 Oak Hills 46: Geovonie McKnight and Jalin Marshall each scored 14 for Middletown.
• Mason 58 Hamilton 38: JD Sprague led Mason with 18, Corey Wise scored 12 in a loss.
• Taft 85 Ironton 65: Adolphus Washington, Chris Lowe, Kadeem Palmer, Orlando Berry, and Marquez Johnson all scored in double digits for Taft.
• Northwest 58 CHCA 47: Mel Hunter led NW with 13 points.
• Anderson 57 Walnut Hills 46

Also, Congrats to Lakota East for winning their tournament in SC with 3 blowouts and to Shroder for going 1-1 against great competition in Detroit. 

CPHR's Christmas Present to the Readers

First I want to thank you guys for all of your support! With almost 7,000 views in exactly three weeks this has grown faster then I could have imagined, and that is all thanks to the basketball fans that check in here.

To all the players that have helped me with this whether it's giving me scores, stats, a heads up on a player, or anything else thank you for your selflessness and help.

Here is my slightly early Christmas present to you guys: The much anticipated updated and expanded rankings!


After listening to reader feedback the rankings did have some flaws, and I always planned on adding to them, these new ones I feel are a very strong and an accurate representation of Cincy's top talent. Am I still missing someone, ok, let me know.

Note: Congrats to Alex McGlothin, heard from a very reliable source that he will be back in less then a month, his return means that he claims his rightful spot in the top ten of the '11 rankings.

The rankings can be accessed by clicking on the links at the top of this page.


Thanks again and Happy Holidays,
Corey Albertson

Cincy Prep Hoops Report
cincyprephoopsreport.blogspot.com/
cincyprephoopsreport@gmail.com

Top Games for the Week

A few pre-Christmas games that could be intersting: Check back into CPHR each night for scores, stats, pictures, and analysis.

Tuesday 12-21

North College Hill @ West High
Taft @ Ironton (perennial northern Ohio D3 powerhouse)

Middletown @ Oak Hills

Colerain @ Lakota West

LaSalle @ McNicholas

Chamminade @ Moeller

Fenwick @ St. Xavier

Turpin @ Milford

Wednesday 12-22

Aiken @ Indianapolis team

Thurgood Marshall @ Hughes

Thursday 12-23

Purcell Marian @ Summit

Newport Catholic @ Roger Bacon

Week 3 Top Performances:

This week's top performers are the top teams in the city so far this season. These 4 teams all had targets on their back from day 1 and have stepped up the challenge thus far.

Brandon Neel has LaSalle looking great.

• Withrow: The Tigers survived two good opponents best punches this weekend. First against West High, Aaron Thomas hit two free throws with less then three seconds left to win by two. Saturday, against Aiken, Withrow won another close game by four. Thomas went for over twenty points both nights, inlcuding a great performance against his former school. Withrow was also led by Carl Porter (a D1 Binghampton commit), Carl averaged 19 points and 11 boards over the weekend. Devin Williams, Kevin Jones, Damon Gooch, and the strong play or rotation player Rozelle Nix are all crucial for the continued success of Withrow. Williams, ranked 2nd in our '13 rankings, scores just about every post touch he gets down low and has really improved his shooting touch. 
• Taft: If the state tournament started today it would be tough to imagine a team beating Taft. They are such a balanced attack with a deep aresenal of weapons. Adolphus Washington and Dwayne Stanford continue to kill it down low, and Kadeem Palmer and Orlando Berry Jr. have been great at the point guard spot. Jermaine Freeman, Jalean Lowe, Chris Lowe, Marquez Johnson, and the rest of the Taft team have looked great on both ends of the floor so far. Expect Withrow and Taft to fight it out for the CMAC title down the stretch. 
• LaSalle: This is their season, coaches have been saying it since last year ended, they look like they're on their way to Columbus if they keep up what they've been doing. Brandon Neel and Josh Lemmons have been dominant this year as expected; no one can find a way to stop these guys in transition or the half court. Ryan Flemming, Matt Woeste, and Trey Casey round out a really special nucleus for Coach Flemming. All five of his guys can shoot, run, drive, pass, and are relentless in the press. This group might be undersized but because they are so tough to prepare for expect LaSalle to stay undefeated for a while. CPHR can't wait until they run into Moeller in a few weeks.  
• Roger Bacon: Since taking a tough L against Winton Woods these guys have really turned it all around. Led by the talented senior trio of Jabriel Coaston (averaging a double-double), Paul Byrd (second in the league in scoring), and Jared Bryant (who has been banged up but will play next game) Roger Bacon looks like they have what it takes to play with anyone. They look like they're on pace to make a run in D2.
• Mason: Haven't seen them yet this year but it seems like they're doing big things. Followers of the AAU circuit are familiar with junior guard JD Sprague and junior power forward Darrin Harris. These two are having productive years scoring the ball and stepping into more prominent roles this season. The Comets are led this year by Brian Carden who is averaging over 13 points per game so far. With a convincing win over Winton Woods and an undefeated record these guys might be able to match Lakota East and Middletown when the time comes in the GMC. 
• Other teams: Sycamore, Winton Woods, Moeller, Middletown, Summit, Shroder, and West High all had good weeks as well in their respective conferences. 

Saturday CMAC Results:

Aaron Thomas came to play against his former school. AT led
Withrow with twenty points, his second twenty point game in as many nights.

Three games were played in the city league tonight; two were blowouts and one was nail-biter. Fortunately, CPHR was at the nail-biter: Tonight's pictures

• Withrow 69 Aiken 65: Another close call but thrilling win for the Tigers. In his first game against his former school Withrow star guard Aaron Thomas scored 20 points including several emphatic pull up threes; reminding Aiken of what they used to have. Thomas was on a mission tonight and overcame the ball-hawking defense of Gene Primus to have another big night; for the second night in a row AT also iced the game from the foul line with two makes with less then two seconds remaining. Carl Porter was huge again tonight for Withrow scoring 16 points on several strong lefty drives and pounding the offensive glass as usual. Also as usual, Porter was big on the defensive end blocking shots and grabbing boards. Withrow also got a good contribution from sophomore big man Devin Williams who scored 17 points and grabbed double digit boards. Devin was simply too much to handle down low for the undersized Aiken team. Aiken got a huge first half from Willy Moore, he scored 19 of his game high 27 in the first, and led at the break. Moore was on target from three and was able to finish in the lane in transition, including one dunk. In the second half Gene Primus and Landen Gaulden (who scored 11) kept Aiken alive but it wasn't enough to match Thomas and the Tigers. Austin Grimes scored 8 points for Aiken in limited time due to foul trouble.

         Note: Top ten '13 prospect Time Coleman, a PG on the Withrow JV team, has really improved

         his overall point guard skills particularly his ball-handling and passing. Everyone knows that

         Tim can score, now that he is really a dual threat he is going to be very tough to contain.

• West High 71 Hughes 42: Keevin Tyus had another big night scoring 16 points in the blowout win. Josh Chancellor and Bubba Hill each scored 14 for West High. 

• Taft 94 Woodward 69: Adolphus Washington scored 22 points and grabbed almost as many rebounds in a dominant performance. Chris Lowe scored 14 points for Taft and his brother Jalean added 12; Jermaine Freeman also scored in double figures for Taft with 10. Taft blew the game wide open in the third quarter thanks to their press which was led by Orlando Berry Jr, who scored 8, and Kadeem Palmer, who contributed 7 points. In the loss Woodward sophomore power forward Trent Donald scored 21 points. 

Saturday's CMAC Preview:

All seven CMAC teams play Saturday; we have three league matchups and Shroder plays another game in Michigan in their holiday tournament. Let's take a look at the league matchups:

Shroder's game can be seen on ESPNU @ 2:00 PM

• Aiken @ Withrow: Withrow avoided disaster in their home opener against West High, now they want to make it two in a row against another tough opponent. As with most Aiken games this will be a clash of styles; Aiken wants to run and gun and Withrow wants to be a little more deliberate. The thing to watch in this game is how well Aiken keeps Carl Porter, Devin Williams, and the rest of the taller Withrow team off of the offensive glass. If Aiken can keep the Tigers from owning the pain then they will have a good chance. Expect Aiken's quickness to give Withrow fits on the defensive end. The main storyline for this game is obvious; what will Aaron Thomas do in his first game against his former school? When it comes to scoring it is never wise to wager against AT. This has the potential to be another classic game at Withrow.

• Prediction: I'm thinking upset, Withrow plays another close league game and this time falls a little short to a motivated Aiken team.

• West High @ Hughes: After coming so close on Friday, losing in the final seconds to Withrow by 2, West High will be fired up to take this game (one that they should win). Hughes has been able to hang with most league opponents for at least a half, but has not yet registered a win. Expect a motivated West High team to handle their business. The depth, toughness, athleticism, and skill of West High is too much for most teams to handle right now.
  • Prediction: West High by 15.

• Woodward vs Taft (@ Aiken): Both teams were off Friday, so they had a little extra preparation time; and both teams are known for defense so this might be low scoring. Low scoring games in this case benefit Taft who has too much firepower for Woodward. The guard play of Kadeem Palmer, Orlando Berry Jr, and the rest of the Senators should be enough to get the win; even if Trent Donald is holding his own down low against Taft's Adolphus Washington and Dwayne Stanford.
  • Prediction: Taft by at least 20, they look unbeatable right now.

Friday Results

Absolutely great night to be a HS basketball fan. Here are some of the scores from around the city:

West High @ Withrow pictures

• 

  Aaron Thomas runs this city until
  someone else proves otherwise.

  Withrow 68 West High 66: In the best game of this young season, both teams traded blows the entire fourth quarter. Darrell Bullock hit a floater to tie the game with less then twenty seconds, but Withrow's Aaron Thomas proved that he is the man in this city with a strong drive and two made free throws with only 5 seconds left to win it. The reason Withrow won was the second half play of Carl Porter; Carl was everywhere getting buckets, rebounds, blocks, diving on the floor, and making the crowd go crazy with two dunks. West High is for real though, although they still have doubters this team is one to watch as the season continues. Thomas finished with 22 for Withrow, Carl Porter had 19, and Kevin Jones scored 15. West High was led offensively by four guys who all had double figures. Keevin Tyus had another big game with 20, Bubba Hill hit shots all night and had 17, Darrell Bullock kept West High alive time after time and scored 16, and JaMarcus Crawford added 12 for the Mustangs. 
• Winton Woods 64 Ross 44: Dennis Thomas scored 14 for the Warriors.
• Middletown 58 Fairfield 40: Kirby Wright, Josh Johnson, and G McKnight all scored in double figures for the Middies as they stayed unbeaten. 
• Summit 66 Clark 64: Kevin Johnson scored 18 points and freshman Antonio Woods hit the game winning three with only four seconds left. Ryan Glass had 19 for Summit. 
• Moeller 61 Elder 53: Chuck Byers led Moe with 24 points, Ben Galemmo added 10, and Alex Barlow had 11 for the Crusaders. Sophomore Josh Davenport scored 6 for Moeller. 
• LaSalle 58 St. Xavier 43: Josh Lemmons led LaSalle with 14 points.
• Glen Este 70 Walnut Hills 54: Sophomores Sterling Gilmore, Kyree Burton, and Isiah Johnson combined for 30 points in a Walnut loss.
• Aiken 73 Hughes 50: Austin Grimes had 26 points and 16 rebounds to lead Aiken. Mikey Thompson and Femi Thompson both scored in double figures for Aiken. Ryan Greene led Hughes with 19.
• Sycamore 46 Hamilton 43: Kevin Clark again led the Aves with 15 points. 
• Princeton 54 Lakota West 35: Lionel Hill had 18 and Ulysses Thomas 13 for Princeton.
• Anderson 59 Turpin 45: Anderson dominated this rivalry game and stay undefeated. 
• Colerain 50 Oak Hills 32: Thomas Schneider had another nice night with 17 in a loss. 
• Roger Bacon 63 McNicholas 47: Paul Byrd had 18 for Bacon and Jabriel Coaston added 16.

Thursday Cancellation:

Today's Woodward @ Shroder game has been postponed due to the snow. The make up date is still unknown, but it will not be this weekend.

Thursday/Friday Game Previews:

One CMAC game Thursday, before Shroder heads out of town for a weekend tournament, and several big games Friday gives CPHR a lot of previewing to do. There should be a lot of intense matchups, great crowds, big plays, and great finishes among these games. Check back in Thursday and Friday night for pictures, scores, stats, commentary, and more from these games; as well as previews of Saturday's action.

Can anyone stop Jalen
Billups from doing this?

Thursday's Game:

• Woodward @ Shroder: Woodward's star power forward Trent Donald vs Jalen Billups of Shroder, enough said! Shroder has talent advantages at the point guard spot, on the wing, and with their overall supply of big's; but Billups vs Donald is worth the price of admission. Woodward is known for competing every second of every game and that will not change in this one. Shroder will have to find a way to match their toughness. Shroder has the major talent advantage but that doesn't necessarily mean a win.
  • Prediction: Woodward leads at the half but Shroder comes back and wins.

Friday's Games:
• Clark @ Summit: This one has MVC title implications, and we're still in December. Two undefeated league teams will do battle Friday at Summit. It should be a highlight reel type of fight between Kevin Johnson of Summit and Clark's Alphonso Upshaw. Down low Summit's front line will have to contain Paul Woodson, who is averaging a double double. The crowd could make a real difference here for Summit in the biggest game of the young season.

  • 

    Kevin Johnson is going to go
    at it with Alphonso Upshaw on Friday

    Prediction: Game comes down to the last minute and Summit pulls out a home win.

• West High @ Withrow: If West High wants to prove that they're for real then here is their chance. This game should be a high intensity match up. Down low it will be a war between Devin Williams of Withrow and the entire West High front line (that is deep and more talented then people realize). West High might have the advantage with guards but they have no one on the wing that will be able to slow down Aaron Thomas, if AT gets hot this game won't be close. The wild-card in this game will be JaMarcus Crawford, if he can come out and hit shots then it will come down to the wire.
  • Prediction: West High comes very, very close but Withrow wins their home opener.

• Hughes @ Aiken: Interesting game in the CMAC. Aiken is coming off of a really disappointing loss to Sycamore, so this will be the classic “How will they respond” game. If they put the loss behind them then Aiken will cruise, if not then it's anyone's game. Expect Hughes to use the familiar game-plan against Aiken; slow the game down, pack it in and make them shoot, keep Austin Grimes off the glass, and don't turn the ball over to let them run. If Hughes can execute, and Terry Cook and Aaron Oden can keep producing then it will be close for at least a half.
  • Prediction: Aiken comes out strong and wins comfortably.

• 

  Expect a big scoring night from Aaron Thomas against West High

  Other Big Games: 
  • St. Xavier @ LaSalle
  • Lakota West @ Princeton
  • Moeller @ Elder
  • Glen Este @ Walnut Hills
  • Anderson @ Turpin
  • McNicholas @ Roger Bacon
  • Winton Woods @ Ross
  • Fairfield @ Middletown
  • Sycamore @ Hamilton
  • Oak Hills @ Colerain

A Few Scores From Tuesday Night

Scores from the biggest games off of Tuesday's slate, including coverage of a major upset:
Pictures from Aiken @ Sycamore

Tyonte Robertson heating up Sycamore's Wes Yengo.
Yengo did a good job all night handling Aiken's heat.

Sycamore 51 Aiken 49: In the biggest upset of the year the Aviators took down top ten Aiken in a game that Aiken led for 31/32 minutes. Kevin Clark scored two of his 18 points with a little over a minute to go to give Sycamore it's first lead and they never looked back. Aiken, frustrated all night by the zone, couldn't get a clean look to go down in the fourth quarter. AJ Williams was very productive down low for Sycamore finishing with 14 points, and senior point guard Wes Yengo had a good game scoring 11. For Aiken, Willy Moore hit a trio of threes and scored 13 points and Austin Grimes kept his double double streak alive with 10 and 10. CPHR really liked Tyonte Robertson's solid play even if he didn't light up the scoring column. 

Mason 71 Winton Woods 50: Another shocking result from tonight's action. Mason is off to a really nice start this season. Mason held Winton Woods stars Semaj Christon and Dennis Thomas to single digit scoring. Brian Carden scored 24 points for Mason.

Willy Moore had his jumper going tonight
but it wasn't enough for Aiken to get the win.

Shroder 67 Mt. Healthy 43: Jalen Billups continued his great season for Shroder with 25 points. 

LaSalle 71 Lakota West 46: Brandon Neel scored 20 points and Josh Lemmons had 22 in another Lancers win. For West, Phil Cooke had 18 points.

Roger Bacon 47 Bishop Fenwick 38: Jabriel Coaston led Bacon with 20 points and 15 boards. 

Tuesday Top Games

West's Phil Cooke can really jump

Not a ton of great games this Tuesday but there are a few notable matchups:

• Mason @ Winton Woods: The Warriors have been on fire their first two games, and now they get to play their home opener. Expect to see Dennis Thomas, Semaj Christon, and the rest of Winton Woods' players come out with a little extra energy. JD Sprague, Darrin Harris, and the rest of Mason will have their hands full.
• Prediction: Winton Woods by 15.
• Lakota West @ LaSalle: Like Winton Woods, LaSalle has been very impressive so far this season. That shouldn't change much against a Lakota West team that has been average so far this season. Phil Cooke might present a tough cover for LaSalle but other then that they should be fine. The starting five of: Josh Lemmons, Trey Casey, Brandon Neel, Matt Woeste, and Ryan Flemming is just too good for all but the best opponents. 
• Prediction: LaSalle wins big
• Roger Bacon @ Bishop Fenwick: Bacon needs to forget about the Winton Woods loss and focus on beating league opponents such as Fenwick. Fenwick expected to come closer to beating LaSalle the other night. So both of these teams have something to prove. This could be a hotly contested game.



Kairo Cannon is off to a good start
this season at Shroder. 

• Prediction: Bacon has too much talent. Close game, Bacon wins by a few.
• Mt. Healthy @ Shroder: Shroder has been unsuccessful inside the league so far but did win its first non-conference game. They should go 2-0 out of conference after this game. Mt. Healthy doesn't have much this season outside of Derrick Floyd. 
• Prediction: Shroder easily. 
• Aiken @ Sycamore: Sycamore is much improved this season, this will not be a repeat of last years 60 point massacare. As much as they have improved it is tough to see them winning this game. Austin Grimes is just playing too well right now for any team to stop them, and Willy Moore is due to have a big game. When Aiken is moving the ball and balancing out their shot attempts they are very, very good. They just have to much depth and talent for most teams to handle. Sycamore's best chance lies with junior center AJ Williams getting some buckets down low and then the rest of the team hitting outside shots.
• Prediction: Sycamore competes with Aiken, but Aiken takes over in the second half. 

Week Two Top Performances

Charlie Byers

These are the guys that really got done in week number two:

• Week 2 MVP: Charlie Byers: Moeller Sr PG- Chuck had a great week in two big Moe wins. First he scored 19 points in a win over Alter. In that game he was matched with super sophomore Jarron Simmons of Alter, Charlie got the best of that match up and Moeller cruised. On Saturday, he scored 21 points in a road win at Woodward. He took advantage of Woodward's inexperience at the point and helped lead the Crusaders to a win. Just like last year, Byers is Moeller's emotional leader and a clutch performer. His combination of strength, speed, toughness, and talent makes him a difficult man to stop in the GCL. If he can maintain his current level of play look for Byers to ink a D1 scholarship this spring.

• Dennis Thomas and Semaj Christon- Winton Woods Sr SG and PG : These two have been unstoppable in Winton Woods' first two games, both blow out wins. Dennis Thomas hit 7 of 10 threes for 33 total points against Roger Bacon on Tuesday then followed it up with another 25 against Hughes on Saturday. When Thomas is making shots with such consistency he is a tough man to cover for any team. Christon, a highly coveted prospect, went for 16 points against Roger Bacon and 22 against Hughes. Semaj is more of an all around player that can set up teammates with his penetration but he will be scoring near twenty every game this season for the Warriors.

  

  Semaj Christon

• Eli'sha Campbell: Colerain Jr SG- Eli'sha is finally scoring consistently for the Cardinals and that is going to lead to wins in the near future. Eli had 14 against Fairfield on Friday and followed it up with a game high 20 points against top ranked Dixie Heights on Saturday. Wednesday, with CPHP in attendance, his shot was not falling but the quality of the shots that he was able to create for himself was impressive. Always known as a slasher, athlete, and defensive stopper; Campbell wants to create a name for himself as a go-to scorer and he is well on his way.
  
  

  

  Dennis Thomas (co Cincinnati Enquirer)

  
  
• Last Week's Top Guys: Austin Grimes, Jalen Billups, Trent Donald, Devin Williams, Kevin Johnson, and more were all productive again in week 2. Aaron Thomas, who is basically assumed as a top performer, had his first big game with Withrow on Friday when he scored 29 points. 

Sunday at NKU

Treg Setty of Mason County
and Princeton's Jay McCants

The final 3 games of the Buckeye/Bluegrass Challenge were great battles.

Princeton 62 Mason County 52: The Vikings took a commanding 16 point half time lead and never let it go Sunday at NKU. Mason County got as close as 6 late in the game but could never take control. Ulysses Thomas was great for Princeton, he scored 19 points and had 5 assists. Thomas can really shoot from deep when he gets going. Jay McCants scored 8 points for Princeton in limited action due to foul trouble; and Lionel Hill added 9 points and did a great job defensively on Mason County star Treg Setty. Setty scored 18 points for Mason County, Setty is a 6-9 forward that can play on the wing and score from anywhere. Expect big things from him next year at Southern Illinois University. Game pictures

Game MVP- Princeton's Ulysses Thomas

Ryle 54 Oak Hills 41: Big man Bobby Stauffer led Ryle to another win over a GMC team. Thomas Schneider scored 19 points for Oak Hills in a loss.

Covington Catholic 63 St. Xavier 56: Kentucky won the final game to take the challenge 3-2. In the loss Will Meuthing led the Bombers with 14 points. For Cov Cath, Jake Thelen had 21 points and 16 boards.

Taft and Louisville Male were not able to get their game rescheduled unfortunately.

Saturday Results

Moe's Chuck Byers and Woodward's Trent
Donald had an exciting battle tonight at Woodward.

A couple of intense games tonight, including a Moeller vs Woodward game that was much more competitive then the score shows, and even one buzzer beater in the Aiken game:

• Moeller 66 Woodward 46: In typical Moeller fashion the game was close through almost three quarters and The Crusaders made a run and never looked back. Ben Galemmo scored 9 of his 16 points in less then a minute as Moeller blew a three point game wide open. Charlie Byers, who always bring his best late in the game, had 21 points for Moeller. Alex Barlow contributed 8 points and several hustle plays. For Woodward, it was all Trent Donald. Trent came out and played like a man among boys with 17 points and 8 rebounds; but he just couldn't get the help he needed. Woodward is one of the best 1-3 teams in the state but that probably isn't much of a condolence to them. Moeller proved that yet again they have a deep, talented, and fiercely competitive team that can beat any style of play. Pictures from this game. 

  

  Ben Galemmo celebrates with Chuck Byers
  after draining 3 consecutive triples late in the third

• Dixie Heights 54 Colerain 46: Eli'sha Campbell had 20 points in the loss. Big time freshman Brandon Hatton had 13 for Dixie
  Heights. 
  
  
• Aiken 72 Holmes 71: Austin Grimes continued his rampage with 27 points and approximately 15 rebounds. Aiken played tough the whole second half and came back to win the game at the buzzer on a tip in by Femi Thompson; who scored 18 points. Landen Gaulden did a great job of penetrating and minimizing mistakes for Aiken. Willy Moore added 8 for Aiken.
  
  
• Shroder 70 Madeira 59: Jalen Billups scored 18 points for Shroder and Kairo Cannon scored 19. Trey Dees gave Shroder 11 assists; while big men Randale Griffith and Ladell Griffin each had double digit rebounds.  Super sophomore Andrew Benintendi scored 18 for Madeira
  
  
• Meadowdale 75 West High 71: Darrell Bullock's 16 points were not enough for West High as they lost to a good Dayton team. The only good news for West High is that JaMarcus Crawford make his season debut.
  
  
• Winton Woods 64 Hughes 44: Dennis Thomas scored 25 for Winton Woods and Semaj Christon scored 22 as they continue to prove this team's doubters wrong.

• The Taft vs Louisville Male game was cancelled due to travel complications for Male.   

Saturday Game Previews + Buckeye/Bluegrass Challenge Preview

Saturday we have four big games on the schedule, and then the annual Buckeye/Bluegrass Challenge going down at the Bank of Kentucky Center on the campus of Northern Kentucky University; both Saturday and Sunday. Let's take a look at who is playing where:

All 6 of the games at NKU can be watched anytime at nkysports.com

• Moeller @ Woodward: It's always interesting when the GCL and CMAC teams get together. As usual, this will be total clash of styles. Moeller will bring their deliberate style of offense and great half court man to man defense down to Seymour and Reading where the home team ,Woodward, loves to  play in the full-court on both sides of the ball. Two of the city's top sophomores will be on display in top ranked Joshua Davenport from Moeller and Trent Donald of Woodward.

  • 

    Moeller's Charlie Byers

    Prediction: Moeller is no stranger to taking down city teams. They knocked off a talented Aiken team in the playoffs last year; and return most of that team. Expect Moeller to handle themsevles well and win this by double digits.

• Madeira @ Shroder: Shroder has a brutal schedule to start the season, it doesn't get any easier when one the CHL's top teams come to their building. Madeira is a talented young team with lots of sophomores starting varsity. Shroder will be in desperate need of a win by Saturday. Can Madeira  handle the heat that Shroder is going to throw at them, and, do they have anybody down low to bang with Jalen Billups?
  • Prediction: Shroder takes this one.

• Winton Woods @ Hughes: After facing off against Taft and Woodward, Hughes is another team that has had a tough schedule thus far. They have to face an even tougher opponent in Winton Woods on Satuday, who was red hot in a blowout win at Roger Bacon on Tuesday. This should be a fast paced up and down kind of game.
  • Prediction: Hughes has no one that can keep pace with Semaj Christon and Dennis Thomas. Winton Woods wins by a comfortable margin in a rematch from last year's first round playoff game.
• Meadowdale @ West High: West High tries to defend Cincinnati against another visiting Dayton team.

• Buckeye/Bluegrass Challenge- Saturday (all games are at NKU)

  • 

    Aiken's Willy Moore

    Colerain vs Dixie Heights (5:30): Dixie Heights is the #1 ranked team in NKY. They start one of the best freshman in the state in Brandon Hatton and have a deep squad full of talent. Colerain is a very good team in the GMC this year but they will probably be outmatched in this one. Dixie Heights should make KY 1-0 to start the event.

• Aiken vs Covington Holmes (7:00): There will be no shortage of talent on the floor in this one. Willy Moore and Austin Grimes lead Aiken across the river to battle Holmes. Holmes lost two stud players in Elijah Pittman and Ricardo Johnson, so they are still sort of an unknown team. But they are ranked #5 in NKY. This should be a tough test for Aiken but they do appear to be slight favorites.

• Taft vs Louisville Male (8:30): This years headline game for the event features the #1 team in Cincy (D2-D4) and Male who is ranked #4 in Louisville. This should be a real battle, the question will be does Male have the depth, size, athleticism, and toughness to match up with Taft. Taft is off to a   great start, my prediction is that it will stay that way.

  

  Dwayne "Too Tall" Stanford of Taft

  
  

• Buckeye/Bluegrass Challenge- Sunday (all games are at NKU)
  • Oak Hills vs Ryle (1:00): Ryle is currently ranked #6 in the NKY pool and is no stranger to playing teams from across the river. Oak Hills is a middle of the pack GMC team but they do have the talent and experience to win games. Ryle is the favorite here.

• Princeton vs Mason County (2:30): Mason County is one of KY's top teams every single season, and it looks like it's that way again this year. Expect to see a lot of talented players on the floor all game long for both teams. Princeton doesn't look like the Viking teams of the last few years however. Mason County should be favored to win this one.

• St. Xavier vs Covington Catholic (4:00): Cov Cath is #4 in the NKY rankings and is off to a good start this year. St. X is behind most Cincinnati games in games played so far so this will be a tough test for them. X lost a lot last year with the graduation of stars Luke Mass and Alex Longi. This looks like another game where the KY team is favored.